Yangon, erstwhile capital of Myanmar, may not be a mainstream tourist destination, but a relaxed meandering through its tree-lined streets and a soulful trek through its serene pagodas and placid lakes could very well transform a simply pleasant vacation into an incredibly poignant and unforgettable spiritual journey.
This dawned on me early on in the two months of summer that I, along with two sisters and a brother, gloriously spent with our parents in Myanmar where my father Noel Cabrera serves as Philippine ambassador. What we saw and felt in Yangon was a far cry from the preconceived notions and conjured images we had of this largely unknown city.
Before leaving Manila, my siblings and I were forewarned by some well-meaning friends of what lay before us. Aside from being a backward economy with little to boast of in terms of efficient systems and advanced technologies, these friends cautioned, Myanmar was terribly boring. It was not Rome or Vienna, Tokyo or Prague. But the allure of Yangon is something else, one that appeals to the weary soul and the parched senses, one that seduces the mind to search for comforting peace, for an inner tranquility that draws from a heart that has come to terms with the universe.
An overwhelmingly Buddhist nation, Myanmar is steeped in the culture of prayer and non-violence, contentment and alms giving, enlightenment and sacrifice. This deep religiosity is discerned not only in the countless pagodas scattered all over, not only in the ubiquitous monks who ply the streets with their alms bowls, but more importantly in the serene faces and quiet demeanor of the people themselves.
To be sure, Yangon is a growing city with its attendant problems. A throwback to the past, this former capital of five million people in a 350-square-kilometer area of land is highly reminiscent of how things probably were in Manila some 50 years ago. Infrastructure, basic services, public conveyances, and facilities leave much to be desired.
But it is a city that trudges on at its own pace, seemingly unconscious of the passage of time. Walkinga the streets, you find yourself lost in the myriad of traditional teahouses, ambulant vendors, repair shops, and makeshift stalls, coming across some fairly new buildings and hotels here and there. People from all walks of life pour into the sidewalks and spill into the crowded roads, each with his own agenda to fulfill. Everywhere, one cannot fail but bump into a man, woman, or child monk with the shaven head, orange robes, black alms bowl, and sometimes bare feet.
It is fascinating to watch ordinary city-dwellers hustling to and from work attired in their traditional shirt/blouse and longyi (an ankle-length wrap-around the pants/skirt), filling every inch of space in old beat-up buses and converted pick-up trucks (their version of the jeepney) converted into passenger vehicles. Either they have gotten used to or are resigned to this daily packed-like-sardines state of affairs. One can also see them ambling along, worshipping in the pagodas or, in the afternoons, sitting at low plastic tables and chairs and conversing in makeshift teahouses along the sidewalk.
They are simple in the way they live. Devoid of most of the luxuries many people enjoy and take for granted, they seem to find pleasure in simply relating with each other, carrying out their religious duties, or spending time with the family. Rather than complain, they try to make do with what they have because it is only this that has been given to them and they must be content. For these Myanmar folk, all is indeed grace.
Everywhere we went, we were greeted with a smile, a smile that spoke of a sense of well-being and balance with the universe. A Myanmar friend once tried to explain this to us. She talked of how only a thin slice of upper society was getting richer and richer while the larger portion remained poor or grew poorer. “But look at the people on the street,” she said, “look at their faces and tell me who is happier, more at peace. The rich are hardly satisfied; they cannot find contentment.”
It is no wonder that even among the highly devout Buddhist laity in Myanmar, the pagodas and the meditation centers are favorite places of comfort and refuge from the pressures and weariness of daily life. For the accidental tourist or the deliberate traveler to Yangon, a visit to these places is a must.
Yangon counts numerous meditation centers for locals and foreigners alike who would like to learn the art of meditation. Spare and modest in facility, these centers offer tourists and aspiring yogis a secluded place to experience the Dhamma or Buddha’s teachings.
With our Myanmar friend in tow, we went to visit the Panditarama Meditation Center. We had the rare honor and privilege to meet with the Sadayaw or Buddhist top monk in the monastery. We wanted to ask him how to go about the meditation and why we should indulge in it.
It was an experience and a feeling I can never forget. For some unexplainable reason, I was rendered speechless as I sat in veneration before the Sadayaw. Perhaps I was intimidated or plain afraid to utter a word for fear of sounding like the rest who supplicated before him in their quest for spiritual wholeness.
He spoke with few carefully chosen words that carried deep spiritual insight. He told us that our being there was already an indication that we had listened to our inner desire to tread the path of liberation of the heart and mind.
While there are many meditation centers to choose from, there are just as many Buddhist temples and places of worship, the biggest and grandest being the Shwedagon Pagoda, said to be the mother of all pagodas in Myanmar. This golden pagoda sits on top of a hill overlooking the whole of the city. In this expanse of spires and Buddha relics and statues, the central spire, at 326 feet high, is encrusted in gold leaf and embellished with countless precious stones, with one of the biggest diamonds in the world crowning the spire. Walking barefoot across the marble floor of the main pagoda, we stood in awe at the glistening stupas and the magnificence of a Being that lorded over that golden spread.
There are several other pagodas in the Yangon area alone, among them the Sule Pagoda at the very heart of the city, the riverside Botahtaung Pagoda, and other places of worship where one can just sit and imbibe the peace and quiet suffusing the grounds where the immense Reclining Buddha or the 20-meter-high Seated Buddha loom like gentle giants.
But it need not be a meditation center or a pagoda when seeking refuge and rest. Smack in the center of Yangon are two lakes that have long provided city-dwellers and tourists the serenity, the calm, the fresh breeze and lush vegetation at the fringes — the Inya Lake and the Kandawgyi Lake. Boardwalks around and over the water of Kandawgyi have long been a favorite for meditation, exercise, tai chi, jogging, or a morning stroll. There are also several nature parks as well as health and relaxation spas which one can conveniently visit.
Yangon is not totally devoid of shopping excitement. Main center of the activity is the Scott Market, a British colonial structure built in 1926 and now popularly known as the Bogyoke Aung San Market. In the tradition of the exotic and mystical appeal of Asian market places, Bogyoke offers at amazingly low prices a wide array of antique items, tapestries, teak and sandalwood carvings, décor and handicrafts, fabrics, quality paintings in oil and watercolor, and of course, fashion accessories and fine jewelry made of the wide range of quality precious and semi-precious stones and gems that Myanmar is famous for.
Yangon is probably the only place in the world where you can try on the most exquisite, delicately crafted, and expensive jewelry —made of the finest gold and most precious of stones — without the saleslady creating a fuss over your fingerprints on the merchandise or guarding you like a leech. Either these jewelers are overflowing with trust or simply overflowing with gems to even care about possible shoplifting.
Rich in natural-resources, Myanmar is home to the world famous teak wood, the rare pigeon blood ruby, the highly sought imperial jade, a whole spectrum of precious and semi-precious stones like the sapphire, amethyst, opal, lapis lazuli, moonstone, quartz, spinel and agate.
But Myanmar’s true jewels may be its people. Weighed down by the demands of daily survival and deprived of what many would consider as requisites for a contented life, they seem nonetheless to have struck a balance with the realities of their existence. In the face of adversities, they have remained gentle, simple, and generous as they seek a deeper understanding of their lives. Truly, they are guided by what is essential to the body, what is soothing to the heart, what is peace to the mind, what is food to the soul.
