Topics in Contemporary Buddhism. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2015. xxix, 316 pp. (Figures.) US$35.00, paper. ISBN 978-0-8248-4096-9.
What does it mean to believe? How do we, as scholars, understand forms of believing? These questions run throughout Rozenberg’s intriguing account of the cult of the four weikza, extraordinary humans with supernatural powers and potential immortality, in contemporary Burma. As Rozenberg examines the founding and workings of the cult and its intersections with Burmese Buddhism, he simultaneously explores the forms the weikza’s disciples’ beliefs take and the ways in which he, as an anthropologist, unpacks them. The book is both an ethnographic accounting of numerous practices surrounding the weikza and a critical reflection on the process of conducting ethnographic research. Rozenberg brings the reader along on his journey as he learns about the cult and its practices, ranging from possession, manifestations of invisible beings, alchemy, and martial arts to an elaborate ceremony, a trial by fire as a life-prolonging rite for the weikza. People’s beliefs and understandings and even doubts about the weikza are presented as accurately as possible, and the anthropologist’s own methods and musings are made transparent. The voices of his interlocutors speak for themselves as he describes their actions and explanations without judgment.
Rozenberg makes no attempt to explain apparent contradictions within indigenous beliefs and practices. He uses the weikza cult as a means to examine the complexities of Burmese Buddhism. Rather than trying to label aspects of their practices as Buddhism, animism, or anything else, he reveals how disciples of the weikza understand religion. Their actions and the ways they discuss them reflect the fluid interplay between diverse forms of belief and interpretations of religion. For the disciples, the weikza are equated with the Buddha in numerous ways, even as some skeptics (scholars and Burmese) argue otherwise. One is left questioning whether the apparitions are real, but at the same time one recognizes that the veracity of the possessions and appearances of these usually invisible, long-lived (the oldest of the four weikza is 1,035 years old) humans does not matter. What counts is that the disciples believe what they experience, and these experiences address Rozenberg’s questions about belief: in society, in people’s lives, and in the anthropologist’s imagination.
Through detailed consideration of language, rituals, and other practices, Rozenberg gains insight into indigenous conceptions of Buddhist concepts. A good example is the concept of fate. Fate is a complex idea within Buddhism. People’s situations in a given life are the result of past actions and intentions (karma), yet their futures are not predetermined. Rozenberg asks what fate is for Burmese Buddhists as reflected in the intersections of Buddhism and weikza. What are the mechanisms, actions, and interventions used to influence one’s fate? He unpacks interpretations and uses of critical words and concepts to get at the nuances of meaning. How disciples understand these concepts are integrated with Pali language analyses and the gleanings of the anthropologist. Rozenberg’s approach enables the reader to grasp the complexities of the Buddhist concept of fate in people’s lives. Here Buddhism is a lived religion in which abstract concepts such as karma become both guides and tools for practitioners.
Storytelling brings these concepts and seeming contractions to life. Rozenberg does not employ common conventions for his presentation of the weikza cult. His articulations shift from first person to third person, from present to past to future tense. One story begins, is interrupted with explanatory or inquisitory—and often lengthy—asides that raise new issues before he returns again to the initial tale. The reader becomes invested in the lives of the players, especially the main disciples and the medium for the weikza. The stories offer rich details drawn from diverse sources and perspectives. At times, Rozenberg relates his and his fellow researcher, Victorious’s, direct experiences. Other times he writes in the present tense from first-hand accounts of past events.
Rozenberg’s approach is not intended to compare this cult with other Buddhist cults. Nor does he attempt to debate how different scholars have interpreted Burmese ideas of weikza or possession. He uses his stories of the four weikza and their disciples as a way of illuminating aspects of Burmese society. The characters’ lives, choices, and beliefs are played out on a larger historical, social, and political stage. Insights into crucial moments in Burmese history and their impacts on people’s lives are woven into the stories throughout the book, such as Britain’s occupation of Burma, military rule since 1962, and the crackdown of 1988. The stories shed light on Burmese identity formations, Buddhist practice, and social hierarchy, among other aspects of Burmese society.
That said, this book would be challenging for those looking for an overview who are unfamiliar with Burmese history, society, or Buddhism. The manner in which Rozenberg plays with time and space addresses more the process of anthropological research and the complexities of indigenous belief than it introduces a reader to Burma.
Ward Keeler has done an excellent job translating the book from French into English. The beauty of the language, the complexities of the ideas and theories involved, and the storytelling come across without any distractions from the translation. While at times the book can be challenging to follow, as some stories twist and turn in unexpected and dense ways, I suspect this results from Rozenberg’s original approach rather than Keeler’s translation.
In sum, The Immortals is invaluable on many levels. It left me thinking deeply about both how and why people believe in the incredible, and how anthropologists can negotiate the delicate balance between respecting people’s beliefs and practices and drawing conclusions that enable those from other places and societies at least to begin to make sense of, if not fully comprehend, those beliefs.
Susan M. Darlington
Hampshire College, Amherst, USA
pp. 943-945