Wednesday, May 6, 2015 at 12:07PM 
Forgot I had this image from the Uppatasanti Pagoda (ဥပ္ပါတသန္တိစေတီတော်) in Naypyidaw. We went back to the pagoda (see Uppatasanti Pagoda) after dinner to look at the relics (see Buddha's Tooth), and there was the moon in a cloudless, starry sky. [NOTE: Ready to go back, and am currently working on a proposal to fund continuing work in Myanmar. More later].
Tuesday, September 30, 2014 at 12:04PM 
The ornate case shown above occupies a prominent spot in the Uppatasanti Pagoda (see Uppatasanti Pagoda) in Nay Pyi Taw. It is said to contain one of Buddha's teeth. I was, not surprisingly, a bit skeptical of this claim, but I asked several people and, yes, the shrine was a gift from China and it indeed contains a tooth relic from Shakyamuni Buddha. Wow. Deep gassho. [NOTE: Wonder where China got the tooth from?]
Buddha's tooth, Naypyidaw, Uppatasanti Pagoda in Art, Dharma, Other | Share Article | Email Article | Print Article Wednesday, May 7, 2014 at 6:18AM 
In Nay Pyi Taw there is, not surprisingly, a replica of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon known as the Uppatasanti or "Peace" Pagoda. The main stupa is 12 inches shorter than the one in Yangon. There are also several white elephants on display in front of the temple complex. The truck shown in the foreground of the image above contains the forage for one of the numerous daily feedings that these animals require. This is quite a place.