Academic literature on the topic 'Theravadi Buddhist Monasteries'

Cambodia is among the countries where people have the strongest and most absolute faith in religion in the world. Since the dawn of the nation, the holy spirit has been a crucial part of daily life. Nowadays, the imprint of traditional cults and creeds is apparent in both the lifestyle and the architecture of the Cambodian. Exploring Cambodian religion, you will step into a whole new world full of myths and legends. In general, Buddhism is the official Cambodian religion. About 97% of the Cambodian population are Buddhist followers. Most of them are Theravada Buddhist. Other popular religions include Islam (2.1%), Christianity (1.3%), and ethnic religions (0.3%). Buddhism plays such an essential part that Dhamma teachings in monasteries with Sangha (monks) developing in most of the temples in Cambodia. Over time the original beliefs of Theravada Buddhism did integrate with the local rituals to create an indigenous culture of the Cambodian.

Lumbini—the birthplace of Buddha—was declared a World Heritage Site (WHS) in 1997. This recognition came following sustained efforts by many international organizations and the UN-led master plan that was prepared in the 1970s. Almost 50 years in the making, the Lumbini sacred precinct (WHS) is still a work in progress. Based on the fieldwork conducted in December 2019, this paper examines international and domestic visitation patterns and the complexities of tourism management in Lumbini, and explores the challenges it faces in attracting an international community of Buddhist followers and those interested in Buddhist heritage. Situated amidst a rural hinterland comprising non-Buddhist populations, the Lumbini Sacred Garden master plan covers an area of about 4.5 km2. It has a special “monastic zone” for the construction of 39 international monasteries (13 plots for followers of Theravada and 29 plots for Mahayana monasteries) of which 13 have been built (notable are the Thai, Japanese, Burmese, Sri Lankan, Chinese, Bhutanese, Korean, and European monasteries). The unique architectural styles and following of rituals and cultural practices traditional to the sponsoring native country make these international monasteries into “attractions” for foreign and domestic tourists. This mixing pot of Buddhist cultural heritage can be understood using the conceptual approach of co-creation. However, in practical terms, it is perceived as “imported Buddhism”, based on the resources (both tangible and intangible) that international communities bring to Lumbini. The active role of international monasteries constrains opportunities for the participation of local businesses in the religious tourism economy. Moreover, the limited opportunities for interpretation of this co-created heritage reinforces a sense of alienation for the local community, and poses challenges for the sustainability of tourism and the vitality of Lumbini as a WHS.

Pengaruh Pandita, Pemuda, dan Wanita Buddhayana terhadap Keharmonisan Umat Beragama Buddha di Jawa Tengah[1] Oleh. Budi Utomo, Ph.D[2]. Abstrak Kemajemukan menjadi modal kekayaan bangsa Indonesia dan bila tidak dikelola dengan baik akan dapat menjadi penyebab kehancuran, sebaliknya jika dikelola dengan baik akan menjadi contoh bagi masyarakat dunia. Kerukunan beragama ada pada istilah agree in disagreement, setuju dalam perbedaan, artinya setiap penganut agama percaya bahwa agama yang dianutnya itulah agama yang paling baik dan benar, antara agama satu dengan lainnya terdapat berbagai persamaan selain perbedaannya. Kerukunan beragama bukanlah ingin menyatukan semua agama, atau ingin menyamaratakan semua agama, atau ingin menciptakan suatu agama baru yang dipadukan dari semua agama yang ada. Harmonisasi menjadi salah satu tujuan bagi bangsa Indonesia agar masyarakat hidup tentram, dan damai. Objek penelitian ini adalah Para Pandita, Pemuda, dan Wanita yang ada dilingkungan Keluarga Buddhayāna Indonesia yang menjadi anggota Majelis Buddhayāna Indonesia, Sekber PMVBI (Pemuda Buddhayāna), dan Wanita Buddhis Indonesia (WBI) di provinsi Jawa Tengah dengan populasi sekitar 150 Orang. Peran dan pengaruh Pandita, Pemuda, dan Wanita Buddhayāna sangat besar dalam mewujudkan keharmonisan umat beragama khususnya umat Buddha, hal ini secara teori sangat beralasan sekali karena Buddhayāna merupakan sebuah gerakan agama Buddha Indonesia yang menghargai semangat pluralisme, inklusif, dan non-sektarian. Semua aliran utama agama Buddha dalam wihara-wihara Buddhayāna dapat hidup bersama secara damai dan berkembang bersama dengan beradaptasi pada budaya lokal, budaya Indonesia. Desain penelitian yang dijadikan pedoman dalam penelitian ini adalah positifistik kuantitatif dengan langkah penelitian (desain) model persamaan struktural (Struktural Equation Model). Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah adanya pengaruh signifikan pandita (X1) terhadap Keharmonisan (Y) karena nilai sign < probabilitas yaitu 0,000 < 0,05; Tidak ada pengaruh Pemuda (X1) terhadap Keharmonisan (Y) karena nilai sign > probabilitas yaitu 0,081 > 0,05; Tidak ada pengaruh wanita (X1) terhadap Keharmonisan (Y) karena nilai sign > probabilitas yaitu 0,219 > 0,05. Kesimpulannya ada pengaruh Pandita, Pemuda, dan Buddhayāna terhadap Keharmonisan Umat Beragama Buddha di Jawa Tengah. Penelitian ini, secara teori dan praktik diharapkan menjadi bahan masukan bagi pemangku kepentingan, organisasi keagamaan dan seluruh masyarakat di Jawa Tengah khususnya dan Indonesia pada umumnya. Sebagai bahan masukan bagi Pandita, Pemuda dan Wanita Buddhayāna Indonesia untuk berperan terhadap harmonisasi umat beragama Buddha di Jawa Tengah. Bahan kajian dan acuan pimpinan Majelis Buddhayāna Indonesia dalam memperbaiki dan meningkatkan kualitas pengelolaan organisasi, serta referensi dan masukan bagi pimpinan Majelis Buddhayāna Indonesia dalam mengambil kebijakan yang kurang sesuai dengan kondisi umat Buddha. Kata Kunci: Pandita, Pemuda, Wanita Buddhayāna, keharmonisan. Influences of Pandita, Youth, and Women of Buddhayana to Harmonious Life of Buddhist in Central Java Budi Utomo, Ph.D[3]. ABSTRACT Diversity is the asset for the wealth of the Indonesian nation and if it is not managed properly it can be devastating, on the other hand, if it is managed properly, it will become an example for the world community. Religious harmony is in terms of agreeing in disputes, agreeing in differences, that is, every religious believer believes that the religion he adheres to is the best and correct religion, between religions there are various similarities in differences. Successful religious harmony wants to unite all religions, or wants to unify all religions, or wants to create a new religion that is integrated from all existing religions. Harmonization is one of the goals for the Indonesian nation so that people live peacefully and peacefully. The objects of this research are the Panditas, Buddhists Youths, and Buddhist Women in the Indonesian Buddhayāna Families who are members of the Indonesian Buddhayāna Council, the PMVBI Secretary (Pemuda Buddhayāna), and Indonesian Buddhist Women (WBI) in Central Java Province with a population of around 150 people. The role and influence of Pandita, Youth, and Women Buddhayāna is very large in realizing religious harmony, especially Buddhists, this is very reasonable in theory because Buddhayāna is an Indonesian Buddhist movement that respects the spirit of pluralism, inclusion and non-sectarianism. All the main streams of Buddhism in the Buddhist monasteries can live together peacefully and develop together by adapting to local culture, Indonesian culture. The research design that is used as a guide in this research is positivistic quantitative with the research step (design) of the structural equation model (Structural Equation Model). The results of this study are the significant influence of pandita (X1) on harmony (Y) because the sign value <probability is 0.000 <0.05; There is no influence of Youth (X1) on Harmony (Y) because the value of sign> probability is 0.081> 0.05; There is no influence of women (X1) on harmony (Y) because the value of sign> probability is 0.219> 0.05. In conclusion, there is the influence of Pandita, Buddhist Youth, Buddhist Women (Buddhayāna) on Buddhist Harmony in Central Java. This research, in theory and practice, is expected to become input for stakeholders, religious organizations and all communities in Central Java in particular and Indonesia in general. As input for Pandita, Indonesian Buddhayāna Youth and Women to play a role in the harmonization of Buddhists in Central Java. Study material and reference for the leadership of the Indonesian Buddhayāna Council in improving and enhancing the quality of organizational management, as well as references and input for the leadership of the Indonesian Buddhayāna Council in making policies that are not in accordance with the conditions of the Buddhist community. Keywords: Pandita, Buddhist Youth, Buddhist Women, Harmonious life. [1] Artikel ini adalah Laporan Penelitian Dosen STIAB Smaratungga tahun 2020, penelitian ini dibiayai oleh DIPA Dirjen Bimas Buddha, Kementerian Agama Republik Indonesia [2] Dosen dan Ketua STIAB Smaratungga Boyolali, juga sebagai Ketua Asosiasi Perguruan Tinggi Agama Buddha Indonesia (APTABI), serta Asst. Secretary pada International Association of Theravada Buddhist Universities (ATBU) and EXCO Member pada International Association of Buddhist Universities (IABU). [3] Lecturer and principal of Smaratungga Buddhist College Boyolali, Chairs of Asosiasi Perguruan Tinggi Agama Buddha Indonesia (APTABI), serta Asst. Secretary of International Association of Theravada Buddhist Universities (ATBU) and EXCO Member of International Association of Buddhist Universities (IABU).

Christianity is a small but growing minority in Cambodia, accounting for only about 3% of the population yet growing there at a rate faster than in any other country in Southeast Asia. In Cambodian Christian communities, it is not uncommon to find more women than men in the churches. Cambodian boys often spend a brief period of their youth as novice monks at Theravada Buddhist monasteries, during which time they have the opportunity to become familiar with the Pali language and holy texts. Girls are not afforded this same opportunity, as there are no nuns (bhikkhuni) in contemporary Theravada. Within the Christian community in Cambodia, women carry out much of the service work in the churches, but only rarely are they invited to preach, let alone to become pastors—as is the case in much of the world. This article, based on interviews and participant observation with evangelical churches in Cambodia in 2019, demonstrates the ways in which ministry carried out by women has been characterized by courageous creativity, empowered through physical distance, and undergirded by a resoluteness of vocation.

Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara is one of the most important figures of southern Buddhism, the image of which is very popular in the XXI century. Avalokitesvara embodies precisely those qualities that have found a response in all social circles and strata of the population for many centuries – a universal symbol of kindness, compassion, forgiveness and peace.In this article, we traced the emergence and spread of this image of the Buddhist pantheon through the analysis of texts-sutras, namely – through their distribution in the region (preachers, translators, influential figures of their time). Within the scope of our work, it is important for us to follow the path of distribution of sacred texts by means of the pilgrims (readers, translators, and content writers) in East Asia. To do this, we turned to the very first translations of sacred texts related to the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara and to sacred sculpture, which is a reflection of key historical and cultural processes.We can find clues about the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara in such sacred texts as: The Sutra of the White Lotus of the Supreme Law, the Saddharmapundarika Sutra, the Sutra of Unfinished Life, the Great Sukhavati Sutra, the Karanda Sutra, the Nilakantha Dharani, the Shurangama Sutra, the Sutra of the Heart of Accurate Wisdom, the Prajnaparamita Hridaya Sutra, the Avatamsaka Sutra.Today there are several examples of sutras preserved in their authentic form without transformation, but it should be noted that their number and state in which they have been preserved do not provide much room for research.However, these are historical monuments, from which “everything began”. After examining the lives of the leading representatives of Pilgrimage and the translators of Chinese Buddhism who worked with the texts of the Theravada and Mahayana, which are directly related to the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, make it clear that the propagation of this religious image in the cultures of East Asia would not be possible without them. Thanks to the translations into accessible language the doctrine “came out” from the walls of the monasteries, the common people gained access to it, which in the future resulted not only in the spread of the image of bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, but also in the emergence of local adaptations and manifestation of “cultishness” in the essence of this phenomenon.

This article introduces a digital platform for collaborative research on the Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia, focusing on networks of Chinese temples and associations extending from Southeast China to the various port cities of Southeast Asia. The Singapore Historical Geographic Information System (SHGIS) and the Singapore Biographical Database (SBDB) are expandable WebGIS platforms gathering and linking data on cultural and religious networks across Southeast Asia. This inter-connected platform can be expanded to cover not only Singapore but all of Southeast Asia. We have added layers of data that go beyond Chinese Taoist, Buddhist, and popular god temples to also display the distributions of a wide range of other religious networks, including Christian churches, Islamic mosques, Hindu temples, and Theravadin, which are the Taiwanese, Japanese and Tibetan Buddhist monasteries found across the region. This digital platform covers a larger area than the Taiwan History and Culture in Time and Space (THCTS) historical GIS platform but is more regionally focused than the ECAI (Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative) By incorporating Chinese inscriptions, extensive surveys of Chinese temples and associations, as well as archival and historical sources, this platform provides new materials and new perspectives on the Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia. This paper: (1) outlines key research questions underlying these digital humanities platforms; (2) describes the overall architecture and the kinds of data included in the SHGIS and the SBDB; (3) reviews past research on historical GIS; and provides (4) a discussion of how incorporating Chinese epigraphy of Southeast Asia into these websites can help scholars trace networks across the entire region, potentially enabling comparative work on a wide range of religious networks in the region. Part 5 of the paper outlines technical aspects of the WebGIS platform.

Abstract This study aims to investigate community needs in order to develop the cultural learning resource of Suandok Temple, one of the most important religious monasteries in Chiang Mai, Thailand. This is where, in the Lanna kingdom, now the northern part of Thailand, Lanka Wong Theravada Buddhism was founded. The study is based on interviews, with historical procedures, Shalaginova’s concept of Heritage Interpretation, and Berlo’s SMCR Model of Communication applied to the data analysis. The findings reveal the needs of the community, which can be divided into six themes: (1) important persons to Suandok Temple; (2) outstanding arts and architecture; (3) holy landmark; (4) community center; (5) education hub and tourism; and (6) cultural learning resources. While the first five themes are the contents of the cultural learning resources, the sixth theme offers the guideline and elements, particularly target group, type, and form of presentation, that would be appropriate to cultural learning. With suitable learning resources, users could become aware of and understand the importance of cultural heritage in their community. Consequently, the community as a whole could share a sense of ownership and a determination to maintain, protect, and preserve their cultural heritage.

This chapter moves the investigation into mindfulness to Sri Lanka, where the tradition of Theravāda Buddhism emerged over two thousand years ago. After a visit to the ancient site of Anuradhapura, the author turns to the mindfulness practices of people in and around the city of Kandy. The chapter examines the focus of mindfulness in monks’ experiences at the Sri Lankan International Buddhist Institute and other monasteries in the area; the academic and supernatural powers of mindfulness in the minds of students at the University of Peradeniya; and the promises and purposes of mindfulness at the psychiatric unit at the Kandy General Hospital. It ends with a discussion of how psychiatrists and others make sense of mindfulness in a religiously heterogeneous culture, and how the Buddhist renderings of sati is thought to be applicable in other religious contexts.