The Burmese people. Do you know one?

In America, they will often be a Baptist Christian with deep culturally Buddhist roots. Mingalaba (မင်္ဂလာပါ) is the standard and most common way to say “hello” in Burmese, translating literally to “may you be blessed” or “signs of promise to you.” Usually this greeting is accompanied with a small bow from the heart, like in Buddhist tradition, which the Buddha carried with him to East Asia from Hindu culture in India. My yoga teachers always vocalize the meaning as “the highest in me recognizes and respects the highest in you.”

The independent presbyterian church I go to, YoungNak Church of L.A., recently had the opportunity to hear from missionaries who live in Burma.

The Burmese are culturally rich in religion, so Baptistry has thrived there. 6% of Burma is Christian now and many have recently sought asylum in America because they are modernly persecuted as a minority. The remainder of Buddhist Myanmar/Burma follows the EightFold Path of Buddhism. Their word for Ultimate Truth in Pali is “Damma.” Slight different pronunciation of the sanskrit “Dharma.” Same meaning. So just as Abrahamic religion sees the Torah as the Ultimate Truth, the revealed Truth of the Law, Buddhists see the EightFold Path that way. Not surprisingly, both religious teachings run over the same ground and come to the same conclusions. One Creator of all people inspired the same law in the hearts of geographically and ethnically diverse people, though the order is a little different. So getting right with God is commandment 1-4 for Moses, and being atoned to the Ultimate Truth is path 1 and 6-8 for Buddhists. One planet our Creator gave us to live on.

So the next time you meet a Burmese, look through this chart for ecumenical reference points, but don’t be surprised if they are culturally East Asian Buddhist Baptists, attending the revival meeting down the street either.