THERAVADA
    BUDDHISM

    by Ven. P. Boonshoo Sriburin, Ph.D.
    Wat Dhammaram / Vipassana Meditation Center
     
     
    Brothers and Sisters in the Dhamma,
    Today I am going to tell you about Theravada Buddhism; "the Style or Tradition of the Elders." I am not the elder myself, in this arena. But I just try to tell you what it has already been in the past then developed for some period of the times and yet going on nowadays.
     
     
    Historical Background

    For the sake of our studies, or for easily understanding, we may divide Theravada Buddhism into three periods: (1) Early Buddhism extended from the Buddha's time to the reign of the great Indian Emperor Asoka (or around third century Before Common Era [B.C.E.]. (2) The second period may be described as "a traditional Theravada" ranging from Asoka to modern times. And (3) the third period is the modern period of Theravada nowadays.

    In the early period Buddhism first arose as a movement of renouncers. Those who renounced the world had become some types of ascetics; some was known as "samaoa", some "Jatila", some "Paribbajaka". They professed to different ideologies and practices. The Buddha adopted the type of "samaoa" for his order. So he was addressed some times as" The Samaoa Gotama". The word "Buddha" basically means the "the Awakened One", but he was also known as "Sakyamuni", meaning "The Wise Sage of Sakya clan".

    Centered on a monastic community of monks (bhikkhu-sangha) and nuns (bhikkhuna-sangha), Buddhism renounced the efficacy of a worldly or householder's lifestyle in the quest of liberation (nibbana). Male and female lay disciples (upasakas and upasikas, respectively ) gathered around the movement and were known to reach the highest levels of spiritual attainment.
     
     

    In the second period after King Asoka dispatched missionary monks to Tambapanni (ancient Ceylon) and Suvannabhami (Southeast Asia), the areas where Theravada Buddhism Now predominates; modern Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, and Kampuchea (Cambodia) things became more traditional way. Traditional Theravada provided such persons a religious system of moral virtues (sala) and ritual actions designed to procure merit (pu¢´¢´a) for better rebirths. The monastics of traditional Theravada, by living the ideal style and through preaching and presiding over rituals, became the religious specialists in this system, constituting a "field of merit" for the laity. Traditional Theravada also accommodated popular spirit or god (deva) worship, which addressed the mundane needs of people on the lower levels on an increasingly "gradual" or extended path to Buddhism's ultimate goal of nibbana.
    Meditation, which when seriously practiced offered the means to attain the higher levels of the gradual path, became the specialty of the few, whether monastic or lay devotees.

    Two notable developments with regard to the monastic community occurred during this historical period.
     
    First, the Theravada Order of nuns (bhikkhuna-sangha) died out, probably by the twelfth century C.E.
     
    Second, the Theravada Order of monks (bhikkhu-sangha) entered into an increasingly symbiotic relationship with the State in Theravada Lands. In this relationship, the king actively promoted and protected Theravada Buddhism. When necessary, he even carried out "reforms" or "purifications" of the bhikkhu-sangha.
     
     

    The third or modern period
    The traditional Theravada described here has predominated into the third or modern period of Theravada history. However, the modern period has presented some significant challenges to the traditional ways of Theravada Buddhism. European colonialism directly affected every Theravada country except Thailand, while the forces of Westernization and modernization subsequently penetrated all of these societies. An emergent "Buddhist modernism" now offers a revaluation of traditional Theravada, stressing rationalism over ritual and advocating a more instrumental role for the laity in religious matter. In particular, Buddhist modernism has popularized the practice of meditation, leading to the establishment of lay meditation centers throughout the Theravada world. Both forms of Theravada Buddhism, "traditional" and "modernist," have come to the West in the late modern period.
     
     
     
    Rituals and Religious Activities

    An important motivation for all religious behavior in traditional Theravada Buddhism is the procurement of merit (pu¢´¢´a) for better circumstances in this and subsequent existences. One may make merit both for oneself and, through transference, for others, often by virtue of the same ritual act.

    Upon entering the temple's shrine room, having left one's shores outside in reverence of the sacredness of the ritual space, one performs a triple prostration of honor before the Buddha image. This consists of kneeling with palms pressed together at the chest and head, then bowing fully forward to the floor. Monks and laity alike perform the triple bow to the Buddha, both to begin and to conclude most ritual activities. The laity give the same gesture of reverence to the monks, or an abbreviated, standing version of it. Typically, when participating in Pali chanting, receiving a blessing, or listening to a discourse on the Buddha's teaching (dhamma desana), lay people sit at a lower level than the monks, usually on the floor, with feet turned under their haunches and pointed away from the monks; moreover, in such instances the laity's hands are held in the wai gesture, that is, palms pressed together, at chest level.

    Pali, the ancient scriptural language of the Theravada school, pervades traditional temple rituals. Participants with use vernacular languages, but mostly in instrumental capacity. Lay people as well as monks chant familiar Pali phrases, sometimes in unison, often responsively; in the latter case, the monks first chant a line to be repeated by the laity. Longer or unfamiliar Pali texts, such as suttas (discourses) gathas (poetic stanzas), or parittas (texts with protective or auspicious properties), are chanted by the monks alone, sometimes from behind a hand-held ceremonial fan called a talapatta. Laity often respond to these chants with the words sadhu, sadhu, analogous to the Christian "Amen." Also, at times a sacred string, a sincana, stretches from monks to laity during the chanting; afterwards, the monks may cut the string into small segments to be tied around the right wrist of each lay participant.

    Virtually every immigrant Theravada ritual begins with three particular Pali chants. Buddha vandana, or Homage to the Buddha, is known also by its first two Pali words: Namo tassa.
     
     
    Principle and Practice

    1) SaLA : To guard one's bodily actions and verbal actions in respect to virtues, peace and harmony environment.
    2) SAMaDHI: To secure the mind.
    3) PAN¡Ía: To have the wisdom or insight into the nature of things; whether conditioned or non-conditioned things until one is able to liberate oneself from whatever is unwholesome, unskillful states of the mind.

    These dhammas [ Sanskrit = dharmas], however, are not some different principle from that of the Eightfold Path described in the Fourth Truth of the Four Noble Truths. To comprehend the nature problem in our life in an aspect of right understanding. To avoid from bad or wrong things, internally or externally of oneself is an aspect of right thought and right action. To take care of right livelihood which is combined in right speech and actions is the path. To take care of the mind until one has cita-viveka (the mental seclusion, the peaceful heart or the state or higher Jhana absorption or Fruitions, or Nibbana) is also the Path and the freedom from the suffering described in the Noble Eightfold Path. The Eightfold Path covers all aspects of moral principles in Buddhist ethics; whether it is viewed from social, economic or from the Heart of the Buddha's teaching itself.

    Now talking of the whole practices of Theravada tradition and, of other traditions as well, if we view it from spirit of Buddha's teachings, are not practicing of something else apart from this path which constituted into the Tisikkha or the Three-fold Training, namely.
    1. training in higher morality (adhisila-sikkha)
    2. Training in higher mentality (adhicitta-sikkha) and
    3. Training in higher wisdom (adhipa¢´¢´a-sikkha).
    "Samadhi infused with sala is very fruitful, very meritorious. Pa¢´¢´a infused with samadhi is very fruitful, very meritorious. The mind infused with pa¢´¢´a is completely liberated from all intoxicants (asava) - intoxication of sensuality (kamasava), intoxication of becoming (bhavasava), and the intoxication of ignorance (avijjasava)." (D.II.123)

    Though I am, by tradition, a Theravadin and talking about Theravada Buddhism which follows the traditional ways of the elders in the past but I realize that many things have already changed. And that we are not living in the world alone. So to become too much restricted to the past ideas could be a major conflict to new things or other things apart from one's own. For this reason that we should find out, or challengingly enough, to work out the Middle Way where good understanding and metta can grow!
    *This speech was given at
    The 13th International Visakha Festival
    on Saturday, May 24, 1997 at Buddhadhamma Meditation Center, 8910 South Kingery Highway, Hinsdale, Illinois.