Ashin Mandalarlankara is a Buddhist monk from Myanmar and a member of the KAICIID International Fellows Network who graduated from the Fellows Programme in 2015. Mandalar is currently active throughout Europe and Myanmar and has been leading and participating in interreligious and intercultural dialogue activities, including conducting his second Fellows IRD initiative. With the recent graduation of the 2016 Fellows and induction of the next course of Fellows, we caught up with Mandalar for his reflection and comments on his participation in the programme.                                                               

You have been busy! What have you been up to since you graduated from the Fellows Programme?

I’ve been giving trainings such as an introduction to Burmese Buddhist culture in Kwidzyn, Poland and at the Lay Centre in Rome, as well as introducing Christian priests to a Buddhist monk’s life. I also did an intercultural dialogue programme among youth of different religious backgrounds on foods, clothes and culture in Mandalay, Myanmar in February 2016.

You’ve also recently travelled quite a lot in Europe! What was that experience like?

I have been to Belgium France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Poland and it was fortunate for me because I have never dreamed of being in Europe in all my life. It was really enjoyable and interesting when I explored new places – I talked with so many people on the trains, on the buses, on the street and in the garden – sometimes even in the museum. Some people were eager to talk to me and wanted to know who I am and to take pictures with me – they wanted to know what I am doing, what I believe in in life, and my goals and so on. I also listened to their feelings, experiences and lifestyles. We had been informally doing interreligious and intercultural dialogue, even though we met for just a short time.

How have these dialogue experiences affected you?

Honestly, before I joined interreligious and intercultural dialogue programmes, I didn’t know that I have a responsibility for promoting peace and harmony as a religious leader. Now I think I realised it from my dialogue experience. Today, the world is under the darkness of sorrow and suffering caused by violence and conflict. So, the world is badly in need of peace, harmony and coexistence. These are challenges for political leaders, spiritual leaders and religious leaders – we all have to accept these responsibilities and address these challenges.

What experience have you taken back to your work in Myanmar?

Not only did I gain a lot of knowledge of IRD but also communication skills and experience from my travelling and learning. I brought them to my work as a tool for IRD.

Are there any specific experiences that you had as a Fellow or in other dialogues that are particularly memorable?

In a conference in Rabat, Morocco, I met a hundred participants from around the world. After an ‘A Common Word Among Youth’ (ACWAY) training, one of the participants said to me: “There are so many people who want to listen to you and they are interested in you.” Then she asked, “how many people have converted to your religion because of you?” I replied “NO, I am here to share opinions on peace from my religious point of views, not to convert others to my religion.” Personally, I believe that as a religious leader and peacemaker, we should not try to convert others.

Has your work changed since you took part in the Fellows programme?

Before I took part in Fellow Programme, I just taught my own religion but now I have become an IRD trainer.

You also led a second KAICIID Fellows initiative. Can you tell me more about that?

We collected twenty-five Buddhist participants from different ethnic groups in Mandalay, Myanmar, with the aim to provide training to equip them with basic knowledge and understanding of different religions, human rights and freedom of belief from Buddhist perspectives, as well as to give them tools for peace building and conflict transformation. They studied about peace and learning from different points of view, and participated in an interreligious dialogue with religious leaders from different faiths and scholars at the Phaung Daw Oo Monastic School. The project ran for six weeks and included lectures, discussions and dialogue for a total of 40 hours and also included visits to religious sites on every Saturday during the length of the project.

What was the impact of your initiative? How did the participants react?

After the training was completed, the participants were able to discuss what interreligious and intercultural dialogue is. They now accept the different beliefs and cultures of four major religions and have the ability to build mutual understanding and good relationships amongst the religions in Mandalay. Most participants were inspired to study more about philosophies of religions and their practices.

Do you have any advice for the new Fellows for 2017?

If they have a chance to study more about other people's opinions on IRD and other people's experiences, they should. Then they should use [that knowledge] in their communities when they initiate projects and in the future.