One
of the central tenets of Buddhism is generosity. By making offerings to the
Buddha and the monkhood, people improved their karma in the hopes of being reborn
in a better existence. All religious art generated merit, and therefore improved
karma, for the donors, the artists, and the viewers. People in Burma gave as
much as they could afford in an effort to guarantee future happiness. Kings,
ministers, and other wealthy individuals generated the most merit by paying
for the construction and decoration of buildings, the production of art such
as Buddha images and manuscripts, and the support of monks and monasteries.
This support consisted of donations of cash, clothing, slaves, land, animals,
buildings, material goods, and food. People with fewer financial resources would
pay for less ostentatious items and make smaller donations. Groups of people
sometimes combined their resources to make a joint, large donation; in this
way greater merit would accrue to each of the contributing individuals than
if they had made separate offerings.
Artistically, donor figures and offering vessels would have been used on altars
to pay homage to the Buddha. Votive tablets reflect three significant aspects
of religious practice: the creation of merit through the production of sacred
imagery, the collection of souvenirs from Buddhist pilgrimage sites, and the
incorporation of the tablets into buildings to enhance the sanctity of the edifice.
The production and viewing of Buddha images, narratives of the Buddha’s
lives, and other religious objects would also have improved Buddhists’
karmas.
