One of the greatest legacies that Gautama Buddha left to the ascetics who followed his path was the requirement that they obtain their food and other needs in the form of alms from the people. The giving and receiving of alms is thus a profound act of adherence to his teachings and among the most meritorious of acts. Only under the most compelling moral circumstances will a monk refuse the alms that have been offered, as to do so is to refuse to acknowledge the alms-giver as a part of the religious community. It amounts to an act of excommunication.
However, the view of monks in Burma today is that such an extraordinary moment has arrived.
On September 17 and 18, and again today, in response to the failure of the regime to apologise for violence committed against monks two weeks before, thousands of their peers have taken to the streets of cities and towns around the country, including Rangoon, Mandalay, Pegu, Sittwe, Kale, Pakokku, Kyaukpadaung, Tharrawaddy, Aunglan and Chauk.
In a number of places the street marches, which come after a month of similar events mostly led by ordinary citizens, have been accompanied by special ceremonies in accordance with the disciplinary code of the Buddhist order, the Vinaya, to reject as a matter of moral and religious duty any offer of donations from the military or its supporters, or to preach before them.
The Asian Human Rights Commission has heard the recording of one of these moving and exceptional ceremonies, which was held at midday in Rangoon on September 18. It believes that the decision of the monks at this event to formally boycott the regime not only reveals the profound moral stance taken by the participants but also throws a sharp light onto the scale of crisis in authority that the military is now facing in Burma.
In the recording, which can be heard online in Pali and Burmese at http://burma.ahrchk.net/wav/20070918_Boycott.wav
, the decision to boycott is taken as follows:
“Reverend clergy, may you listen to my words. The violent, mean, cruel, ruthless, pitiless kings [military leaders]–the great thieves who live by stealing from the national treasury–have killed a monk at Pakokku, and also arrested reverend clergymen by trussing them up with rope. They beat and tortured, verbally abused and threatened them. The clergy who are replete with the Four Attributes [worthy of offerings, hospitality, gifts and salutation] must boycott the violent, mean, cruel, ruthless, pitiless soldier kings, the great thieves who live by stealing from the national treasury. The clergy also must refuse donations (of four types) and preaching. This is to inform, advise and propose.
“Reverend clergy, may you listen to my words. The violent, mean, cruel, ruthless, pitiless soldier kings–the great thieves who live by stealing from the national treasury–have killed a monk at Pakokku, and also arrested reverend clergymen by trussing them up with rope. They beat and tortured, verbally abused and threatened them. Clergy replete with the Four Attributes–boycott the violent, mean, cruel, ruthless, pitiless kings, the great thieves who live by stealing from the national treasury. Clergy–also refuse donations and preaching. If the reverends consent and are pleased at the boycott and refusal of donations and preaching, please stay silent; if not in consent and displeased, please voice objections.
[Silence]
“The clergy boycotts the violent, mean, cruel, ruthless, pitiless kings, the great thieves who live by stealing from the national treasury. The clergy hereby also refuses donations and preaching.”
These monks have taken up the boycott as an ethical obligation. There is no way back for them now. The challenge for all of us who are outside the country is to understand the great significance of this action, which cannot be underestimated, and do whatever we can, through whatever means that we have available, to support it.
