Even when presenting the purpose of 969 as the development and
propagation of Buddhism, its supporters have used language that reflects their understanding of the ways in which the religious and political communities are necessarily interconnected. A businesswoman who
donates to U Wimala, one of the more vocal and active 969 monks,
stated, “I want children to learn the dhamma (Buddhist teachings),
improve their manners, and protect the nation and religion” (Marshall
2013a). In her formulation, to be an effective defender of Buddhism
and the Burmese nation, a child must first have a strong grounding in
Buddhist teachings.