{{Short description|Mythical Burma Buddhist Figure}} {{Culture of Myanmar}} [[File:Mount Popa 003.jpg|thumb|An altar depicting nats and weizza (Taw Bo Bo Aung, Bodaw Aung Mingaung), Mount Popa, Myanmar]] [[File:A Wait Zar Statue at Shwedagon Pagoda.jpg|thumb|A weizza statue at Shwedagon Pagoda]] A '''weizza''' or '''weikza''' ({{langx|my|ဝိဇ္ဇာ}}, {{langx|pi| vijjādhara}}{{sfn| Lammerts|2010|p=231}}) is a mystic in Burmese Buddhism commonly associated with esoteric and heterodox practices such as recitation of spells, samatha, and alchemy. The goal of this practice is to achieve immortality and await the appearance of the future Buddha, Metteya.{{sfn|Ferguson|Mendelson|1981|pp=62–4}}
Weikza practices are less common than merit-making practices or vipassanā meditation. During the socialist era from 1962 to 1988, Ne Win banned secret weizza associations, ''weizza'' magazines and literature, and portrayals of ''weizza'' from films and other media,<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|title=Magical spells are a booming business in Myanmar|work=The Economist|url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/04/02/magical-spells-are-a-booming-business-in-myanmar|access-date=2020-06-29|issn=0013-0613}}</ref> but the concept has made a resurgence since 1988, particularly following the abolition of the national censorship board in 2012.<ref name=":0" /> Burmese pagodas often house weizza shrines, where they are venerated for their spiritual purity and their devotion to those in need.<ref name=":0" /> Weizza teachers have also amassed hundreds of thousands of followers using social media.<ref name=":0" />
==Etymology==
The word weizza (ဝိဇ္ဇာ) comes from the Pali word vijja, which means “knowledge” or “wisdom”,<ref name="The world of weizzas">{{Cite web|url=https://viss.wordpress.com/2008/08/11/the-world-of-weizzas/|title=The world of weizzas|access-date=2017-09-25}}</ref> and is distantly related to the English word "wizard", as both stem ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root ''*weyd-'', meaning "to know or see".
==Weizza in the historical tradition== {{Panorama | image = File:Famous Yogis and Wizirds from Myanmar.JPG | height = 230 | alt = Famous yogis and weizza from Myanmar | caption = Famous yogis and weizza from Myanmar }} Aside from epigraphs, there are no local Indic or vernacular compositions that have been securely dated to pre-Pagan Burma. However, there are some later attributions of texts that were written during the first millennium. One such example is the ''Kappālaṅkāra'' (ကပ္ပါလင်္ကာရ), a vijjādhara ("weikza") text said to have been written by the bhikkhu Uttamasīri during the first century CE. The text survives in an 18th-century Pali-Burmese nissaya version (which attributes the text to Uttamasīri in its colophon) compiled by Taungdwin Sayadaw Ñaṇābhidhammālaṅkāra.{{sfn|Lammerts|2010|pp=230-1}}
In Myanmar, there are two classes of wizards; the sôns (စုန်း) and the weizza. The former are considered a bane to society, while the latter spend their days helping the common folk and undoing the curses brought upon by the ''sôns''.<ref name="Scott 1963 413–414">{{cite book|title=The Burman|last=Scott |first=Sir J. George |year=1963|publisher=The Norton Library|pages=413–414}}</ref> The commonly known weizza known today first appeared during the Konbaung dynasty, when Bo Bo Aung, a monk in Sagaing, discovered manuscripts revealing the secrets of weizza. However, many recognized weizza today come from before the Konbaung dynasty. This was the last dynasty to rule Burma before colonial rule. Before weizza, there were the Zawgyi (ဇော်ဂျီ) and Yawgi (ယောဂီ). The Zawgyi were wizards who were written about in Burmese literature, while the Yawgi were Buddhist yogis who lead ascetic lives and wore brown robes. They followed eight to ten precepts of Buddhism, whereas most laymen follow five.<ref name="The world of weizzas"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://phimvideo.org/cia-archives-buddhism-in-burma-history-politics-and-culture.YoeSm6aUlmmfqoY.html|title=CIA Archives|access-date=2017-09-25}}</ref>
===Weizza orders=== weizza are divided into four major orders: # The ''Pyada Weizza'', who work with mercury # The ''Than Weizza'', who work with iron # The ''Se Weizza'', who specialize in medicine # The ''In Weizza'', who specialize in yantra signs and squares<ref name="Scott 1963 413–414"/>
Among these, the Than and In are considered the most powerful. The Pyada Weizza, or Mercury Wizards, also study alchemy in order to produce gold and silver from more common metals.<ref name="Scott 1963 413–414"/> The Than weizza are considered by their followers as masters of not only their subject, but also as medical advisors.
==Purported abilities== thumb|The Kyaikhtisaung Sayadaw's Body Among their powers, weizza possess the ability to see past lives, see and hear things that are far away, read minds, teleport, dive into the earth, walk on water, and be in multiple places simultaneously. Powerful practitioners of the weizza’s way are purported to live for centuries, even choosing the time of their next reincarnation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20161003-in-search-of-burmas-wizards-saints|title=BBC}}</ref> The In Weizza, who work with cabalistic squares, use one's birth date and time to create powerful charms and spells. In ''The Burman'', Sir J. George Scott described some squares and charms so powerful that they could set a house ablaze. Others, engraved in stone and embedded in one's skin, would prevent drowning. Merely scratching an '''''in''''' in a house or tree could cause lightning to strike it.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Burman|last=Scott |first=Sir J. George |year=1963|publisher=The Norton Library|page=415}}</ref>
===Tools of the trade===
====Weizza grimoires==== Two traditional manuscripts contain rudimentary guidelines on the practices of weizza: the ''Bedin'' (ဗေဒင်) and the ''Deittôn'' (ဒိတ္တုန်). The latter is a book on astrology and metaphysics.<ref name="Scott 1963 416">{{cite book|title=The Burman|last=Scott |first=Sir J. George |year=1963|publisher=The Norton Library|page=416}}</ref> Containing just basic principles of the art of weizza, the teachings in these texts are often surpassed by the weizza's own individual study and personal advancement. However, these books were once complete, many having been burned by religious zealots in the time of the last Buddha. The remains were spared from the fire by Devadatta, the cousin of Shin Gautama. Devadatta was always plotting against Shin Gautama, so he saved portions of the old science. Thus, this style of learning is looked upon with suspicion by many religious folk.<ref name="Scott 1963 416"/>
====Medical remedies====
Weizza prescriptions may be composed of chili powder, cloves, and ginger for fevers to earth-oil infused with seeds, bark, leaves, flowers, roots, and minerals. Weizza are specially adept with pills and powders, which are carried in bright red phials made of heavily scented bamboo. These ingredients are gathered with attention to the phases of the moon and placement of the constellations.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Burman|last=Scott |first=Sir J. George |year=1963|publisher=The Norton Library|page=417}}</ref> Another potent ingredient in the weizza's cabinet is meteoric stones, which can be gathered within three days of lightning striking a piece of earth and are used as ophthalmic medicine.<ref name="Scott 1963 418">{{cite book|title=The Burman|last=Scott |first=Sir J. George |year=1963|publisher=The Norton Library|page=418}}</ref> Weizza seldom use liquids in their practice of medicine.<ref name="Scott 1963 418"/>
=====Medical philosophies=====
Two schools of thought exist in weizza medicine:<ref name="Scott 1963 418"/>
# The ''datsayās'', whose primary focus is on diets # #The ''beindawsayās'', who work with potent drugs
In both schools, the human body is divided into four elements (''dats''): earth (''patawi dat''), fire (''tezaw dat''), water (''apaw dat''), and air (''wayaw dat''). Some practitioners also include ether (''akatha''), though this element is disregarded by doctors.<ref name="Scott 1963 418"/>
#'''Earth''': the flesh, bones, hair, intestines, etc. # #'''Fire''': eating, drinking, chewing, and licking # #'''Water''': the fat, blood, bile, spittle, mucus, etc. # #'''Air''': the six kinds of winds
==Modern perception of weizza== thumb|Final Resting Halll of the Kyaikhtisaung Sayadaw Weizza following still exists in Myanmar today. The former government forbade the publication of weizza materials and selling of weizza prints, which are popular in household altars. Even so, weizza followers abound.<ref name="The world of weizzas"/> There exist exclusive groups of weizza devotees called ''gaing'' (ဂိုဏ်း). These groups follow a set of tenets, are headed by a charismatic leader, and center their devotion on one or more weizza saints.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Patton |first=Thomas |date=November 2016|title=Buddhist Salvation Armies as Vanguards of the ''Sāsana'': Sorcerer Societies in Twentieth-Century Burma|volume=75|issue=4|journal=The Journal of Asian Studies|pages=1083–1104 |doi=10.1017/S0021911816001157}}</ref>
==Notable weizza== thumb|A list of notable weizza *Bo Bo Aung *Bo Min Gaung *Kyaikhtisaung Sayadaw *Setkya Mintha
==See also== *Rishi *Sadhu *Sennin *Vidyadhara *Xian
==References== {{Reflist}}
===Bibliography=== * {{cite book |title=Masters of the Buddhist Occult: The Burmese Weikzas |last1=Ferguson |first1=John P. |first2=E. Michael|last2=Mendelson|year=1981|series=Essays on Burma|publisher=Brill Archive |isbn=978-90-04-06323-5 }} * {{cite journal|first=Christian|last=Lammerts|title=Notes on Burmese Manuscripts: Text and Images|journal=Journal of Burma Studies|issue=1|date=2010|volume=14|pages=229–253|doi=10.1353/jbs.2010.0004|s2cid=72172350|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_burma_studies/v014/14.lammerts.html|url-access=subscription}} * {{cite book |title=The Burman|last=Scott |first=Sir J. George |year=1963|publisher=The Norton Library}}
Category:Weizzas