Two Bullets in a Balustrade: How the Burmese Have Been Removed from Northern Thai Buddhist History

Abstract

This article questions the way the Burmese period of Northern Thailand has been depicted by Thai and international scholars. The Burmese have generally been described as violent invaders whose rule ushered in an era of decline in Buddhist practice and learning. This period of more than two hundred years (1551-1772) has been classified as one of destruction, oppression, and intellectual stagnation. The Burmese, it is stated repeatedly, destroyed the "golden age" of Northern Thai Buddhist literature. However, epigraphic, codicological, economic, and archaeological evidence does not indicate that the period of Burmese rule in the region was particularly devastating, especially for Buddhist practice and the production of manuscripts. I ask us to question the history of Burmese violence that has been written by historians of Thailand. I argue that scholars need to refrain from a study of regional history that employs sweeping periodization, ethnic branding, and a selective gathering of evidence from Burmese, Yuan, or Siamese sources primarily. We also need to refrain from seeing Burma as one place and its military, monks, nuns, and laity as a single entity. In the postscript, I offer a short reflection on the way violence toward the Burmese is depicted at a Thai Buddhist monastery.

Onward toward Heaven: Burning the Nok Hatsadiling

“…Recent articles have examined the influence from Northern Thailand on Burma and vice versa, making the argument for more exploration by scholars into a better understanding of the cultural relationship between the areas. 20 Photographic documentation of Burmese cremations from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries shows an abbot monk's coffin atop a large papier mâché elephant with a prasat on its back. 21 The elaborate cremation ceremonies held for Burmese monks are congruous with those in Northern Thailand and elevate powerful monks to near-royal status.…”

Burmese Monks in Bangkok: Opening an Abhidhamma School and Creating a Lineage

“…For example, according to McDaniel, Luang Pho Uttama, a contemporary Mon monk living in a Thai monastery near the border of Burma, was universally admired by his Burmese, Mon, and Thai followers (including members of the Thai royal family). To his followers, Luang Pho Uttama was not seen as a 'Mon teacher' or a 'Thai teacher,' but simply as their teacher because his 'status as Buddhist teacher trumped his ethnic and national identity' (McDaniel 2007).…”

“…In 1810, Rama II would order that it was the duty of the state to defend her Buddhism from the wrathful hands of the Burmese.3 McDaniel argues that the Burmese presence in Northern Thailand, was not, in fact, 'particularly devastating for Buddhist practice and the production of manuscripts'. SeeMcDaniel (2007) for an analysis of the Burmese rule in Northern Thailand, and their impact on the production of Buddhist literature. 4 For more on Phra Phimolatham, see the forthcoming work by IngridJordt (2008).5 In fact, according to www.dhammaspread.org, U (i.e., Phra) Techinta Dhammajariya also came from Burma to teach Abhidhamma at Wat MahAdhAtu(Anonymous 1993).…”

“…The invasion of the Burmese 200 years earlier in 1551 connects the Burmese to this historiography of responsibility for a decline in Buddhist practice and intellectual production. The Burmese, it is said, ‘destroyed the “golden age” of Northern Thai Buddhism’ (McDaniel 2007), 3 and continued their raid on Thai people and their beloved Buddhism, culminating in the burning of Ayutthaya. This history of distrust and conflict continues until the present day with skirmishes between Thailand and her Shan, Mon, Karen, and Burmese neighbors.…”

“…3 3 McDaniel argues that the Burmese presence in Northern Thailand, was not, in fact, ‘particularly devastating for Buddhist practice and the production of manuscripts’. See McDaniel (2007) for an analysis of the Burmese rule in Northern Thailand, and their impact on the production of Buddhist literature. …”