Zayat
Encyclopedia
A zayat is a Burmese building found in almost every village. It serves primarily as a shelter for travelers, at the same time, is also an assembly place for religious occasions as well as meeting for the villagers to discuss the needs and plans of the village. Theravada
buddhist monks use zayats as their dwelling place while they are exercising precepts on sabath days. Buddhist monasteries
may have one or more zayats nearby. Donors mostly build Zayats along main roads aiming to provide the exhausted travelers with water and shelter. Beginning with Adoniram Judson
's construction of one in 1818 Christian missionaries have also adopted their use.
Contributions, in money or labor, towards the construction, running or elaboration of a zayat are seen as daná
(meritorious charity). Thus, zayats are generally built in a more durable and costly manner than most private houses. The labor is normally provided by locals, while the financing may be local or remote.
Some zayats have evolved other functions over time. For example, the Jivitadana Sangha Hospital for Buddhist monks and nuns began as a clinic at a zayat.
letters gave his work, many Christian missionaries in Burma constructed and used one or more zayats, and their letters and journals were widely published by missionary boards and societies in the United States.
The first Fu Manchu
story entitled The Zayat Kiss was published as a stand alone magazine story in 1912. This and the next nine stories were combined into the novel The Mystery of Dr. Fu Manchu in 1913, which was titled The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu when published four months later in the United States.
Theravada
Theravada ; literally, "the Teaching of the Elders" or "the Ancient Teaching", is the oldest surviving Buddhist school. It was founded in India...
buddhist monks use zayats as their dwelling place while they are exercising precepts on sabath days. Buddhist monasteries
Vihara
Vihara is the Sanskrit and Pali term for a Buddhist monastery. It originally meant "a secluded place in which to walk", and referred to "dwellings" or "refuges" used by wandering monks during the rainy season....
may have one or more zayats nearby. Donors mostly build Zayats along main roads aiming to provide the exhausted travelers with water and shelter. Beginning with Adoniram Judson
Adoniram Judson
Adoniram Judson, Jr. was an American Baptist missionary, who served in Burma for almost forty years. At the age of 25, Adoniram Judson became the first Protestant missionary sent from North America to preach in Burma...
's construction of one in 1818 Christian missionaries have also adopted their use.
Dana (Buddhism)
Dāna is generosity or giving. In Hinduism and Buddhism, it is the practice of cultivating generosity. Ultimately, the practice culminates in one of the perfections : the perfection of giving - dāna-pāramitā...
(meritorious charity). Thus, zayats are generally built in a more durable and costly manner than most private houses. The labor is normally provided by locals, while the financing may be local or remote.
Some zayats have evolved other functions over time. For example, the Jivitadana Sangha Hospital for Buddhist monks and nuns began as a clinic at a zayat.
Literature in English
Because of the importance of zayat based evangelism to Adoniram Judson's mission, and the prominence that his first wife Ann Hasseltine'sAnn Hasseltine Judson
Ann Hasseltine Judson was one of the first female American foreign missionaries. She attended the Bradford Academy and during a revival there read Strictures on the Modern System of Female Education by Hannah More, which led her to "seek a life of 'usefulness'". Born in Bradford, Massachusetts,...
letters gave his work, many Christian missionaries in Burma constructed and used one or more zayats, and their letters and journals were widely published by missionary boards and societies in the United States.
The first Fu Manchu
Fu Manchu
Dr. Fu Manchu is a fictional character introduced in a series of novels by British author Sax Rohmer during the first half of the 20th century...
story entitled The Zayat Kiss was published as a stand alone magazine story in 1912. This and the next nine stories were combined into the novel The Mystery of Dr. Fu Manchu in 1913, which was titled The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu when published four months later in the United States.