"As a community of believers, Buddhism in Burma is involved in a continuing and intense ideological struggle against a repressive military regime. A "church" (sasana) comprising both lay and clerical (sangha) devotees, Buddhism is the religion of the majority of the Burmese and the leading cultural institution in the country-what one Western observer over a century ago called "the soul of a people."? For the Burmese of today, tired and demoralized by three decades of military rule, Buddhism plays a crucial role..."