Front Cover:
Cover: Illustration of Bo Bo Aung meditating in a cave, surrounded by four celebratedweikza, off set lithograph paper, cardboard, plastic, c. mid-20th century, artistunknown. H. 13-1/4 in. x W. 10 in., Burma Art Collection, Northern Illinois University.BC. 98.1.05. Gift of Hugh MacDougall, 1989.
Cover design: Jeff Strohm, Northern Illinois University.
This is a typical illustration of Bo Bo Aung, wearing the white robes of a lay religiouspractitioner, depicted “practicing metta/myitta a (loving kindness) meditation for thehappiness of all sentient beings,” as mentioned on the yellow banner above him. Heis surrounded by four types of weikza; i.e., on the upper level are two mythicalfigures: on the left side is Zawgyi, the mythical magician-alchemist, dressed in redand gold holding his staff ; while on the right side is the millenarian figure of SetkyaMin, the world-conquering emperor, considered as a powerful weikza. Coming toprepare the path for Arimetteya the future Buddha, he is always dressed in thetraditional Royal Army officers’ uniform. Each of these two figures holds the shiningalchemic stone (the dat-lon) obtained aft er long hours of meditation which givesthem supernatural powers and long life. At the two extreme upper corners, thechariot of the moon (right) and the chariot of the sun (left ) are nearly identical totheir representation in older Burmese manuscripts. At the middle level are two moremundane figures: on the left side we find a htwet-yap puggo, i.e., a hermit who hasattained virtual immortality. He is wearing monk-like robes with his right shoulderbare, head dressed in a typical leather hat with a rosary of beads around his neck,and holding a staff. Across from him to the right of Bo Bo Aung, in a dark clothcovering both his shoulders, is a lup-yap puggo, a householder practicing alchemybut deeply devoted to religious practice.
As typically appearing on a devotional image, at the two lower corners are foundcandles and flower bowls with the caption: myitta shwe-oh, which means: “lovingkindness golden vase,” that frame the visual composition and underline the importanceof the practice of meditation. The central offering plate presents the traditionalkadaw pwe made of green coconut and bananas.
This type of color illustration on paper, popular in the late 1940s, was mounted oncardboard and covered with clear plastic, to be placed by devotees on their domesticaltars.
