These are the times that try men's souls, as they said once.

Who are the leaders and where have they gone.

During the Vietnam War period there was a protest song that became very popular and it asked "Where have all the young men gone". It still haunts me.

This time I wish to ask this simple question: "Who is a true leader". As Burma/Myanmar moves ahead in nation building we need to ask this question seriously. If we are serious about building a true democracy, we need to be clear what our perception of a true leader is.

Are we talking about a leader like Gandhi or a Kennedy or a Lincoln.

There are leaders and there are leaders but a true leader is hard to find.

In my opinion, one of the hallmarks of a true leader is this: someone who is willing to take the time to listen and someone who has vision but always has his or her foot on the grounded. In other words, someone who is not "auk chay lut". This is a Burmese phrase which means someone who is close to the grass roots.


(to be continued)
KM<br><br>Post edited by: kmyaing, at: 2007/12/08 18:03

Dear U Kyaw Myaing,

I hope you've read the article by Stephen D Reicher, S. Alexander Haslam and Michael J. Platow,&quot;The New Psychology of Leadership&quot;.

Contemporary thought on leaders have changed. Dictators like Than Shwe, Adolf Hitler and others may have been able to shape the behaviour of the people using repression and sowing fear. However, leaders like Ghandi and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi won over people by adopting a simple lifestyle which symbolised their refusal to greed and luxuries, their willingness to endure ongoing hardships in life sharing their social identities with their people.

Do you expect someone like Than Shwe to identify himself with the solders let alone the ordinary people. We may deplored former South Africa's policy on apartheid but do you find any difference in the way the military treated the people in Burma.

Like me, you too were once their 'humble servants'. Then, to speak you mind is as grave a crime as treason. We all were part of the system and we were content to be living within a lie. I hope you have gained your freedom and broke yourself free of those shackles.

I sure am anxious to see your choice of leaders.

Dear U Warazein,

My ideal leader is the person who has the following qualities:

1. Humility
2. Intense desire to serve the people
3. Experience in statecraft
4. Honest
5. Brave
6. Willingness to listen to good advice
7. Ability to select good advisors
8. Accessibility
9. Knowledge of politics, economics and international relations essential.

You may wish to check out &quot;The Art of Statecraft&quot; (Arthashastra) written by Kautilya.

KM

Dear U Kyaw Myaing,

Did you see any of those characteristics in any one in Burma?

I guess not. How about testing a leader's character with the teachings in Abhidhamma? Like Sayadaw Ashin Zanaka Vivumssa said, &quot;seik-kaung shi-pho pahtama&quot; (to have a good mind is the main criteria) for a leader to be a good leader.

The generals who usurp state power by use of force can never ever be good leaders anywhere in the world, let alone in Burma. Look what a mess Pakistan is in. Indonesia too was in such a mess and Thailand does nor fare better.

When a leader does not have 'morality' as the basis for his or her actions then how can we expect any good from them. People, whatever their religion or belief systems they may be, want their leaders to have some 'moral values' in their lives. The people of Australia thrown out a Conservative Government which has said to have brought economic wealth to many but seem to have lost their moral values when it comes to Australian ethos of 'fair go'. Compare that with the current military regime in Burma. They have neither brought wealth or progress to the country. Majority of the people have to endure hardships more and more each day with no ending in sight.

We can state what we want out of our leaders but at the end of the day we'll be reaping what we sow, provided you believed in the law of kamma.

Have you noticed how things have deteriorated since you left? Faith has been considered as one of the seven gems and when a leader is endowed with 'sada' (or faith) then he or she be the one who have the welfare of the community in mind. So far Daw Suu seems to be the only person who has such quality.

Dear U Kyaw Myaing,

Did you see any of those characteristics in any one in Burma?

I guess not. How about testing a leader's character with the teachings in Abhidhamma? Like Sayadaw Ashin Zanaka Vivumssa said, &quot;seik-kaung shi-pho pahtama&quot; (to have a good mind is the main criteria) for a leader to be a good leader.

The generals who usurp state power by use of force can never ever be good leaders anywhere in the world, let alone in Burma. Look what a mess Pakistan is in. Indonesia too was in such a mess and Thailand does nor fare better.

When a leader does not have 'morality' as the basis for his or her actions then how can we expect any good from them. People, whatever their religion or belief systems they may be, want their leaders to have some 'moral values' in their lives. The people of Australia thrown out a Conservative Government which has said to have brought economic wealth to many but seem to have lost their moral values when it comes to Australian ethos of 'fair go'. Compare that with the current military regime in Burma. They have neither brought wealth or progress to the country. Majority of the people have to endure hardships more and more each day with no ending in sight.

We can state what we want out of our leaders but at the end of the day we'll be reaping what we sow, provided you believed in the law of kamma.

Have you noticed how things have deteriorated since you left? Faith has been considered as one of the seven gems and when a leader is endowed with 'sada' (or faith) then he or she be the one who have the welfare of the community in mind. So far Daw Suu seems to be the only person who has such quality.

Dear U Warazein,

It is good to have these discussions with you on this forum but I would also like to discuss with you in private. You know my email address so please do not hesitate to email me when you have some time, ok.

In the tradition of Burmese culture, there is a saying called &quot;phone, kan and parami&quot;.

If you look at the lives of the Burmese kings you can see that some of them ruled many years while some lasted only a few days or one or two years. (Look at how many Presidents we had after 1988).

From the view point of Abhidhamma, we are all under the influence of &quot;conditions&quot;. That is why the Tripitakas say &quot;sabbe sankara annicca = all conditioned things are impermanent&quot;. These are the following conditions:

1. Kan (kamma)
2. Seit (citta or mind)
3. Udu (environment of weather)
4. Ahara

Jesus preached that &quot;we reap what we sow&quot; and of course Buddha had said repeatedly &quot;our kamma follows us like the shadow&quot;. In the Dhammapada he said that &quot;kamma follows all beings like the cart follows the bullock&quot;.

So all persons in Burma who apire to become good leaders have to make sure that they have purity of kamma.

We are all programmed by our thoughts whether they are good or bad thoughts. That is why sila is very important in the development of a national leader.

To have purity of kamma the first step is to keep the five precepts. All national leaders should also try to keep more precepts and keep eight or ten precepts whenever possible (Sila is a self-guidance system and since we cannot fool ourselves, it works well. If we fail, we have to take the precepts again and start again from square one).

Those who aspire to become national leaders have to take their inspiration from the lives of the Bodhisatta. Even if we take inspiration from the last ten lives (Zatgyi Sei Pwe) of the Buddha, much benefit can be gained.

Then, all leaders who wish to become leaders at the national level should understand the meaning of &quot;phone&quot;.

In the Burmese Buddhist belief system, &quot;phone&quot; comes from Sila and the fulfilment of &quot;paramitas&quot; or parami.

If we looked back at the last two kings, namely King Thibaw and King Mindon, you can see the big contrast in their lives.

During the reign of King Mindon, he lived an examplary life and because he himself promoted a life of sila, samadhi and pyinnya, he became the role model for the whole country. He had very able advisors both in the government and among the Buddhist monks who had the wisdom and the courage to &quot;speak out&quot; what was right and what was wrong. They even dared to admonish King Mindon when he became too interested in worldly sensual pleasures. The thing to note was that the King was wise enough to follow the advice of these learned Sayadaws. He became known as the king who convened the Fifth Buddhist Synod and he lives a long life. During his life time, foreign relations flourished and he even allowed Christian churches to be established in Burma and also asked his sons to learn English. He is an example of a beneign monarch.

If we compare his life with the life of King Thibaw we see a big contrast. King Thibaw's life was controlled by his Queen Supaya Lat and the mother-in-law. In the end, the whole royal family lost their right to rule and were taken out in a lowly oxcart from the inauspicious gate. He died in exile in India and some of his daughters became so poor that they eventually married commoners.

In my opinion, the true test of a great leader is not the &quot;royal blood&quot; but &quot;phone, kan and parami&quot;.

This can be seen if we studied American history and we can see all the great Presidents than came forward to serve the country. They were elected by the people, there was a free press and the American army remained loyal to whoever was elected as President.

Some times a great leader may be charismatic but may not live long - like General Aung San, Gandhi (they had phone but their kamma was not that good). Even President Kennedy who was very charismatic and very eloquent did not live long.

So the best thing is to look at three factors:

1. Phone
2. Kan
3. Parami

A person who has phone can be understood from his/her morality and behavior. The sila is not for public show but only for that person's own knowledge.

Jesus christ once said, &quot;do not let the right hand know what the left hand does&quot;. I think he was actually telling us to do charity work and not brag about it in public.

So the path of spiritual development is a long process that may take many life times.

That is why, in our history many Burmese kings aspired to become a Buddha one day and were known as &quot;phaya alaungs&quot;.
They all knew that they have to work daily to fulfil their paramis and the Ten Duties of a good Buddhist King.

I have said too much already.

KM

Dear U Warazein,

It is good to have these discussions with you on this forum but I would also like to discuss with you in private. You know my email address so please do not hesitate to email me when you have some time, ok.

In the tradition of Burmese culture, there is a saying called &quot;phone, kan and parami&quot;.

If you look at the lives of the Burmese kings you can see that some of them ruled many years while some lasted only a few days or one or two years. (Look at how many Presidents we had after 1988).

From the view point of Abhidhamma, we are all under the influence of &quot;conditions&quot;. That is why the Tripitakas say &quot;sabbe sankara annicca = all conditioned things are impermanent&quot;. These are the following conditions:

1. Kan (kamma)
2. Seit (citta or mind)
3. Udu (environment of weather)
4. Ahara

Jesus preached that &quot;we reap what we sow&quot; and of course Buddha had said repeatedly &quot;our kamma follows us like the shadow&quot;. In the Dhammapada he said that &quot;kamma follows all beings like the cart follows the bullock&quot;.

So all persons in Burma who apire to become good leaders have to make sure that they have purity of kamma.

We are all programmed by our thoughts whether they are good or bad thoughts. That is why sila is very important in the development of a national leader.

To have purity of kamma the first step is to keep the five precepts. All national leaders should also try to keep more precepts and keep eight or ten precepts whenever possible (Sila is a self-guidance system and since we cannot fool ourselves, it works well. If we fail, we have to take the precepts again and start again from square one).

Those who aspire to become national leaders have to take their inspiration from the lives of the Bodhisatta. Even if we take inspiration from the last ten lives (Zatgyi Sei Pwe) of the Buddha, much benefit can be gained.

Then, all leaders who wish to become leaders at the national level should understand the meaning of &quot;phone&quot;.

In the Burmese Buddhist belief system, &quot;phone&quot; comes from Sila and the fulfilment of &quot;paramitas&quot; or parami.

If we looked back at the last two kings, namely King Thibaw and King Mindon, you can see the big contrast in their lives.

During the reign of King Mindon, he lived an examplary life and because he himself promoted a life of sila, samadhi and pyinnya, he became the role model for the whole country. He had very able advisors both in the government and among the Buddhist monks who had the wisdom and the courage to &quot;speak out&quot; what was right and what was wrong. They even dared to admonish King Mindon when he became too interested in worldly sensual pleasures. The thing to note was that the King was wise enough to follow the advice of these learned Sayadaws. He became known as the king who convened the Fifth Buddhist Synod and he lives a long life. During his life time, foreign relations flourished and he even allowed Christian churches to be established in Burma and also asked his sons to learn English. He is an example of a beneign monarch.

If we compare his life with the life of King Thibaw we see a big contrast. King Thibaw's life was controlled by his Queen Supaya Lat and the mother-in-law. In the end, the whole royal family lost their right to rule and were taken out in a lowly oxcart from the inauspicious gate. He died in exile in India and some of his daughters became so poor that they eventually married commoners.

In my opinion, the true test of a great leader is not the &quot;royal blood&quot; but &quot;phone, kan and parami&quot;.

This can be seen if we studied American history and we can see all the great Presidents than came forward to serve the country. They were elected by the people, there was a free press and the American army remained loyal to whoever was elected as President.

Some times a great leader may be charismatic but may not live long - like General Aung San, Gandhi (they had phone but their kamma was not that good). Even President Kennedy who was very charismatic and very eloquent did not live long.

So the best thing is to look at three factors:

1. Phone
2. Kan
3. Parami

A person who has phone can be understood from his/her morality and behavior. The sila is not for public show but only for that person's own knowledge.

Jesus christ once said, &quot;do not let the right hand know what the left hand does&quot;. I think he was actually telling us to do charity work and not brag about it in public.

So the path of spiritual development is a long process that may take many life times.

That is why, in our history many Burmese kings aspired to become a Buddha one day and were known as &quot;phaya alaungs&quot;.
They all knew that they have to work daily to fulfil their paramis and the Ten Duties of a good Buddhist King.

I have said too much already.

KM

Dear U Kyaw Myaing,

You're most welcome to send me e-mails on my e-mail &lt; This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it &gt; if you wish.

Yes, I agree with you that for a person to reach a position of a leader, whether by right or by default, that person must have phone, kan and parami. However, like Chanmyei Sayadaw said, &quot;there are those who come to this life (from the light) that is, with phone, kan and parami. But if that person do not use that opportunity well then he or she is heading back into the dark (or nether world) in the next life.

There is no doubt for Buddhist the five precepts are the foundation for a good character but not enough. For a good or great leader that person must also have ahimsa.

I hope you'll remember that in metta sutta one must be able to lead one's life with fugality. The generals in the military regime are no better than robbers or terrorists. By use of force they are holding Burma and its people as hostages. Would you call that phone? No one can say for sure about their past karma therefore we cannot question the kan factor. But for 'parami', I'm doubtful. They may have power but they don't have awzar. They cannot make the people conform to their ways.

I'll get back to you in future postings.

Just a thought that came to mind:

&quot;A true leader's first task is to make himself/herself pure and wise&quot;.

KM

With a such sentance, I just can reply with upgrating you karma