Passage to Burma by Scott Stulberg

Author:Scott Stulberg
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Published: 2015-03-17T04:00:00+00:00

“It is better to travel well than to arrive.”

—Buddha

Mandalay

Mandalay is a city of exotic contrasts. Located in the center of the country along the Irrawaddy River, it is at once calm and chaotic. The traffic in Mandalay, a confusion of cars and motorbikes and bicycles, is never-ending. Vehicles buzz by in all directions, guided by some remarkable force that miraculously prevents collisions. The only thing that can be heard above the din of traffic is the resounding song of the Mingun Bell, the largest working bell in the world. It weighs 200,000 pounds and when struck can be heard for miles. And then there is the massive Mingun Temple nearby, badly damaged by an earthquake in 1839. Like Burma itself, the temple is incomplete; rumor has it that if the temple were to be completed, the king would die.

As old as this city appears, it is not. It was built in 1857, the same year that Macy’s department store first opened its doors to customers in downtown Manhattan. But the culture that serves as the city’s foundation is as old as the forest surrounding it, as timeless as the flowing Irrawaddy River, as breathtaking as the sunset that stains the mist every evening.

On the other hand, Mandalay is considered by many to be the spiritual center of Buddhism. Its countless temples and monasteries serve as schools for Buddhist studies; there are more monks in Mandalay than any other place in the world. In fact, one cannot claim to be a scholar of Buddhist studies until one has spent time among the monks of Mandalay.

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