Paper 15

Myanmar is one of Theravada Buddhist countries today in the world. Buddhism in Myanmar has long been deeply established as a majority religion for a long time and was declared Buddhism as state religion of Myanmar in 1961. Myanmar Buddhist Community has developed a good foundation of Buddhist thought, which has Buddhist psychological development in their whole lives. Buddhism and Myanmar cannot be separated as Buddhism has been related to the socio-cultural development of the Buddhist people. This is how Buddhist teachings have grown from ancient Myanmar to the present day. Undoubtedly, Buddhist teachings can prove to build a great community and promote mental development. This study aims to explore how Buddhism has influenced the psychological development of the Myanmar lay Buddhist community and the Theravada Buddhist teachings have shaped their main cultures and religion. Its specific objectives are to investigate positive impacts of Buddhist community and how Buddhism influences the inhabitants of Myanmar, to examine Buddhist contribution to a peaceful community, and to provide suggestions on how Theravada Buddhist teachings can develop a harmonious community. This paper will employ documentary research using a qualitative approach. s Textual descriptions from Pāḷi canon, its commentaries, and Buddhist literary works are primary sources and the secondary sources include books, journals, website, etc., written by various scholars. The findings of this research indicate that Buddhism has influenced the Myanmar community by developing a harmonious and tolerant mind as their moral mind. This shows how the Buddhist concepts shape their attitudes toward the last ambition of Nibbana. This study hopes to highlight the psychological development of the Myanmar Buddhist community through the influence of Buddhism even when they are in difficulty.