Encountering the Spirit of Hope
On a recent visit to Thailand, Inter Pares staff member Peter Gillespie met with a group of nuns and monks from Burma. The following is an excerpt from his report.
A monk’s robes hanging in a temple window.
It is raining as I find my way to a Buddhist retreat centre on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand. I am met on the main road by Harn, the coordinator of Alternative Education for Social Engagement, an organization supported by Inter Pares. He leads me down a narrow pathway to the retreat building where a group of Buddhist monks and nuns from Burma are waiting. The monks are in saffron robes, the nuns in pink with brown sashes. They are all sitting crosslegged on the floor.
Harn introduces me to the group and explains that the monks and nuns are here for a three-month exposure to education and development approaches in Thailand. Buddhist temples play a vital role in the villages of rural Burma. They are more than spiritual centres, operating schools and vocational training activities in their local communities. Monks and nuns assist people in many ways – as teachers, advisers, counselors, educators and doctors.
But monks and nuns from rural Burma have been isolated and have little knowledge of development experiences in other countries. “What we are trying to do,” Harn tells me, “is show them how educational and development activities have evolved here so they can see alternatives. We want to show them how temples can become centres of social action and social justice.”
As the rain pours down outside, we begin a lively discussion about what the monks and nuns have experienced so far in Thailand. They have visited different types of schools in Thailand – from Montessori to more conventional approaches – and they are impressed. “What we have seen,” one of the senior monks says, “is that education here is more holistic, and learning is enjoyable and fun. Schools here encourage children to get involved in their education, rather than simply being passive and learning by rote. For us, this is very interesting.”
The monks say that in Burma many parents cannot afford to send their children to government schools and that the quality of education is low. Hardly any teachers have training and there are few learning resources or books. The military regime spends less than a dollar per student per year on education. Only some children manage to pass high school and even fewer graduate from university. An entire generation of young people is bereft of an education.
As the discussion continues, we turn to the “Saffron Revolution” of last September when thousands of monks and nuns marched in the streets of Burma’s largest city to protest poverty and misery throughout the country. The army was sent into the streets to violently crush the peaceful protests. One of the monks tells me that he, along with thousands of others, was arrested and sent to the notorious Insein prison. He was not tortured, but was humiliated daily. “We were not allowed to look at our jailors,” he says, “we had to keep our eyes on the ground.” He was released after a month, but other monks remained.
Many temples were closed and the monks sent back to their home villages. Some monks were forcibly defrocked. Some were tied to lampposts and beaten. Many monks remain unaccounted for, and are feared to be among those who have “disappeared.”
As our meeting draws to a close, one of the nuns says that peace and harmony will someday prevail in Burma, and all will be well. As I say goodbye, I am struck by the quiet conviction of these men and women who have dedicated their lives to the service of their people. They may have met with violence on the streets of Rangoon, but they remain undefeated in their struggle for peaceful change.
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| Reviewed August 23, 2008 |  |
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