The Southeast Asian country of Myanmar is steeped in ancient Buddhist history, and the founding mythology of Burmese society is tied to the first two individuals to be called upasaka, or lay disciples or formal devotees, of Buddhism. Ancient Pāli literature records that two travelling merchants, Tapussa and Bhallika, offered rice cakes and honey to the Buddha just seven weeks after his awakening at Rajayatana, near Uruvela (present-day Bodh Gaya, India). Grateful for their kindness, the Buddha praised their generosity and faithful characters. Tapussa and Bhallika were the first people to take refuge under the Buddha directly, during such an early period in Buddhist history that there was not even a community to speak of yet (therefore, the two traders took refuge directly under the Buddha and the Dharma).

Burmese accounts assert that Tapussa and Bhallika were originally from the Mon Kingdom (a region of Myanmar). When Tapussa and Bhallika expressed their intention to follow the teachings of the Awakened One, it is believed that the Buddha offered them eight hairs to take back to their country. To recall their faith in the Buddha, the hairs were preserved in a sacred pagoda (stūpa) in the city of Yangon, which is now known as the Shwedagon Pagoda. The gilded stūpa is a living reminder of the ancient past. Today, as part of its rich heritage, the impressive monument is a renowned pilgrimage site for practicing Buddhists.

Buddhist transmission in Myanmar: historical perspectives

The Buddha is said to have travelled to the ancient region of Myanmar. According to the Sasanavaṁsa, a Burmese chronicle, the Buddha visited the city of Aparanta, on the western shore of the Irrawaddy River. The Sappadanapakarana records that King Candrasuriya, ruler of Dhannavati, invited the Buddha to visit the region of modern-day Arakan. The region which was part of modern-day Dhanyawaddy would be one of the first to Indianize in the fourth to sixth centuries AD. During the Buddha’s travels, he and his disciples rested for a few days at Cakraśālā (located in present-day Chattogram, Bangladesh). The Buddha introduced the five and eight precepts to the king and instructed him on the ten kingly duties. Ānanda, his chief disciple, and five-hundred fellow saṅgha members accompanied the Buddha during his weeklong stay.

In memory of the Buddha’s historical visit, the local king of Dhannavati supported the construction of the Mahamuni Temple and the well-known Mahamuni Image. The Mahamuni image remained in its original location until 1784. During the reign of King Bodawpaya (1745–1819), the Mahamuni image was transported from Arakan to Mandalay.

At the end of the Third Buddhist Council, Mauryan emperor Aśoka the Great (304–232 BC) made the revolutionary decision to introduce the Buddha’s teachings beyond the borders of ancient India for the first time. With the support of Aśoka, Elder Moggaliputta Tissa, president of the Third Buddhist Council, appointed nine missionaries, each accompanied by four monks, to propagate the Dhamma throughout nine regions. Out of nine Dhamma groups, ancient Myanmar welcomed three missionaries: Thera Yonaka and Thera Dhammarakkhita led the Dharma to the region of Aparantaka; Thera Mahā Rakkhita and his associates brought the Dhamma to the region of Yonaka Loka; and Thera Soṇaka and Thera Uttara introduced the Dhamma to the area of Suvarṇabhūmi (the Golden Land) in 250 BC.

The devotees and rulers of Myanmar welcomed the Dhamma as its teachings flourished. The Sasanavaṁsa recorded Aparantaka as west of the upper Irrawaddy; Yonaka Loka is the country of the Shan tribes; and Suvarṇabhūmi refers to the state of Thaton. A Myanmar account observed that the three regions, Aparantaka, Suvarṇabhūmi, and Thaton, were located in the Union of Myanmar. The Sasanavasa also documented that the missionary Sangha ordained sixty thousand women as female nuns (bhikkhunis) in Aparantaka. The outward expansion of Buddhism, from ancient India to modern-day Myanmar, sparked a spiritual renaissance of Buddhism.

The growth of Buddhist teachings in ancient Myanmar

As devotees embraced the Buddha’s teachings in their daily practices, Buddhism spread across Myanmar’s communities. Historically, four unique ethnic groups evolved: the Mon, the Pyu, the Myanmar, and the Shan. Each ethnic group occupied a distinct region, with language and culture embedded in the fabric of Buddhist traditions from ancient India.

The the Kingdom of Mon, located in southern Myanmar, adopted Buddhist culture, traditions, and practices. According to the Manorathapurani, the commentary of the Aṅguttara Nikāya, Buddhist learning institutions were established in the cities of Thaton and Pegu (Pagu) under the Mon Kingdom. Dedicated scholars and practicing Saṅgha compiled several commentaries in the fifth century. Led by the scholars and Saṅgha, the Dhamma expanded throughout the kingdom.

Archeological evidence from the Pyu Kingdom (present-day Upper Myanmar) revealed its strong Buddhist heritage and culture. During excavation in Muanggan (a small village near the ancient ruins of Hmawza), two gold-plated inscriptions were discovered. The inscriptions disclosed the historical verse spoken by Assaji Thera to Śārīputra; a compiled list of categories of the Abhidhamma literature, and the formal method of worshipping the Triple Gem. A striking discovery at the same site revealed a book written on golden leaves, containing teachings on dependent origination, the stages of insight meditation, discourses of the Buddha, and Abhidharma teachings.

During the Pagan, or Bagan, period (849–1297), Buddhism continued to spread throughout ancient Myanmar. At that time, Theravāda Buddhism became firmly implanted in Myanmar. The Barmar King Anawrahta (1044–77) supported the establishment of Buddhist monasteries, stūpas, libraries, ordination halls, and educational institutions throughout his kingdom. King Kyanzitta (1084–1113), successor to King Anawrahta, constructed prominent pagodas and sacred shrines, such as the Shwezigon Pagoda, Nanda, Nagayon, and the Myinkaba Kubyauk-gyi Temple. Following in the footsteps of the earlier rulers of Pagan, King Rajakumar, King Alaungsithu, King Kyawswa, and King Narathihapate continued to support the expansion of Theravāda Buddhismthroughout ancient Myanmar.

The fifth and sixth Buddhist Councils  

According to the history of Theravāda Buddhism, the legacy of the six Buddhist Councils was recorded: the first three were held in ancient India; the Fourth Buddhist Council was held in Sri Lanka; and the Fifth and Sixth Buddhist Councils were held in Myanmar. Under the royal patronage of King Mindon (r. 1853–78), the Fifth Great Buddhist Council convened in Mandalay, Myanmar, in 1871. Presided over by three elders (Jagarabhivaṁsa Mahāthera, Narindabhidhāja Mahāthera, and Sumaṅgalasami Mahāthera), 2,400 monks participated in the auspicious council. Members of the council recited the Dhamma and the Vinaya for five months. After the council, different editions of the Pāli Canon were cross-checked, and an orthodox version was inscribed on 729 stone slabs.

Eight decades later, in 1954, Myanmar hosted the sixth Buddhist Council to commemorate 2,500 years since the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and passing. The Buddhist Council commenced in a specially built cave and pagoda complex at Kaba Aye Pagoda in Yangon. Supported by the prime minister, U Nu, 2,500 reveredSaṅgha members from eight Theravāda Buddhist countries—Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand—actively participated in recording the Dharma and Vinaya for two years (1954–56). Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw (1904–82) was appointed to question Mingun Sayadaw (1911–93) on the Dhamma. At the end of the council, the Romanized version of an updated set of the Pāli Tipiṭaka was printed, encompassing 52 treatises across 40 volumes. 

Buddhism in present Myanmar

In Myanmar, following the Theravāda tradition, the Saṅgha (overall Buddhist community) is divided into nine orders (nikāyas), including the Thudhamma Nikāya, the Shwegyin Nikāya, and the Dwara Nikāya of Lower Burma. There are approximately 500,000 monks and 60,000 female renunciants (thilashin) in Myanmar. Devotees respectfully venerate and support Buddhist monks and nuns.

As Buddhism spread in Myanmar, Buddhist educational institutions focused on Pāli and Buddhist studies have been established over the past centuries. Inspired by Nālanda University in medieval India, benefactors, modern rulers, and devotees supported the establishment of several Buddhist institutions, such as the International Theravāda Buddhist Missionary University, Shan State Buddhist University, and Sitagu International Buddhist Academy. These institutions continue to conduct Buddhist research, and to translate Buddhist texts from the Indic and Pāli languages.

Myanmar is well recognized for its strong practice of Vipassanā or insight meditation practice. Vipassanā meditation is one of the oldest meditation techniques, introduced by the Buddha over 2,600 years ago. Prominent Vipassanā masters include Ladi Sayadaw (1846–1923), Sayagyi U Ba Khin (1899–1971), Mahasi Sayadaw (1904–82), Mogok Sayadaw (1899–1962), and Pa Auk Sayadaw (1934–present). The Vipassanā movement from Myanmar has gained widespread popularity thanks to its revival of mindfulness as a global meditation movement.

To this day, stunning monasteries dot Myanmar’s spiritual landscape. With the art of gold leaf making, a time-honored tradition, the stūpas, pagodas, and temples rekindle the golden timeframe of the Dhamma and its growth in Myanmar, retaining an element of Buddhist culture and heritage that dates back thousands of years. Central to Buddhist communities, temples still encourage practice among 90 per cent of Myanmar’s Buddhist followers.

References

Beni Madhab Barua. 1968. Asoka and His Inscriptions. Reprint: Calcutta.

Bhikkhu Bodhi. 2000. The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, 2 Vols. Translated by Samyutta Nikaya. Boston: Wisdom Publications.

Roger Bischoff. “Buddhism in Myanmar: A Short History,” in Access to Insight, https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bischoff/wheel399.html, accessed 4 Dec. 2025.

Mabel Haynes Bode. 1966. The Pali Literature of Burma. Reprint: London.

Sanjoy Barua Chowdhury. “Historical Legends of the Buddha in the Region of Bongabhumi,” in Courtney Bruntz, and Brooke Schedneck (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Lived Buddhism, Oxford Handbooks (2026; online edn, Oxford Academic, 22 Feb. 2024), https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197658697.013.34, accessed 4 Dec. 2025.

G. E. Harvey. 1925. History of Burma: From the Earliest Times to 10 March 1824. London: Frank Cass & Co. Ltd.

Janice Stargardt. 1990. The Ancient Pyu of Burma. Vol. I. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Related features from BDG

Book Review: Gotamī: A Life Rewritten by the Dhamma
The Journey of Buddhism from Ancient to Modern India: Forces Shaping the Spread of the Dharma

Related news reports from BDG

Engaged Buddhism: INEB Shares Final Report on Humanitarian Aid Program for 2025 Myanmar Earthquake
World Court Hears Anti-Rohingya Propaganda from Extremist Buddhist Monk in Landmark Genocide Case Against Myanmar
At least 32 Killed, 50 Injured During Myanmar Military Strike on Buddhist Festival