The monk-led protests in Burma are about spiritual authority as much as they are about raw political power.

They are deeply rooted in Burma’s religious culture. Nothing illustrates this so well as the chants of the protesting monks and their overturned begging bowls. Everyone in Burma understands the message: the military rulers are evil spirits who have lost their authority.

The monks are chanting the Metta Sutta, a verse that embodies the Buddha’s counsel on the power and meaning of loving kindness. Part of it runs: “Let them be able and upright, straightforward and gentle in speech. Humble and not conceited… Peaceful and calm, and wise and skillful, not proud and demanding in nature.”

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