Today’s A Journey
through Aesthetic Realms
will be presented in
Myanmar (Burmese),
with subtitles in Arabic,
Aulacese (Vietnamese), Aulacese (Vietnamese),
Chinese, English,
French, German,
Hungarian, Indonesian, Hungarian, Indonesian,
Japanese, Korean,
Malay, Mongolian,
Persian, Portuguese, Persian, Portuguese,
Russian, Spanish,
and Thai.
Angelic viewers,
welcome to
A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms
on Supreme Master
Television.
In the last chapter of
the Christian Bible’s
New Testament, it was
recorded that Lord Jesus
was describing
the road of Heaven
as being paved with gold.
In Buddhism,
the Amitabha Sutra
(Infinite Light Scripture)
depicts the Pure Land as
a place where the ground
is made of gold, and
trees of gems and crystals.
Similar descriptions
of higher realms are also
found in other religions.
Indeed, gold has been
ubiquitously associated
with heavenly scenes
and is highly valued
in various cultures.
Today, let’s look at
the time-honored art of
gold leaf making
in the Golden Land of
Myanmar (Burma).
Noted for its dedication
to Buddhist traditions,
Myanmar (Burma)
has been called the Land
of a Thousand Pagodas.
In fact, on one
of her pilgrimages
several decades ago
to this ancient and
spiritual nation,
Supreme Master Ching Hai
was moved to compose
two poems entitled
“City of Ten Thousand
Buddhas, Pagan”
and “Mandalay – Burma”
honoring
its glorious traditions:
“From the distant hill
a temple bell peals
Resonating ethereal
sounds in a world
that seems unreal!”
Most Myanmar (Burmese)
pagodas are topped
with a gilded dome.
In monasteries and
temples, thin gold leaves
adorn Buddhist statues,
walls, ceilings,
and even furniture.
Gold leaves have also
been used by royalty,
aristocrats, and
everyday citizens for
coating common objects
as well as for medicinal
and cosmetic purposes.
We use for the Buddha.
Sometimes, we use
for the decoration,
and also we use it
for the lacquer layer.
Buddhist devotees
coat the gold leaves
onto sacred images
as offerings.
As a result, many statues
in major temples
are re-gilded daily.
The demand for gold
leaves is met exclusively
by family-operated
workshops in the Maha
Aung Myay Township
of Mandalay,
once an ancient capital.
The gold leaf is [made]
in Myanmar,
only [in] Mandalay,
only this quarter,
not another place.
Altogether, [there are]
70 workshops.
Entering
Maha Aung Myay,
we immediately noticed
the sound of rhythmic
pounding coming from
gold leaf workshops.
Inside one of them,
we saw a gentleman
wearing a longyi,
also called a sarong,
a traditional garment
of the region.
He was immersed
in his work of pounding
a small square-shaped
package positioned onto
a slanted granite surface.
A cup-shaped device
with a stick in the center
floated on a pot of
clear water on the floor.
It was actually
a water clock made with
a half coconut shell.
A small hole has been
carefully drilled
at its bottom so that
water trickles in
at an optimal speed.
They use the timer.
This is inside
a small pool.
Then one cup sinks
in 3 minutes.
They don't use the clock,
they use the timer.
One cup is 3 minutes.
Every 3 cups,
they change the side.
One cup is equal to
120 beats, 120 times
for 3 minutes.
Our hostess kindly gave
a tour around the facility
and explained
the manual process of
making gold leaves,
just as a young worker
was beginning the first
step of the procedure.
I would like to explain
how to make the gold leaf.
This is the first step:
we use a 12-gram piece
of gold, and then this is
made by machine.
We use a ruler,
we get this 5 feet long.
And then we cut this side
into 200 pieces.
This side, 200 pieces,
we use 2 kinds of paper.
This is the bamboo paper,
made of the bamboo.
This one is the straw
paper, rice straw.
This is the gold, we put
inside the bamboo paper.
One gold, one bamboo
and straw paper,
altogether 200 pieces.
One pack gets 200 pieces.
And then we beat [it for]
half an hour.
Half an hour of beating,
we get this.
They use the hammer
[that] is 3 kilos
[in] weight.
After 30 minutes
of pounding,
the stack of paper –
gold sandwiches –
are passed to the ladies
who work
in a windproof room.
Each enlarged gold piece
is then separated from
the paper and cut into
6 smaller pieces.
The resulting 1,200
pieces are again stacked
with bamboo and straw
paper for another
30 minutes of pounding
to further expand
the gold flake.
After beating [for]
half an hour,
we cut [it into] 6 pieces,
one piece this size, and
beat it again [for]
half an hour, we get this.
This is the small
bamboo paper, and then
we change [to]
the big bamboo paper.
We put 720 [pieces]
inside the gold leaf.
This is the final stage,
5 hours of beating.
It takes three workers
to complete the 5 hours
of hammering.
The first person beats it
until the package
becomes hot; then
the second person beats
to make the gold pieces
bigger; and finally,
the third person beats
to separate the
expanded gold pieces
from the paper.
Different techniques are
employed to
pound for heating versus
enlarging the gold.
The size of gold pieces
is very sensitive
to fluctuations in the
surrounding temperature,
which may result in
overly pounded products
that have to be reworked
from the first stage.
Skilled workers are able
to adjust their pounding
technique according to
the weather conditions.
Altogether,
we beat [it for] 6 hours.
The first stage is half
an hour, the second stage
is half an hour,
this final stage is 5 hours.
The first stage is, we beat
altogether 200 pieces.
The second stage is,
we beat 1,200 pieces.
The final stage, [there] is
720 inside the gold leaf.
The final stage is
the thickness of
normally 3 microns.
After the three steps of
pounding, the original
small gold pieces
are transformed into
much larger gold films
with exquisitely
consistent thickness.
Gold leaf is only by hand,
not machine.
We tried; the machine
is not thin, a little thick.
By hand,
we got this best quality.
At this stage, the product
is so thin that one can
remove a wrinkle
on the gold film
by a gentle blow of air.
Before the gold leaves
can be shipped, they are
cut into neat squares
and stacked between
protective cardboard
papers in 10- or
100-piece packages.
To avoid damage to
the final delicate product,
precautionary measures
are taken to
avoid sticking.
This is ready
for the Buddha,
we send to pagodas.
Also, she uses white
powder, a talc powder,
not to stick to fingers.
And then,
she cuts the gold.
This is the final stage
after 5 hours beating.
This is ready.
One packet is 100 pieces.
This is 100 pieces.
I will show you.
This is 100 pieces.
This size is
1.5 inches square.
We made different sizes,
2 inches square size,
2.5 inches square size,
because it depends on
the order.
For gold leaf making,
we use 24-carat gold,
pure gold.
The bamboo paper used
in gold leaf making
is supplied by
the family business itself.
Let’s find out how this
special material is made
I would like to explain
how to make
the bamboo paper.
This is the first step.
We use the bamboo with
no hole, solid bamboo.
In Myanmar, so many
kinds of the bamboo
inside have a hole.
This has no hole.
This is the special kind
of the bamboo,
about 1 year old.
And then, we must beat it.
This is to
take off the cover.
After [that],
we cut to small pieces.
And then we tie it.
We put it inside the pot.
This is lime and water.
3 years, keep it in the pot.
After 3 years,
we get this bamboo fiber.
[We mix] this fiber with
hot water, and then
[from] pounding
we get this paste.
This is the bamboo paste.
This paste,
we put inside the water.
This paste with the water,
we mix.
And then we put it
on the cutter frame.
This is the cutter frame.
After that,
we must be drying it.
And then this we take off.
We cut this size.
This is before beating.
We need to beat [it]
to change the color.
And then we put on
the brass plate.
This is the brass plate,
this paper with water.
Put the water
and then we beat.
That’s one leaf,
half an hour.
One leaf,
half an hour beating,
we get this paper.
This is changed to
bright color and smooth.
This is ready
for the beating.
This paper, we use again,
about 20 times,
not only once.
This paper is very strong.
For the beating we use
only bamboo paper.
We cannot use
other paper because
bamboo paper is
very strong.
Besides gold leaves
and their own supply
of bamboo paper,
the workshop also makes
an array of gold-covered
souvenirs for
religious remembrance
and good luck.
This is the leaf
of the banyan.
This is a real leaf and
then we use the glue,
after [that]
we stick the gold.
This is,
we stick the gold leaf.
This Buddha [statue],
this is inside bronze,
not wood.
The bronze and then this,
we use a lacquer,
and then this cover
[with] the gold leaf.
We use real gold.
Inside [is] bamboo and
covered [with] gold;
inside [is] wood and
covered [with] gold.
This one is made of
bamboo and then
this lacquer and
covered [with] gold.
This is male and female.
This is also
made of bamboo.
This is bamboo,
and then this is lacquer
and covered [with]
the gold leaf.
Also, this is
the leaf of the banyan
and this cover gold.
This is
from the Buddha tree.
This, all Buddha,
we use wood and then
this lacquer and covered
[with] the gold leaf.
This is the glue;
this is the lacquer,
for the stick.
This one is first stage,
teak wood and then
this lacquer, and
this cover [with] gold.
This is ready for selling,
for souvenir.
Most of the people,
they like the elephant.
This is
the Buddha footprint
with the gold leaf.
We use the real gold leaf.
The widespread use of
gold leaves has special
cultural significance
for the people of
Myanmar (Burma).
Gold signifies purity,
brightness, and nobility.
Gold is also the color of
higher level light
radiated by practitioners
in deep meditation,
as demonstrated by
modern scientific research
of the human body’s
electromagnetic waves.
The quest for decoration
with gold reflects
human’s innate quest
for spiritual elevation.
We are thankful for
being introduced to
the exquisite art of
gold leaf making
in Myanmar (Burma).
May this lovely tradition
be a treasured reminder
to people of all faiths
and nationalities
of our magnificent
heavenly home!
Brilliant viewers,
thank you for
being with us today
on A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms.
Up next
on Supreme Master
Television is
Vegetarianism:
The Noble Way of Living,
after Noteworthy News.
Together, let’s strive to
make our planetary Earth
a peaceful and
golden paradise for all
co-inhabitants, human,
animal and plant alike!