Weizza, also romanized weikza, is a recognized category within Burmese Buddhist folk belief for a person understood to have attained, through esoteric practice combining alchemy, meditation, mantra recitation and the ritual use of potent objects, a form of greatly extended life and supernormal power that falls short of full Buddhist enlightenment. Ethnographic documentation of the belief describes a weizza's stated purpose as guarding and preserving the Buddhist teaching across the long span of time until the arrival of Metteyya, the future Buddha, rather than seeking personal liberation directly. Bo Bo Aung is among the most widely known figures held in Burmese folk tradition to have achieved this status. The belief is documented here as a historical and ethnographic subject of study, drawn from academic fieldwork, and no esoteric technique or instruction associated with it is described or provided.
History & Origin
Documented as a long-standing category of Burmese Buddhist folk belief, associated with practices of alchemy, meditation and mantra recitation aimed at extending life and gaining power to protect the Buddhist teaching until the future Buddha Metteyya's arrival.
Facts
Status
Status TodayLiving tradition, practised today 1 Standing as a Comparative CategoryA standard analytic category in the study of religion 1 Practice
Who Performs ItA weizza is understood in Burmese folk belief as an individual adept, historically documented rather than instructed here. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Belongs to Tradition
Sources
1. Burmese Supernaturalism (Spiro)
Melford E. Spiro, Institute for the Study of Human Issues, 1978Coverage of Burmese supernaturalism and the weizza belief category
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