In Myanmar, faced with young children being trained into the order of monkhood, one is left wondering if renunciation is the solution to preparing the young for facing worldly challenges?
Would it not be better if children are skilled in their youth to become active contributors in the society, leaving the choice to be made by them as adults?
Click first photo below and scroll to view series in slide show.
Comments(8)
dipikasen says:
November 4, 2013 at 5:45 PMI fully agree with you.Sainthood cannot be achieved only by training…it should come from inner heart of a person. In this way we can prepare a battalion but not sages.
Umang says:
November 4, 2013 at 7:56 PMI agree with Dipika Sen. However they may be trained for the rituals!
Mohindra Chadha says:
November 5, 2013 at 1:08 AMHaving seen these young Buddhist children being trained as monks in different parts of the world,I have often wondered why is their adolescence and youth being deprived from them? They can always choose to do so if they like later in life.
The only explanation seems to be that ‘indoctrination is easy at a raw young age’ and the peers do not want to take a chance!
Manpreet Singh says:
November 5, 2013 at 6:28 AMAbstinence is never a good solution,however Knowledge is.
Minakshi W says:
November 5, 2013 at 11:43 PMBeautiful images. Love the one with a young boy with a sunlit green umbrella.
I agree with your concerns. These little boys might be longing for a different childhood. In all probability they have been made to follow traditions. No choice for them.
J Whig says:
November 6, 2013 at 3:31 AMTheir adolescence and youth are not being taken from them. Entry to the monastery at an early age is optional but many do it in order to get a better education than the state schools can provide, especially in countries like Myanmar. They can stay as long as they like and are free to leave and return at will (presumably within reasonable parameters.)
This aside, I hope you are liking Myanmar. To me it is a magnet and the people are so lovely. But you have travelled even more widely and can compare it to many other countries in South-East Asia and further afield, whereas I have only experienced a few of its neighbours.
Amardeep Singh says:
November 6, 2013 at 5:56 AMThanks J Whig, I don’t disagree with what you are saying. The thoughts expressed are what crossed my mind while photographing these children. It still is a failure of society that the children have limited options to also get worldly education. Indeed Myanmar and it’s people are beautiful.
R Sandhu says:
January 16, 2014 at 1:17 AMPerhaps this was originally a school system where one went to learn, like a boarding school. Sometime traditions get bogged down in antiquity…and become meaningless in the current context!