Buddhist monks stand in line awaiting alms offerings before dawn near Bagan, Burma (Myanmar). Photograph by Seth Butler — Bagan, Burma.

Yangon, Burma. Photograph by Seth Butler — Yangon, Burma.

Near Bago, Burma. Photograph by Seth Butler — Near Bago, Burma.

Schwedagon Pagoda, Burma. Photograph by Seth Butler — Schwedagon Pagoda, Burma.

Bagan, Burma. Photograph by Seth Butler — Bagan, Burma.

Golden Rock, Burma. Photograph by Seth Butler — Golden Rock Pagoda, Burma.

Golden Rock Pagoda, Burma. Photograph by Seth Butler — Golden Rock Pagoda, Burma.

Sunset obscured by a backlit stupa as seen from near the top of a pagoda in Bagan, Burma. Photograph by Seth Butler — Bagan, Burma.

Documentary Photography & Photojournalism

Burma

A series of vignettes exploring the social landscape of Buddhism amidst one of the most mysterious, beautiful and ancient cultures in Southeast Asia, photographed prior to — and nearly following — the devastation of Cyclone Nargis.

The country often known as Burma is also now named Myanmar, at once located on the eastern borderlands of the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea.

In this long developing culture, the middle way of Theravada Buddhism remains the oldest and most prevalent spiritual belief system, including multiethnic influence of ancestor worship rituals, and mysticism practice.

Diverse tribal influences cohabit in Burmese society amongst often contested cultural balance.

Presently the region is in throes of catastrophic turmoil while various tribes seek a more enlightened democratic social equality.