By Dipen Barua
Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar. From cgtn.com
The Centre of Buddhist Studies (CBS) at the University of Hong Kong hosted an online four-part lecture series on 15, 22, and 29 January, titled “Buddhism in Myanmar.” The main speakers were Ven. Dr. Khammai Dhammasamai, Dr. Aliex Ruiz-Falques, Ven. Nyanasami, and Dr. Pyi Phyo Kyaw. The lectures provided a fresh perspective on Buddhism in Myanmar, its history, and Pali scholarship over the centuries.
As a CBS staff member, I joined every lecture to learn more about the Burmese expression of Theravada Buddhism. Ven. Dhammasamai gave a lecture titled “An Overview of Buddhism in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.” Dr. Ruiz-Falques and Ven. Nyanasamilankara delivered a talk on “Pali Studies in Myanmar,” and Dr. Pyi Phyo Kyaw discussed the topic of “Meditation in Myanmar.” She was also supposed to have given the fourth and final lecture, “Living Tradition of Abhidhamma Studies in Myanmar,” on