goodbye. Relationship with Buddhism Today Burmese folk religion and Buddhism are very closely tied to each other. Oftentimes it is common to see a Buddhist offering, and a nat-sin (or nat shrine) besides it. In Myanmar there are varying degrees of reliance on nats versus Buddhist doctrine. The beliefs and practices of folk faith vary widely across Myanmar, so it is difficult to define this religion exactly. Several scholars in the 19th and 20th century have done field research in villages in Myanmar, their findings have then been reported by themselves, as well as recently by others in various books and articles. Although it is difficult to determine what the precise beliefs and practices are, these anthropologists found several common trends that help give us a better picture of Burmese folk religion. In many instances folk faith was practised directly alongside Buddhism. It wasn't uncommon to see families who had both Buddhist shrines and nat shrines in their own homes. There were also plenty of Buddhist monks, who simultaneously believed in the nats. Several quotes from various scholars in Myanmar exemplify the relationship between Buddhism and nat worship. "The Buddhism of the people forms little or no part of their daily life,” and that although every Burman as a boy must go to a monastic school and wear the yellow robe, in his everyday life, from the day of his birth to his marriage, and even when he lies on his death bed, all the rites and forms that he observes are to be traced to folk religious and not to Buddhist sources. If calamity overtakes him he considers it to be the work of his nats, and when he wishes to commence any important undertaking, he propitiates these nats, who are the direct representatives of the old folk worship. Even the pongyi [monks] themselves are often directly influenced by the strong under-current of Burmese folk religion which underlies their faith in Buddhism”- Bishop Bigandet “They [monks] are often the most expert tattooers and astrologers and fortune tellers. The Burman has much more faith in the ascertaining of lucky and unlucky days and in the deductions from his horoscope than in the virtue of alms and the efficacy of worship at the Pagoda.” "As a simple matter of fact, it is undeniable that the propitiating of the nats is a question of daily concern to the lower-class Burman, while the