From time to time, especially in lower Burma, someone decides to float a Shin Upago image on a river down to the ocean. This is meant symbolically to return the saint to his home. It is an occasion for special festivities, at the end of which the statue is installed on a specially constructed raft and towed out to mid-river, where it is released. Often, villagers downstream, upon seeing a Shin Upago raft, will intercept it and take it back to their own village, where a whole new cycle of ceremonies in honor of the saint will commence. Then they, too, will put him in the water and send him on his way. (From John S. Strong, The Legend and Cult of Upagupta, page 14)
It was Shun Upago (Upakhut or Upagupta) who defeated the evil Mara. He is still called upon to provide “protection from all kinds of danger, from the evils of government, fire, thieves, storms, ill-wishers, and from sixteen types of anxiety and disease” (Strong, Legend and Cult, page 286).
All strength to him.
9 responses so far ↓
1 Grasshopper // May 9, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Maybe he has been adrift in the Andaman Sea for some time… Hope there can now be a good current to take him home.
2 Teth // May 10, 2008 at 2:41 am
It is absolutely despicable what the junta are doing. Impounding flights sent as aid, blocking visa applications, and refusing to help its own people.
Hope these ‘good Buddhists’ rot in hell and are reborn as bacteria inhabiting dog feces.
3 Help Burma. Suggestions « deathpower // May 10, 2008 at 3:56 am
[...] While locals have been doing what they can, as people always do, it will not be enough. Others have begun praying to Phra Upagut (Pali: Upagupta) for protection and aid. Finally, a few Burma [...]
4 Keith Barney // May 10, 2008 at 8:31 am
Dear New Mandala:
I received this email from a reliable research contact in Yangon. I can’t comment on this organization directly, but the recommendation comes from a contact who has many years experience of researching environment and development issues in Burma.
The website of the organization he recommends is:
http://www.foundationburma.org/
Sincerely,
Keith Barney
================================
Hello caring people.
Some of you have asked how you can donate money to Burma disaster relief aid.
I said wait, as it wasn’t sure yet the best way to do it
My friends and i are now going through a local ngo to help deliver rice and drinking water to outlying townships. we have several trucks going out this weekend. We decided to just do it, and stop waiting for international NGOs to get things going.
The best news is that you can donate online through their website, which they can then access inside Myanmar (that is the real difficult part and why this method is best). Remember, there are no banks here!
Google them to find their website: “Foundation for the People of Burma.”
100% of what you donate online will go to rice and renting jeeps and petrol to get there. no overhead costs. local burmese ngo. Everyone volunteering. Doesn’t get more direct then that. Pass the word around.
Thanks so much. You have no idea how far a little money goes here. 1 large sack of rice is 10 us dollars (we get it half-price from company who wants to help too).
5 Charles F. // May 10, 2008 at 3:57 pm
During the war in Southeast Asia, the C.I.A. used to drop rice to isolated villages in Laos. I have a good friend who participated in these flights.
Some of the rice sacks had weapons and ammunition hidden in them, and they were called “hard rice drops”. It was a “twofer”, filling their bellies with rice, and putting weapons in their hands.
Just a thought.
Charles Foster
Triumph_Chopper_72@yahoo.com
6 James Haughton // May 12, 2008 at 3:52 pm
The Asia Times calls for military intervention in Burma:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/JE10Ae01.html
7 Lleij Samuel Schwartz // May 12, 2008 at 11:30 pm
re: James Haughton
Or it could just be Somaliaredux.
8 Jack Slade // May 13, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Not a bad plan Charles. Now that Burma’s military aircraft are done for it should be a no- brainer. If you have a plane, I have a pilot.
The US government is worried about getting involved in another major mission when it can not afford the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is a lot they could do but don’t for fear of pissing off china. Well now China has 10,000 of it’s own people to help so maybe they will drop the ball when it comes to supplying Burma’s dictators with weapons. God may be shaking things up for these countries in order for things to be brought to light and remedied by the rest of the world.
At the very least we could drop some rice to the needy.
9 James Haughton // May 14, 2008 at 1:26 pm
I think the withdrawal from Somalia was not actually a good thing for the US to do. I don’t support the Asia Times’ position unreservedly, but it’s an interesting option to consider.
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