Daily life around monasteries in Burma

1. A few of the stupas surrounding the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, the most sacred Buddhist pagoda for the Burmese. During the 2007 demonstrations against the military regime protesting monks were denied access to the pagoda for several days.

2. Pilgrims to the Shwedagon Pagoda buy candles on their way up the steps to the pagoda and light them and offer them in honor of the great pagoda. This act is the act of dana, or giving, an important aspect of Buddhist teaching.

3. A young monk performs his morning chores just after the break of dawn at the Kyaukhtatgyi monastery complex in Yangon.

4. Young nuns learning trigonometry at a nunnery near Yangon. The primary school children of Burma attend the Buddhist nunneries and monasteries to acquire literacy and numeracy skills as well as knowledge of the Lord Buddha’s teachings.

5. Young nuns eating lunch as a part of their daily routine. The food they eat is almost completely composed of offerings they collect on a daily alms walk around the city.

6. A craftsman shapes a marble buddha on Marble Street. Marble street is home to many workshops specializing in the manufacture of hand-carved white marble sculptures.

7. A monk plays a traditional Burmese board game near Marble Street.

8. Monks looking out window during novice ceremony at Thya Byay Bin monastery.

9. Portrait of a grain vendor at Nam Pam market near Inle Lake. People from all over the Inle Lake region come to this market every five days to trade local wares and produce.

10. An anxious young boy awaits his novice ceremony. This ceremony is where a young boy officially enters a monastery. He must trade in his decorative clothing for monk's robes.

11. Young monks enjoy some time off during novice ceremonies at a monastery near Inle Lake.

12. Woman cutting up vegetables in street market near Kyaukhtatgyi monastery.