Lokesvara Bodhisatta Worship in Theravada Burma
According to Mahayana doctrine, Avalokitesvara is a Bodhisattva who has made a great vow to listen to the prayers of all sentient beings in times of difficulty, and to postpone his own Buddhahood until he has helped every being on Earth achieves enlightenment. He is widely worship by Buddhists both in Mahayana countries as well as in Theravada countries.
To say that Lokesvara Bodhisatta is also worshipped by Theravadins in Burma would perhaps surprise a lot of people, because although Burmese do worship Avalokitesvara Boddhisatta, they have recreated an image, they called Loka Nat Tha, as a substitute for Avalokitesvaraoriginal image. The posture has been changed so much so that no one would suspect their Loka Nat Tha meant to represents the same Lokesvara Bodhisatta of the Mahayana school.
Burmese even created a folk legend of Loka Nat as “the prince of peace” when they display the Loka Nat Tha image. However, the creativity cannot hide the true nature of the most worshipped Lokesvara Bodhisatta as shown in picture. Yes, Lokesvara is highly revered here in Burma and the images are being displayed on each side of the Thihathana Throne for the Burmese Kings..
The great chronicle of the true tradition of the Kingdom of Bagan, some 1,000 years ago, may never be discovered by modern religious scholars due to some artificial suppression of the historical traces by Burmese sages. There are many images and legends invented particularly to hide the ancient Burmese tradition like the Mahayana Saint worship at the time of King Anawratha. For a time span of 1,000 years many generations had come to past and each generation still was blinded from seeing the true facts. To this day, a Burmese could not answer what the true historical background of the Loka Nat Tha that bestowed them with peace and prosperity to their country, the Goldenland.
The truth still remains for the next generations of Burmese is to come to grip that the Loka nat Tha that they most revere is none other than the Bodhisatta Avalokitesvara of the Mahayana school. Kuan Yin mae daw is Loka Nat Tha or Loka Byuha Nat or Thatana Saunk Nat who brings peace and prosperity to the Goldenland.
Let us go back 1,000 years in the past, when upper Burma was under King Anawratha who then embraced Mahayana tradition; and the lower Burma was ruled by the Mon King Manuha who embraced Theravada tradition. One day, the Mon missionary Monk Shin Arahan on his missionary tour arrived in Bagan. He then introduced and converted King Anawratha to Theravada tradition. The Burmese king later requested King Manuha to share the Tipitaka with King Anawratha. When the request was denied, the Burmese launched a campaign and took Tipitaka by force. Following the conquest of Mon Kingdom, King Anawratha declared Theravada Buddhism the State religion of Burma. But some how the Burmese still could not get rid of the traditional worship of Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisatta who belongs to Mahayana school.
The historical facts still remains that the Mon were the first to embrace the Theravada tradition some where in 220 BC when the Theravada Missionary monks and Nuns led by Sona and Uttara Theras arrived in Thaton. After a long period of over 1,000 years, then the converted King Anawratha declared Theravada Tradition to be the State religion of Burma.
To integrate the old tradition of worship of Avalokitesvara with the newly adopted religion, the Theravada school of Buddhism, the sages thus invented a folk legend that should hide any traces of linkage from the posterity. So the legend of “the prince of Peace”was invented and passed on to generation after generation successfully to this day. “The prince of peace” legend was soon found to be a local invention found only in Burmese literatures.
The mere substitution of a Loka Nat Image accompanied with a legend for Avalokitesvara Bodhisatta was much too obvious a fact to hide. However, people of Burma will believe and accept the legend of the “Prince of Peace” if it had been repeatedly said for 1,000 years.
It seems like this future generation of today, will still accept and believe that the folk legend of “The Prince of Peace”or “Loka Nat Tha” is entirely a different saint than the Bodhisatta Avaloktesvara of Mahayana school.
No one in Burma will say that “Kuan Yin Mae Daw” that you see in Mahayana Buddhist temple is one and the same “Loka Nat Tha” we have located on both sides of the Burmese King’s Thihathana Throne or the one inscribed on the spire of Kyaikhtiyo Cetiya..
When we said Burma is a Theravada country I some time hesitate to say it emphatically because I knew that our religion is a mix of Mahayana and Theravada orthodox schools of Buddhism. Another way to look at it was that Burmese are pragmatic and we selectively embrace all-powerful Saints as long as each and every one belongs to a Buddhist school. Some how we cannot say the religion we embraced is a pristine Theravada Buddhist school.
Avalokitesvara Bodhisatta is the most revered Bodhisatta in the world of Buddhists in Asia and he is the popular saint that belongs to Mahayana Buddhist School.
We should just ignore the distinction of classifying different Buddhist schools after all to revere a Powerful Saints is a sign of good virtue and as long as it will bring peace and prosperity to the country.
There is a saying that said: “Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.– Winston Churchill
All pictures given above depict one and only one Bodhisatta of compassion.
Yes, Kuan Yin me daw, Avalokitesvara, Lokesvara, Loka Nattha, Loka Byuha Nat, or Tatana Saunk Nat address to one and the same Bodhisatta of Compassion or “Goddess of Mercy” who has vowed to save us at our invocation of her name.
