Buddhist Monks under the BSPP Regime

After the military generals seized state power in 1962, they continually attempted to crackdown on the most active strata of society including Buddhist monks as they were believed to be a potentially significant revolutionary force. As there was no democratic governance, people suffered a great degree of hardship under the Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) military regime. Student demonstrations, labor strikes, and mass protests occurred throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

In 1965 in Hmawbi, Rangoon Division, monks refused to accept government rule over them. As a result, the BSPP regime arrested over seven hundred monks, some of whom were abused and imprisoned.

Following the death of U Thant, former UN Secretary General, thousands of people including students and monks protested against the military regime demanding an official burial site for the nationally and internationally respected statesman. U Thant passed away on November 25, 1974 and his remains were transferred to his native country, Burma, for a memorial service. The military generals, who always had a strong dislike of native intellectual figures, tried to reduce the ceremony to a minimum. On December 5, 1974, a large crowd of students seized the body in front of 50,000 mourners shortly before it was due to be buried at a public cemetery. The students viewed the military government’s arrangement for the burial site as an insult to the dignity of the statesman. The students quickly built a new mausoleum at the place where the Student Union Building was located before it was blown up in 1962. As a result of the protests, several monks were bayoneted and six hundred were arrested. The total number of people arrested was over 5,000.

When it seized state power, the military regime established the sham ‘Burmese Socialist Programme Party’ and created a socialist government in 1974 that ruled the country until the nationwide pro-democracy uprising of August 1988. During the 26 years of the BSPP’s reign, the military generals pretended to be the most nationalist and pious government that ever ruled in Burma. Taking advantage of the fact that the majority of Burmese people are Buddhists, they tried to convince the people that the government would never do wrong as it was a pious one. Using state power, the military authorities created the Sangha organization comprising it of the whole monk community.

Because monks, by tradition, hardly ever contradicted kings and remained consistent with Vinaya, the Buddhist discipline or code of conduct, venerable monks tolerated the regime’s conduct. In addition, there were already the 10 precepts incumbent on a king from Buddha’s teaching that the successive Burmese kings appreciated and followed. Some daring monks tactfully mentioned the 10 precepts when they gave religious speeches. It had once been a moral obligation of monks to teach kings when they tended toward injustice or immoral deeds.

In military-ruled Burma, some monks tried to meet the needs of the poverty-stricken lay people who could not afford basic necessities or the costs of educating their children. Monks founded small schools that gave shelter to and educate many orphans from war-torn areas and helpless children throughout the country. Under the military regime, the Minister for Religious Affairs provided some support to these schools but really very little.

As expanding global communication became vital for the social development of all countries, some monks tried to teach foreign languages, especially English. Because private language schools charged high tuition fees, the schools founded by the monks were very helpful to the poor people.

Through running charity schools as a supporting measure, monasteries reduced the gap in lay society between the rich and poor.The authorities did not prohibit or interrupt the monks support to laymen or donors. Yet, at the same time, the military authorities did not provide any funds or support to facilitate these activities. Although the regime created honorable social awards for some businesspersons, it did not recognize the work of monks for society. The regime conferred reverential religious titles only to monks who passed the religious examinations and to some prominent venerable monks. It can be noted that the regime’s intention was to keep the sangha permanently away from society, or rather, to keep the sangha away from the people. Yet, Buddhist sasana was an established part of society, and if there were no laymen to make religious offerings, there would be no Buddhist sasana at all. It is unquestionable that the perpetuation of Buddhist sasana could not be accomplished by neglecting the welfare of laymen or society.