BUDDHISM IN INDIA

Buddhism in India began with the life of Siddhartha Gautama (ca. 563-483 B.C.), a prince from the small Shakya Kingdom located in the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal. Brought up in luxury, the prince abandoned his home and wandered forth as a religious beggar, searching for the meaning of existence. The stories of his search presuppose the Jain tradition, as Gautama was for a time a practitioner of intense austerity, at one point almost starving himself to death. He decided, however, that self-torture weakened his mind while failing to advance him to enlightenment and therefore turned to a milder style of renunciation and concentrated on advanced meditation techniques.
Eventually, under a tree in the forests of Gaya (in modern Bihar), he resolved to stir no farther until he had solved the mystery of existence.

Breaking through the final barriers, he achieved the knowledge that he later expressed as the Four Noble Truths: all of life is suffering; the cause of suffering is desire; the end of desire leads to the end of suffering; and the means to end desire is a path of discipline and meditation. Gautama was now the Buddha, or the awakened one, and he spent the remainder of his life traveling about northeast India converting large numbers of disciples. At the age of eighty, the Buddha achieved his final passing away (parinirvana ) and died, leaving a thriving monastic order and a dedicated lay community to continue his work. By the third century B.C., the still-young religion based on the Buddha's teachings was being spread throughout South Asia through the agency of the Mauryan Empire (ca. 326-184 B.C.; see The Mauryan Empire, ch. 1). By the seventh century A.D., having spread throughout East Asia and Southeast Asia, Buddhism probably had the largest religious following in the world.

Siddhārtha Gautama was the historical founder of Buddhism. Siddhartha Gautama was born as a Kshatriya prince in Lumbini, Nepal in 623 B.C. His particular family of Sakya Kshatiryas were of Brahmin 'lineage' (Sanskrit: gotra) as per their family name "Gautama". XIX c. scholars like Dr. Eitel connected it to the Brahmin Rishi Gautama. Buddha is said to be a descendant of Brahmin Sage Angirasa in many Buddhist texts. For example, "In the Pali Mahavagga "Angirasa" (in Pali Angirasa} occurs as a name of Buddha Gautama who evidently belonged to the Angirasa tribe...". Scholar Edward J. Thomas too connected Buddha with sages Gautama and Angirasa.
After asceticism and meditation, Siddhartha Gautama discovered the Buddhist Middle Way—a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification.

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BUDDHISM IN SRI LANKA

Buddhism in Sri Lanka is primarily of the Theravada school, and constitutes the religious faith of about 70% of the population. According to traditional Sri Lankan chronicles (such as the Dipavamsa), Buddhism was introduced into Sri Lanka in the 2nd century BCE by Venerable Mahinda, the son of the Emperor Ashoka, during the reign of Sri Lanka's King Devanampiyatissa. During this time, a sapling of the Bodhi Tree was brought to Sri Lanka and the first monasteries were established under the sponsorship of the Sri Lankan king. The Pali Canon, having previously been preserved as an oral tradition, was first committed to writing in Sri Lanka around 30 BCE.
Sri Lanka has the longest continuous history of Buddhism of any Buddhist nation, with the Sangha having existed in a largely unbroken lineage since its introduction in the 2nd century. During periods of decline, the Sri Lankan monastic lineage was revived through contact with Myanmar and Thailand. Periods of Mahayana influence, as well as official neglect under colonial rule, created great challenges for Theravada Buddhist institutions in Sri Lanka, but repeated revivals and resurgences- most recently in the 19th century CE- have kept the Theravada tradition alive for over 2000 years.

Sri Lanka is the oldest continually Buddhist country, Theravada Buddhism being the major religion in the island since its official introduction in the 2nd century BC by Venerable Mahinda, the son of the Emperor Ashoka of India during the reign of King Devanampiya- Tissa. Later, the nun Sanghamitta, the daughter of Asoka, was said to have brought the southern branch of the original Bodhi tree, where it was planted at Anuradhapura. From that day up to the present, the Buddhists in Sri Lanka have paid and are paying the utmost reverence to this branch of the Bodhi Tree under the shade of which the Master achieved Enlightenment.

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BUDDHISM IN MYANMAR

According to many Buddhism Experts, Burma, the land of pagodas, is the only country in the world where Theravada Buddhism flourishes most and also the only country in the world where there are Pali Athakathas and Tikas completely published. And Anumadhu, Ganhti, Yojana, Dipani, Anudipani, Nissaya Dipani, Ayakauk and many other valuable documents can be studied. There are fifty two thousand monasteries, over one thousand monastic institutions (Colleges) and two State Pariyatti Sasana Universities (Yangon / Mandalay) plus the newly-opened International Buddhist Missionary University . There are also sixteen hundred thousand Bhikkhus and twenty five thousand novices and more than five hundred Meditation Centres. Myanmar had been twice blessed by the holding of the last two International Theravada Buddhist Councils (Synods). Tipitakadhara examination, another unique feature, ( to memorize and recite 8025 pages of the Tipitaka) has been held annually for many decades and so far six bhikkhu candidates have passed both oral and written parts.
Buddhism in Burma (or Myanmar) is predominantly of the Theravada tradition, practised by 89% of the country's population It is the most religious Buddhist country in terms of proportion of monks in the population and proportion of income spent on religion. Adherents are most likely found among the dominant ethnic Bamar (or Burmans), Shan, Rakhine (Arakanese), Mon, Karen, and Chinese who are well integrated into Burmese society. Among ethnic Bamar, Theravada Buddhism is practised often in conjunction with nat worship. Monks, collectively known as the Sangha, are venerated members of Burmese society.
The importance of Buddhism in the history of Burma is evident from a landscape dominated by pagodas, which is why the country is often called "the land of pagodas." The Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon is steeped in myth and legend, and represents the faith of the people who have worshipped there for generations. Every village in Burma has a pagoda and a monastery, the traditional places for worship and education.

History of Buddhism

The history of Buddhism in Burma extends nearly a millennium. The Sasana Vamsa, written by Pinyasami in 1834, summarises much of the history of Buddhism in Burma. According to many historians, Sohn Uttar Sthavira (one of the royal monks) to Ashoka the Great came to Burma (Suvarnabhumi or Suvannabhumi) around 228 BC with other monks and sacred texts, including books.
The Ari Buddhism era included the worship of Bodhisattas and nagas, and also was known for corrupt monks. King Anawrahta of Bagan was converted by Shin Arahan, a monk from Thaton to Theravada Buddhism. In 1057 A.D., Anawrahta sent an army to conquer the Mon city of Thaton in order to obtain theTipitaka Buddhist canon. Mon culture, from that point, came to be largely assimilated into the Bamar culture based in Bagan. Despite attempts at reform, certain features of Ari Buddhism and traditional nat worship continued, such as reverence of Avalokiteśvara, a Boddhisatta called Lawka nat in Burmese. Successive kings of Bagan continued to build large numbers of monuments, temples, and pagodas in honour of Buddhism. Burmese rule at Bagan continued until the invasion of the Mongols in 1287.
The Shan, meanwhile, established themselves as rulers throughout the region now known as Burma. Thihathu, a Shan king, established rule in Bagan, by patronising and building many monasteries and pagodas. Bhikkus continued to be influential, particularly in Burmese literature and politics.
The Mon kingdoms, often ruled by Shan chieftains, fostered Theravada Buddhism in the 1300s. Wareru, who became king of Mottama (a Mon city kingdom), patronised Buddhism, and established a code of law (Dhammathat) compiled by Buddhist monks. King Dhammazedi, formerly a Mon monk, established rule in the late 1400s at Innwa and unified the Sangha in Mon territories. He also standardised ordination of monks set out in the Kalyani Inscriptions. Dhammazedi moved the capital back to Hanthawaddy (Bago). His mother-in-law Queen Shin Sawbu of Pegu was also a great patron of Buddhism. She is credited for expanding and gilding the Shwedagon Pagoda giving her own weight in gold.
The Bamar, who had fled to Taungoo before the invading Shan, established a kingdom there under the reigns of Tabinshwehti and Bayinnaung who conquered and unified most of modern Burma. These monarchs also embraced Mon culture and patronised Theravada Buddhism.
In the reigns of succeeding kings, the Taungoo kingdom became increasingly volatile and was overthrown by the Mon. In the mid- 1700s, King Alaungpaya defeated the Mon, expanded the Bamar kingdoms, and established the Konbaung dynasty. Under the rule of King Bodawpaya, a son of Alaungpaya, a unified sect of monks (Thudhamma) was created within the kingdom. Bodawpaya restored ties with Sri Lanka started by Anawrahta, allowing for mutual influence in religious affairs. In the reigns of the Konbaung kings that followed, both secular and religious literary works were created. King Mindon Min moved his capital to Mandalay. After Lower Burma had been conquered by the British, Christianity began to gain acceptance. Many monks from Lower Burma had resettled in Mandalay, but by decree of Mindon Min, they returned to serve the Buddhist laypeople. However, schisms arose among the Sangha, which were resolved during the Fifth Buddhist Synod, held in Mandalay in 1871. From 1860 to 1868, the Tipitaka was engraved on 729 marble slabs and assembled in the Kuthodaw Pagoda. In 1871, a new hti (the gold umbrella that crowns a stupa) encrusted with jewels from the crown was also donated by Mindon Min for the Shwedagon now in British Burma.
Young monks of Burma.During the British administration of Lower and Upper Burma, also known as Burma Proper, government policies were secular which meant monks were not protected by law. Nor was Buddhism patronised by the colonial government. This resulted in tensions between the colonised Buddhists and their European rulers. There was much opposition to the efforts by Christian missionaries to convert the Burmese people, Bamar, Shan, Mon, Rakhine and plains Karen, with one exception - the hill tribes. Today, Christianity is most commonly practised by the Chin, Kachin, and the Kayin. Notwithstanding traditional avoidance of political activity, monks often participated in politics and in the struggle for independence.
Since 1948 when the country gained its independence from Great Britain, both civil and military governments have supported Theravada Buddhism. The 1947 Constitution states, "The State recognizes the special position of Buddhism as the faith professed by the great majority of the citizens of the Union." The Ministry of Religious Affairs, created in 1948, was responsible for continuing Buddhism in Burma. In 1954, the prime minister, U Nu, convened the Sixth Buddhist Synod in Rangoon (Yangon), which was attended by 2,500 monks, and the World Buddhist University was established.
During the military rule of Ne Win (1962-1988), he attempted to reform Burma under the Burmese Way to Socialism which contained elements of Buddhism. In the 8888 Uprising, many monks participated and were killed by Tatmadaw soldiers. The current military regime, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) patronises Buddhism, although persecution of persons of other religions, namely Islam and Christianity, continues.

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BUDDHISM IN LAOS

Buddhism is the primary religion of Laos. The Buddhism practiced in Laos is of the Theravada tradition. Lao Buddhism is a unique version of Theravada Buddhism and is at the basis of Lao culture. Buddhism in Laos is often closely tied to animist beliefs and belief in ancestral spirits, particularly in rural areas.
The percentage of the population that adheres to Buddhism in modern Laos is variously reported, the CIA World Factbook estimates 65% of the total population have taken refuge in the Three Jewels. The creation of accurate estimates of the number of Buddhists in Laos is complicated by the paucity of information made available by the Laotian government, and the close connection between Buddhist and animist practices in Laos could make the numbers of nominal adherents of both Buddhism-Animism as much higher as over 90% because these traditions have influenced on mostly Lao people. It is still exclusive significant numbers of Chinese or Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhists.

History

Theravada Buddhism is believed to have first reached Laos during the 7th - 8th Centuries CE, via the kingdom of Dvaravati. During the 7th Century, tantric Buddhism was also introduced to Laos from the kingdom of Nan-chao, an ethnically Thai kingdom centered in modern day Yunnan, China. The Nan-chao kingdom also likely introduced the political ideology of the king as defender and protector of Buddhism, an important ideological tie between the monarchy and the sangha in much of Southeast Asia.
During the 11th & 12th Century, Khmer rulers took control of Muang Sua, the historical region of the kingdom of Luang Prabang in northern Laos. During this period, Mahayana Buddhism replaced Theravada Buddhism as the dominant religious ideology of the ruling classes.
Historically, the Lao state is regarded as beginning in 1353 CE with the coronation of Fa Ngum at Luang Prabang. Fa Ngum brought his Khmer Theravada teacher with him to act as adviser and head priest of the new kingdom. This Khmer monk named Phramaha Pasaman also brought to the kingdom a revered image of the Buddha that became known as the Phra Bang, the namesake of the city of Luang Prabang and the symbol of the Lao kingdom. Subsequent alliances with Burma and Thailand helped cement the primacy of Theravada Buddhism in the Laotian kingdom. Faced with rugged, isolating geography and the absence of a strong central government, Theravada Buddhism became one of the primary unifying features of Lao culture.
During the 1920s, the administration of Buddhism in Laos was reorganized by Prince Phetsarath, who established a system of schools for providing instruction to the Lao clergy.

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BUDDHISM IN USA

For the last 18 years, all denominations of the Buddhist religion have experienced an unparalleled growth in the United States of America. From the years 1990 to 2001, Buddhism had grown 170% and transformed itself into the 4th most practiced religion in America. It was neck to neck with Islam losing a 3rd place position by a mere 22,000 people. Furthermore, in year 2001 the ARIS (American Religious Identity Survey) found that there were more Buddhists than Unitarian Universalists, Atheists, Hindus, Wiccans, New Agers or Bahais.

Pew Forum's U.S Religious Landscape Survey

In the year 2008, the Pew Forum's U.S Religious Landscape Survey was published with great fanfare. The results showed surprising shifts in American religious life over the past decade. One important development is that Buddhism climbed to be the 3rd most practiced religion in America below that of Christianity and Judaism. The results showed that .7%, surveyed as Buddhists, which would mean that there about 2,000,000 Buddhists in the USA. Islam ranked at .6% and Hinduism settled in at .4%. Demographically, it was found that the majority of Buddhists were Gen-xers and between the ages of 30 - 49. Also, American Buddhism's growth is predominantly based on the conversion of native-born Americans showing that Asians numbered only 30% of this population. Geographically, western USA had more Buddhists than in the east coast. Finally, 20% surveyed believed in a personal God in contrast with the overall population that registered at majority of 60%.

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BUDDHISM IN THAILAND

Buddhism in Thailand is largely of the Theravada school. Nearly 95% of Thailand's population is Buddhist of the Theravada school, though Buddhism in this country has become integrated with folk beliefs such as ancestor worship as well as Chinese religions from the large Thai-Chinese population. [1] Buddhist temples in Thailand are characterized by tall golden stupas, and the Buddhist architecture of Thailand is similar to that in other Southeast Asian countries, particularly Cambodia and Laos, with which Thailand shares cultural and historical heritage.

Historical background
Thai Buddhism was based on the religious movement founded in the sixth century B.C. by Siddhartha , later known as the Buddha, who urged the world to relinquish the extremes of sensuality and self-mortification and follow the enlightened Middle Way. The focus of this religion is on man, not gods; the assumption is that life is pain or suffering, which is a consequence of craving, and that suffering can end only if desire ceases. The end of suffering is the achievement of nirvana (in Theravada Buddhist scriptures, nibbana), often defined as the absence of craving and therefore of suffering, sometimes as enlightenment or bliss.
By the third century B.C., Buddhism had spread widely in Asia, and divergent interpretations of the Buddha's teachings had led to the establishment of several sects. The teachings that reached Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka) were given in a final written form in Pali (an Indo-Aryan language closely related to Sanskrit) to religious centers there in the first century A.D. and provided the Tipitaka (the scriptures or "three baskets"; in Sanskrit, Tripitaka) of Theravada Buddhism. This form of Buddhism reached what is now Thailand around the sixth century A.D. Theravada Buddhism was made the state religion only with the establishment of the Thai kingdom of Sukhothai in the thirteenth century A.D.According to many historians around 228 BC Sohn Uttar Sthavira ( one of the royal monks )to Ashoka the great came in Thailand (Suvarnabhumi or Suvannabhumi) with other monks and sacred books.
Buddhist proselytism at the time of king Ashoka (260-218 BCE). Thai novice monksThe details of the history of Buddhism in Thailand from the thirteenth to the nineteenth century are obscure, in part because few historical records or religious texts survived the Burmese destruction of Ayutthaya, the capital city of the kingdom, in 1767. The anthropologist-historian S.J. Tambiah, however, has suggested a general pattern for that era, at least with respect to the relations between Buddhism and the sangha on the one hand and the king on the other hand. In Thailand, as in other Theravada Buddhist kingdoms, the king was in principle thought of as patron and protector of the religion (sasana) and the sangha, while sasana and the sangha were considered in turn the treasures of the polity and the signs of its legitimacy. Religion and polity, however, remained separate domains, and in ordinary times the organizational links between the sangha and the king were not close.
Among the chief characteristics of Thai kingdoms and principalities in the centuries before 1800 were the tendency to expand and contract, problems of succession, and the changing scope of the king's authority. In effect, some Thai kings had greater power over larger territories, others less, and almost invariably a king who sought successfully to expand his power also exercised greater control over the sangha. That control was coupled with greater support and patronage of the ecclesiastical hierarchy. When a king was weak, however, protection and supervision of the sangha also weakened, and the sangha declined. This fluctuating pattern appears to have continued until the emergence of the Chakkri Dynasty in the last quarter of the eighteenth century.
By the nineteenth century, and especially with the coming to power in 1851 of King Mongkut, who had been a monk himself for twenty-seven years, the sangha, like the kingdom, became steadily more centralized and hierarchical in nature and its links to the state more institutionalized. As a monk, Mongkut was a distinguished scholar of Pali Buddhist scripture. Moreover, at that time the immigration of numbers of monks from Burma was introducing the more rigorous discipline characteristic of the Mon sangha. Influenced by the Mon and guided by his own understanding of the Tipitaka, Mongkut began a reform movement that later became the basis for the Dhammayuttika order of monks. Under the reform, all practices having no authority other than custom were to be abandoned, canonical regulations were to be followed not mechanically but in spirit, and acts intended to improve an individual's standing on the road to nirvana but having no social value were rejected. This more rigorous discipline was adopted in its entirety by only a small minority of monasteries and monks. The Mahanikaya order, perhaps somewhat influenced by Mongkut's reforms but with a less exacting discipline than the Dhammayuttika order, comprised about 95 percent of all monks in 1970 and probably about the same percentage in the late 1980s. In any case, Mongkut was in a position to regularize and tighten the relations between monarchy and sangha at a time when the monarchy was expanding its control over the country in general and developing the kind of bureaucracy necessary to such control. The administrative and sangha reforms that Mongkut started were continued by his successor. In 1902 King Chulalongkorn (Rama V, 1868-1910) made the new sangha hierarchy formal and permanent through the Sangha Law of 1902, which remained the foundation of sangha administration in modern Thailand.

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MAHAYANA BUDDHISM

Mahayana Buddhism focused primarily on meditation and concentration, the eighth of the Eightfold Noble Path; as a result, it centered on a monastic life and an extreme expenditure of time in meditating. This left little room for the bulk of humanity to join in, so a new schism erupted within the ranks of Buddhism in the first century AD, one that would attempt to reformulate the teachings of Buddha to accomodate a greater number of people. They called their new Buddhism, the "Greater Vehicle" (literally, "The Greater Ox-Cart") or Mahayana, since it could accomodate more people and more believers from all walks of life. They distinguished themselves from mainstream Theravada Buddhism by contemptuously referring to Theravada as Hinayana, or "The Lesser Vehicle."The Mahayanists, however, did not see themselves as creating a new start for Buddhism, rather they claimed to be recovering the original teachings of Buddha, in much the same way that the Protestant reformers of sixteenth century Europe claimed that they were not creating a new Christianity but recovering the original form. The Mahayanists claimed that their canon of scriptures represented the final teachings of Buddha; they accounted for the non-presence of these teachings in over five hundred years by claiming that these were secret teachings entrusted only to the most faithful followers.Whatever the origins of Mahayan doctrines, they represent a significant departure in the philosophy. Like the Protestant Reformation, the overall goal of Mahayana was to extend religious authority to a greater number of people rather than concentrating it in the hands of a few. The Mahayanists managed to turn Buddhism into a more esoteric religion by developing a theory of gradations of Buddhahood. At the top was Buddhahood itself which was preceded by a series of lives, the bodhisattvas.This idea of the bodhisattva was one of the most important innovations of Mahayana Buddhism. The boddhisattva , or "being of wisdom," was originally invented to explain the nature of Buddha's earlier lives. Before Buddha entered his final life as Siddhartha Gautama, he had spent many lives working towards Buddhahood. In these previous lives he was a bodhisattva , a kind of "Buddha-in-waiting," that performed acts of incredible generosity, joy, and compassion towards his fellow human beings. An entire group of literature grew up around these previous lives of Buddha, called the Jataka or "Birth Stories."While we do not know much about the earliest forms of Buddhism, there is some evidence that the earliest followers believed that there was only the one Buddha and that no more would follow. Soon, however, a doctrine of the Maitreya , or "Future Buddha," began to assert itself. In this, Buddhists believed that a second Buddha would come and purify the world; they also believed that the first Buddha prophesied this future Buddha. If a future Buddha was coming, that meant that the second Buddha is already on earth passing through life after life. So someone on earth was the Maitreya . It could be the person serving you food. It could be a child playing in the street. It could be you. What if there was more than one Maitreya? Five? Ten? A billion? That certainly raises the odds that you or someone you know is a future Buddha.The goal of Theravada Buddhism is practically unattainable. In order to make Buddhism a more esoteric religion, the Mahayanists invented two grades of Buddhist attainment below becoming a Buddha. While the Buddha was the highest goal, one could become a pratyeka-buddha , that is, one who has awakened to the truth but keeps it secret. Below the pratyeka-buddha is the arhant , or "worthy," who has learned the truth from others and has realized it as truth. Mahayana Buddhism establishes the arhant as the goal for all believers. The believer hears the truth, comes to realize it as truth, and then passes into Nirvana . This doctrine of arhanthood is the basis for calling Mahayan the "Greater Vehicle," for it is meant to include everyone.Finally, the Mahayanists completed the conversion of Buddhism from a philosophy to religion. Therevada Buddhism holds that Buddha was a historical person who, on his death, ceased to exist. There were, however, strong tendencies for Buddhists to worship Buddha as a god of some sort; these tendencies probably began as early as Buddha's lifetime. The Mahayanists developed a theology of Buddha called the doctrine of "The Three Bodies," or Trikaya. The Buddha was not a human being, as he was in Theravada Buddhism, but the manifestation of a universal, spiritual being. This being had three bodies. When it occupied the earth in the form of Siddhartha Gautama, it took on the Body of Magical Transformation (nirmanakaya ). This Body of Magical Transformation was an emanation of the Body of Bliss (sambhogakaya ), which occupies the heavens in the form of a ruling and governing god of the universe. There are many forms of the Body of Bliss, but the one that rules over our world is Amithaba who lives in a paradise in the western heavens called Sukhavati, or "Land of Pure Bliss." Finally, the Body of Bliss is an emanation of the Body of Essence (dharmakaya ), which is the principle underlying the whole of the universe. This Body of Essence, the principle and rule of the universe, became synonymous with Nirvana . It was a kind of universal soul, and Nirvana became the transcendent joining with this universal soul

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BUDDHISM IN CAMBODIA

Since the late 13th century, Theravada Buddhism has been a way of life among the Khmer and other lowland peoples of mainland Southeast Asia. To this day, some 85 per cent of the population in Cambodia live in villages whose symbolic centers remain the wats, or temple-monasteries. The wat was not only the moral-religious center of a village community, but served important educational, cultural, and social functions as well. Until recent times, wats were the main centers of learning with schools and libraries where the Khmer culture and language was preserved and transmitted from generation to generation. They also served as culturally- and environmentally-sensitive foci for people-centered development that included, indeed featured, social safety nets for the poor, destitute, and needy. Until the most recent time of troubles that began with civil war in 1970, it was still common for all men to ordain as monks at least once in their lives, an act most commonly accomplished as rite of passage for young men entering adulthood and society. Through the 1960s, the Kingdom of Cambodia was known as a peaceful, Buddhist country. It was tolerant of the other faiths -- Muslim, Chinese, Christian, as well as indigenous peoples -- that constituted approximately 10 per cent of the population. At the Sixth World Council of Theravada Buddhists in Rangoon in 1955-56, the Cambodian Sangha, or monastic community, was singled out for its strong adherence to the Vinaya, or Buddhist discipline. But soon thereafter, it became caught in and the victim of the ideological conflicts (the "isms" such as nationalism, whether of "left" or "right," and communism) that swept through the region in the sixties and seventies. The Destruction in the 1970s Hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives during the 1970-75 civil war, when American saturation bombing targeting Vietnamese communist sanctuaries in Cambodia took their tool along with communist atrocities of Buddhist monks, laypeople, and temples. The Cambodian Buddhist Sangha was virtually annihilated by the communist Khmer Rouge regime in the years that followed ­ through early 1979. Of some 65,000 monks and novices in the country in 1969-70, no more than 3,000 are believed by all available accounts to have survived the civil war and genocide during the decade that followed.A young girl strolls past the remains of a destroyed Bacan district seat temple in western Pursat Province in 1994 An estimated 1.7 million people of a population of seven million in 1975 lost their lives during the horror of the Khmer Rouge regime, when Buddhism in all its forms was a special target of destruction for the loyalty it commanded among the people. Of the 3,369 temples in 1969 that dotted the Cambodian landscape and towns, nearly two thirds were destroyed and the remainder damaged and/or desecrated. The same fate was meted out to the Muslim mosques and the less than a handful of Christian chuches in the country. Temple-monastery buildings left standing were used for storage, as torture and execution chambers, and centers for the political indoctrination of the population. By the end of the decade, the physical destruction of Buddhism in Cambodia was nearly complete. Partial recovery in 1980sWhen the Vietnamese communists drove out the Khmer Rouge in early 1979, the people, working spontaneously through revived lay temple committees, began to reconstruct the country. For villagers, repairing or rebuilding their wats were a first order of priorty. The resources for small-scale public works projects such as road and bridge repair and social and literacy programs were collected and provided through the temples. In September 1979, the first seven Cambodian monks were officially re-ordained by a delegation of Theravada monks brought from Vietnam. But Buddhism as a force for meaningful cultural and social renewal remained repressed under the Vietnamese-dominated regime until 1988, when many restrictions on Buddhist practices were lifted. The most notable restrictions barred men under the age of 55 from ordaining as monks and confined the number of monks per wat to four. The rebuilding of Wat Kandal in the provincial capital of Stung Treng in northern Cambodia, near Laos in 1997. Since the late 1980s (the Vietnamese occupation ended in 1989), the number of monks and novices has risen from approximately 8,000 to more than 60,000 today (2006). As a social phenomenon, it is significant that the Buddhist revival in Cambodia has been spearheaded by Cambodia's villagers, the main victims of nearly a generation of ideological conflict and oppression. With meager means and enormous spirit, the common people have been in the forefront of rebuilding their temples, ordaining their sons, and reclaiming their Khmer Buddhist identity and way of life.The Education ProblemThe quality and standards of the Cambodian Sangha, however, have remained low given the loss of an entire generation of learned monks. In the 1990s, only some 20 percent of monks, the bulk of whom are under 25 years of age, received some formal training, mainly from lay teachers whose qualifications tended to be rudimentary. The first secondary school for monks re-opened in 1993, followed in 1997 by a preparatory class of the re-opened Preah Sihanouk Raj Buddhist University. But very few monk graduates of the high schools (there are now several) and the university choose for a variety of reasons to remain in the Sangha. Most disrobe to move into fields such as computers, accounting, and English as preparation for jobs in lay life. Few have chosen the monastic path of teaching the Dhamma and Vinaya to monk students and laypeople as preparation for leadership roles in the Sangha. The low numbers and quality of education for monks and, as a consequence, the generally poor discipline of the monks in Cambodia today remain one of the great socio-cultural problems of the country and its recovery as a moral community. The weakness of the Sangha and lack of resources at the Ministry of Religious Affairs have prevented these institutions from introducing meaningful education reform in a country where local masters at the wat and national levels level are simply no longer there. The Future in BalanceSince the UN-brokered peace plan in 1991 and elections in 1993, Cambodian society has begun a process of opening up and democratization, in part through the prodding of an international community still operating for the most part on European time, reason, and logic. At the same time, the new freedoms, the introduction of the drug and sex industries, and massive doses of material assistance by the international donor community have helped foster a growing climate of greed, corruption, and moral and intellectual paralysis in a country whose social fabric has since the earlier upheavals remained frayed. The rebirth of Khmer culture and society, not to mention political renewal, depends to a great extent on the renewal of standards in the Buddhist Sangha. In this context, it must be remembered that the western concept of "church" & "state" separation is meaningless in Cambodia and the Theravada lands of Southeast Asia. For the Cambodian Sangha to resume its traditional role as the moral conscience and spiritual guide of the people, it is necessary for the next generations of monks and novices, not to mention the lay devotee nuns and laypeople, to receive the best possible training and education appropriate to their needs and conditions. Bereft of the moral and cultural leadership base of the Sangha, it is difficult to imagine the Khmer people overcoming their inner and outer conflicts and charting a peaceful, tolerant course for rebuilding and developing their country. Well-trained monks as well as nuns are needed to minister to the people's psychic, cultural, and social needs in ways that the western humanirtarian agencies and the state are unable to do. The Buddhist Sangha and network of temples have been in the forefront of regenerative forces in the past. Drawing on historical precedent, Buddhism in Cambodia can again play a crucial role at both the village community and societal levels in promoting a meaningful peace, healing, and reconciliation process; in guiding a people-centered development that is culturally and environmentally sensitive and based on social equity; and in contributing to the wider moral, intellectual, and political regeneration of the country. In spite or because of materialistic globalization/ development pressures, it can, with help and encouragement from Buddhists worldwide and sympathetic friends, again play a leading role in shaping a better future for all Cambodians. Inauguration in 1998 of a new wat, Wat Phum Thmey, in Siemreap, the site since 2002 of a school for vulnerable children built and sponsored through KEAP.

In 2008, Buddhism field interestedly growing. There are 4,307 pagodas with 55,583 monks. Among these, there are 4,168 pagodas of Mahanikaya with 54,327 monks and 139 pagodas with 1,256 monks. There are 1,370 Buddhist schools with 30,001 Buddhist students:
- There are 3 levels of DhammaVinaya Schools with 11,215 Buddhist students.
- There are 549 Primary Buddhist schools with 12,174 of Buddhist students.
- There are 24 Secondary Buddhist schools with 3,863 Buddhist students.
- There are 12 Buddhist High schools with 1,824 Budhist students.
- There are 2 Buddhist Universities, Preah Sihanouk Raja Buddhist University with 972 Buddhist students and 177 graduated Buddhist sudents, and Preah Sihamuny Raja Buddhist University with 430 Buddhist students.

- There are 3 branches of Preah Sihanouk Raja Buddhist University in Kampongcham, Kampongchhnang, and Battambong provinces starting from 2008-2009.

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The Traditional Pali Canon

The traditional Pali Canon is divided into three parts called pikatas. Roughly translated, this means basket, and as there are three sections, the Canon is often referred to as the tipitaka, or three baskets. The term basket is thought to indicate a collection or carrier, as these categories are collections of various commentaries and subcommentaries.

Vinaya Pitaka

The Vinaya Pitaka is the first section of the Pali Canon and is heavily concentrated on the code of ethics to be followed by monks and nuns of the Buddhist faith. The rules contained within this section are often preceded by stories of each rule’s origin and the meaning of Buddha’s declaration on a particular issue. According to the stories contained in the Vinaya Pitaka, the rules were developed as necessary by Buddha in regards to the needs and behaviors of his followers.

Sutta Pitaka

The term Sutta Pitaka translates as a basket of threads, and contains accounts of Buddha’s teachings. This aspect of the Pali Canon is considered authentic by all factions of Buddhism, although other branches might call the section by a different name. The Sutta Pitaka is arranged in five subdivisions, or nikayas, and the first four are easily understood prose adaptations of stories with a standard formula. The fifth section is a compilation of miscellaneous prose or verse works.

Abhidhamma Pitaka

The third, and final, category is the Abhidhamma Pitaka, or higher dhamma. This section contains the basic elements of the Sutta Pitaka reworked into a systemic description of the nature of the mind and matter. There are seven books in this collection focusing only on the underlying principals drawn from the previous pitaka.

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Noble Eightfold Path

The Noble Eightfold Path is actually contained within the Four Noble Truths, but represents the means by which followers can cease the suffering of existence. There is some debate as to whether the Noble Eightfold path should be practiced sequentially or simultaneously, but regardless, it is the pathway laid out by Gautama Buddha for followers to reach bodhi, or enlightenment.

The first part of the Eightfold Noble Path is RIGHT VIEW or RIGHT UNDERSTANDING. This means knowing the Four Noble Truths.
The First Noble Truth is the knowledge that ALL that has been CREATED is IMPERMANENT. And whatever is impermanent is inherently ILL. And what is impermanent and ill is SELFLESS.
Two is the knowledge that the arising of ill is based on ignorance and it is perpetuated by the craving and intoxication for sensuality and sensations, becoming and rebecoming, delusion and ignorance.
Three is the knowledge that the CEASING of this ill that has arisen, the stopping of all future becomings, is Nirvana. True Reality realized, freed of this ill.
Four is the knowledge of the Eightfold Noble Path that leads to the cessation of this ill and to winning the goal: Nirvana. True Permanent State of Self, Permanent Changeless Absolute Reality ITSELF, Suchness, Perfect Wisdom.
The second part is RIGHT THINKING or RIGHT AIM. This means to aspire to attain realization of Perfect Wisdom, the Ultimate True Permanent Reality. To abstain from all evil acts of thought. To attain the total destruction of all cravings. To renounce all manifesting, all constructions, all that is "created" make-believe.
To develop dispassion, total detachment, absolute renunciation, self-surrender. To bring about the cessation of all "created" realities. To Self-Realize the Incomparable Awakening of Self. To win the freedom of Mind, the freedom through Perfect Intuitive Wisdom, the sane and immune emancipation of Will.
The third part is RIGHT SPEECH. To abstain from all lying speech, all perjurious speech, all evil abusive speech and all frivolous speech. To engage in speech and discussion that pertains to and leads to Nirvana, to what’s actually PERMANENT and REAL.
The fourth part is RIGHT ACTION. To abstain from all killing of all creatures. To abstain from all stealing. To abstain from all sensual and sexual misconduct. To abstain from all evil acts. To abstain from all forms of intoxication.
The fifth part is RIGHT LIVING. To abstain from all evil ways of living; to abstain from all evil methods of livelihood.
The sixth part is RIGHT EFFORT. To destroy all EVIL STATES OF MIND that have already arisen; to keep NEW evil states of mind FROM arising; to maintain and grow GOOD STATES OF MIND that have already arisen; and to make grow NEW good states of mind that have not yet arisen, such as loving kindness for ALL Beings, compassion and pity for ALL creatures, sympathetic joy and equanimity.
The seventh part is RIGHT MINDFULNESS. To contemplate as impermanent, ill and Selfless: Body, Feelings, Perception, Mind, Consciousness, Thought, Mental States, Mental Objects and Mental Activity. To grow revulsion for the world, seeing it for the decaying creation that it is, and to grow dispassion, total detachment, calm, tranquility, seeing that everything is not Self. To disregard all that is perceived, remaining aloof from both the pleasures as well as the pains arising from the creation of senses and sensuality.
The eighth part is RIGHT CONCENTRATION. Aloof from the world, aloof from evil states, aloof from all sensations from the senses, dwelling in solitude, seclusion, ardent, diligent, Self-resolute, develop one-pointedness of Mind through intense meditation and reflection.

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Belief of Buddhists

In fundamental Buddhism, the emphasis is on seeing Truth, on knowing it, and on understanding it. The emphasis is NOT on BLIND faith. The teaching of Buddhism is on "come and see" but never on come and believe. Buddhism is rational and requires personal effort, stating that by only one’s own efforts can Perfect Wisdom be realized. Each individual is responsible for his or her own emancipation from anguish and suffering.

Buddhism allows each individual to study and observe Truth internally and requires no blind faith before acceptance. Buddhism advocates no dogmas, no creeds, no rites, no ceremonies, no sacrifices, no penances, all of which must usually be accepted on blind faith. Buddhism is not a system of faith and worship but rather it is merely a Path to Supreme Enlightenment.
The Buddha referred to his teaching as simply a raft to leave this shore of suffering and impermanence, and to get to the other shore of bliss and safety, True Permanent Reality, Nirvana. Upon realization of Nirvana, the raft is no longer needed.

The Buddha referred to his teaching as the Middle Path, called this because it avoids the extremes of both self-indulgence in the world and the self-mortification of strict asceticism. The path he taught incorporates both intellectual progress plus spiritual progress with practice that reflects compassion, morality, wisdom and concentration while at the same time seeing and understanding the world of existence as it truly is.

All of the many teachings of the Buddha centre on the Four Noble Truths, just as the rim and spokes of a wheel centres on the hub. They are called "four" because there are four of them. They are called "Noble" because they ennoble one who understands them and they are called "Truths" because, corresponding with reality, they are true.

Beginners to Buddhism are handed lists of doctrines -- the Four Noble Truths, the Five Skandhas, the Eightfold Path. One is told to understand the teachings and practice them. However, "believing in" doctrines about Buddhism is not the point of Buddhism.

What the historical Buddha taught was a method for understanding oneself and the world in a different way. The many lists of doctrines are not meant to be accepted on blind faith. The Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Zen master, says "Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. Buddhist systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth."
The absolute truth of which Thich Nhat Hanh speaks cannot be contained in words and concepts. Thus, merely believing in words and concepts is not the Buddhist path. There is no point in believing in reincarnation/rebirth, for example. Rather, one practices Buddhism in order to realize a self not subject to birth and death.
Many Boats, One RiverTo say that doctrines and teachings shouldn't be accepted on blind faith doesn't mean they aren't important. The myriad teachings of Buddhism are like maps to follow on a spiritual journey, or a boat to carry you across a river. Daily meditation or chanting may seem pointless, but when practiced with sincerity they have a real impact on your life and outlook.
And to say that Buddhism is not about believing things doesn't mean there are no Buddhist beliefs. Over the centuries Buddhism has developed diverse schools with distinctive, and sometimes contradictory, doctrines. Often you might read that "Buddhists believe" such and such a thing, when in fact that doctrine belongs only to one school and not to all of Buddhism.
To compound confusion further, throughout Asia one can find a kind of folk Buddhism in which the Buddha and other iconic characters from Buddhist literature are believed to be divine beings who can hear prayers and grant wishes. Clearly, there are Buddhists with beliefs. Focusing on those beliefs will teach you little about Buddhism, however.
If you want to learn about Buddhism, I suggest putting aside all assumptions. Put aside assumptions about Buddhism, and then assumptions about religion. Put aside assumptions about the nature of the self, of reality, of existence. Keep yourself open to new understanding. Whatever beliefs you hold, hold in an open hand and not a tight fist. Just practice, and see where it takes you.

Do Buddhist believe in god?
No, we do not. There are several reasons for this. The Buddha, like modern sociologists and psychologists, believed that religious ideas and especially the god idea have their orgin in fear. The Buddha says: "Gripped by fear men go to the sacred mountains, sacred groves, sacred trees and shrines".

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Siddhatha's Marriage

When being a baby, Siddhatha was predicted he would be a Buddha and save the beings in the world. But 7 Brahmanas predicted, pointing 2 fingers up that he would be a Buddha or an Empire King while one Brahmana pointed up only one finger and predicted that Siddhatha would be really a Buddha.
Shortly thereafter, a wise man visited his father, King Śuddhodana. The wise man said that Siddhartha would either become a great king (chakravartin) or a holy man (Sadhu) based on whether he saw life outside of the palace walls. Determined to make Siddhartha a king, Śuddhodana shielded his son from the unpleasant realities of daily life. Years after this, Gautama married Yasodhara, with whom he had a son, Rahula, who later became a Buddhist monk.

Despite predictions that Siddhatha would be the Buddha while still a baby, his father arranged a marriage at the age of sixteen. Siddhatha married a cousin of the same age and produced a son.

Despite being a wealthy prince for twenty-nine years, however, Siddhatha was not satisfied with his life and was generally unhappy. The Great DepartureAt the age of twenty-nine, while wandering outside his palace, Gautama encountered an old crippled man, a diseased man, a decaying corpse, and an ascetic, or holy man. These sights are now referred to as the four heavenly messengers. The inspiration of these four sights caused Gautama to leave his family, wealth, and inheritance behind and begin life anew as an ascetic in hopes of ending the suffering of old age, disease, and death.

Despite meditation and deprivation, Gautama was unable to find the satisfaction and purpose he was looking for, but after nearly starving to death, remembered the peaceful bliss of a naturally concentrated state, and decided to purse this course.

LeavingHaving made this discovery, Gautama left the asceticism and meditation behind and focused on The Middle Way, a path away from all extremes. History tells that Gautama then accepted some rice pudding, sat beneath a papal tree and refused to arise until he had discovered the truth. At the age of thirty-five, or six years after beginning his quest, Gautama obtained enlightenment.

Buddha conceded to become a teacher and instructed monks and other followers in the ways of Nirvana, or the shedding of suffering, and bodhi, the pathway to enlightenment, among many other lessons and concepts. Buddha was very clear to emphasize that he was not a god, but rather an enlightened man. He shared his teachings for another forty-five years, and then passed to Parinivana, or the final deathless state, fully abandoning the human body. His teachings have lived on, however, and become the fourth largest organized religion in the world today.

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Who Was Buddha or Siddhartha Gautama?

Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, was born in the city of Lumbini around the year 485 BCE and was raised in Kapilavastu.[11][12] Moments after birth, according to the scriptures, he performed the first of several miracles, taking a few steps and proclaiming, "Supreme am I in the world. Greatest am I in the world. Noblest am I in the world. This is my last birth. Never shall I be reborn."

In the year 624 B.C. a baby was born into a royal family in northern India. He grew up in wealth and luxury but eventually found that worldly comforts and security do not guarantee happiness. He was deeply moved by the human happiness. When he was 29, he left his wife and teachers of the day to learn from them. They taught him much but none really knew the cause of human suffering and how it could be overcome. Eventually, after six years study and meditation he had an experience in which all ignorance fell away and he suddenly understood.

After discovering the Middle Way, he sat under a sacred fig tree, also known as the Bodhi tree, in the town of Bodh Gaya, India, and vowed not to rise before achieving Nirvana. At age 35, after many days of meditation, he attained his goal of becoming a Buddha. After his spiritual awakening he attracted a band of followers and instituted a monastic order. He spent the rest of his life teaching the Dharma, travelling throughout the northeastern part of the Indian subcontinent.
From that day onwards, he was called the Buddha, the Awakened One. He lived for another 45 years in which time he traveled all over the northern India teaching others what he had discovered. His compassion and pathience were legendary and he had thousands of followers. In his eightieth year, old and sick, but still happy and at peace, he finally passed away.
He passed away at the age of 80 (405 BCE) in Kushinagar, India.

The Buddhist faith and way of life is a direct reflection of the doctrines and teachings of a single man. Siddhartha Gautama became better known as Guatama Buddha following his own personal bodhi, or enlightenment. He used this newly acquired knowledge to instruct others in his faith on the means to reach both bodhi and Nirvana, which is the end of all suffering.
As Buddha lived over 2,500 years ago, by most accounts, it is challenging for historians to verify independent accounts of his life, and thus most information known about the man come from the sangha and Tripikata, the texts and written accounts of the Buddhist faith.

Conception and BirthThe mythological accounts of Gautama’s conception involve a dream his mother had about an elephant with six tusks that came down from heaven and entered her womb on the right side. Following this story, Buddha was born at the exact moment his mother looked toward the heavens in the garden of Lumbini. He took seven steps in each direction of heaven while a lotus flower grew at each step, and then declared that he would not be born again, as Buddhists believe in reincarnation.
Most historical depictions of Gautama’s conception and birth show his mother dying during or shortly after childbirth, and a seer, Asita, announcing that the young price would be either a great king or a great holy man. Gautama’s father shielded his son from religion and human suffering in hopes that Gautama would indeed grow to be a great king rather than a holy man.

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