The form of Buddhism commonly found in S Asia (Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos). Its doctrines remain essentially as they were in the 3rd-c BC, and it is generally distinguished from the later Mahayana (greater vehicle) Buddhism in its rejection of the theory of bodhisattvas.
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Foundations |
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Key Concepts |
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Major Figures |
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Practices and Attainment |
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Buddhism by Region |
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Comparative Studies |
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Theravada (Pāli: theravāda;
History
Origin of the School
The Theravāda school is ultimately derived from the Vibhajjavāda grouping which emerged amongst the older Sthavira group at the time of the Third Buddhist Council (circa 250 BCE), during the reign of Emperor Asoka in India.
The name of Tamraparniya was given to the Sri Lankan lineage in India, and there is no indication that this referred to any change in doctrine or scripture, since the name points only to geographical location.
Vibhajjavadins see themselves as the continuation of orthodox Sthaviras and after the Third Council continued to refer to their school as the Sthaviras/Theras ('The Elders'), although their doctrines is probably similar with the older Sthaviras but it is likely not identical.
History of the Tradition
According to Sinhalese tradition, Buddhism was first brought to Sri Lanka in 246 BCE by Mahinda, who is believed to have been the son of the Mauryan emperor Asoka, as a part of the missionary activities of the Asokan era. In 1164, with the guidance of two monks from a forest branch of the Mahavihara, Sri Lanka King reunited all bhikkhus in Sri Lanka into the Mahavihara school.
A few years after the arrival of Mahinda, Sanghamitta, who is also believed to be the daughter of Emperor Asoka, came to Sri Lanka. In 1996, 11 selected Sri Lanka nuns were ordained fully as Bhikkhunis by a team of Theravada monks in concert with a team of Korean Nuns in India.
During the Asoka reign period, a missionary was also sent to Suvannabhumi where two monks Sona and Uttara, are said to have proceeded.
The Mon were one of the earliest people to inhabit lower Myanmar and are believed to have been Theravadin since 3rd century BCE.
Philosophy
Theravada promote the concept of Vibhajjavada (Pali), literally "Teaching of Analysis."
The Theravadin goal is liberation (or freedom) from suffering, according to the Four Noble Truths. Theravada teaches that Nibbana is most quickly attained as an enlightened noble disciple of Buddha: an Arahant (lit.
In the Theravadin view, the Nibbana attained by Arahats is the same as that attained by the Buddha himself.
In Theravadin belief, someone who practices with earnestness and zeal can achieve Enlightenment (Nibbana) within a single lifetime, as did many of the first few generations of Lord Buddha disciples.
Scriptures
The Theravada school upholds the Pali Canon or Tipitaka as the most authoritative collection of texts on the teachings of Gautama Buddha.
The Pali Tipitaka consists of three parts: the Sutta Pitaka, Vinaya Pitaka and Abhidhamma Pitaka.
In the 4th and 5th centuries CE Buddhaghosa Thera wrote the first commentary to the Tipitaka (which was based on much older manuscripts), and after him many other monks wrote various commentaries, which have become part of the Theravada heritage.
The commentaries, together with the Abhidhamma, define the specific Theravada heritage. Related versions of the Sutta Pitaka and Vinaya Pitaka were common to all the early Buddhist schools, and therefore do not define only Theravada, but also the other early Buddhist schools, and the teaching of Gautama Buddha himself.
Praxis
Lay and Monastic Life
Traditionally, Theravada Buddhism has observed a distinction between the practices suitable for a lay person and the practices undertaken by ordained monks (and, in ancient times, nuns). This distinction - as well as the distinction between those practices advocated by the Pali Canon, and the folk religious elements embraced by many monks - have motivated some scholars to consider Theravada Buddhism to be composed of multiple separate traditions, overlapping though still distinct. Most prominently, the anthropologist Melford Spiro in his work Buddhism and Society separated Burmese Theravada into three groups: apotropaic Buddhism (concerned with providing protection from evil spirits), kammatic Buddhism (concerned with making merit for a future birth), and Nibbanic Buddhism (concerned with attaining the liberation of nibbana, as described in the Tipitaka).
The role of lay people has traditionally been primarily occupied with activities that are commonly termed 'merit making' (falling under Spiro's category of kammatic Buddhism). Merit making activities include offering food and other basic necessities to monks, making donations to temples and monasteries, burning incense or lighting candles before images of the Buddha, and chanting protective or merit-making verses from the Pali Canon. Others may volunteer significant time in tending to the mundane needs of local monks (by cooking, cleaning, maintaining temple facilities, etc.). Lay activities have traditionally not extended to study of the Pali scriptures, nor the practice of meditation, though in the 20th Century these areas have become more accessible to the lay community, especially in Thailand. A number of senior monastics in the Thai Forest Tradition, including Ajahn Buddhadasa, Luang Ta Maha Bua, Ajahn Pasanno, and Ajahn Jayasaro, have begun teaching meditation retreats outside of the monastery for lay disciples.
Nibbana, the highest goal of Theravada Buddhism, is attained through study and the practice of morality, meditation and wisdom (sila, samadhi, panya). Monastic roles in the Theravada can be broadly described as being split between the role of the (often urban) scholar monk and the (often rural or forest) meditation monk. Both types of monks serve their communities as religious teachers and officiants by presiding over religious ceremonies and providing instruction in basic Buddhist morality and teachings.
Scholar monks undertake the path of studying and preserving the Pali literature of the Theravada. They may devote little time to the practice of meditation, but may attain great respect and renown by becoming masters of a particular section of the Pali Canon or its commentaries.
Meditation monks, often called forest monks because of their association with certain wilderness-dwelling traditions, are considered to be specialists in meditation. While some forest monks may undertake significant study of the Pali Canon, in general meditation monks are expected to learn primarily from their meditation experiences and personal teachers, and may not know more of the Tipitaka than is necessary to participate in liturgical life and to provide a foundation for fundamental Buddhist teachings. More so than the scholastic tradition, the meditation tradition is associated with the attainment of certain supernatural powers described in both Pali sources and folk tradition.
Meditation
By meditating, a practitioner can gain valuable insight on himself/herself as well as understanding the concepts of Dhamma better. Meditation techniques include:
Jhana Anapana Vipassana MettaLevels of Attainment
Through practice, (Theravadin) practitioners can achieve four degrees of spiritual attainment, which reflect on the state of mind:
Stream-Enterers - Those who have destroyed the first three fetters (self-belief, doubt, and faith in the efficacy of rituals and observances), will be safe from falling into the states of misery (they will not be born as an animal, peta (hungry ghost), or hell being).Festivals and customs
Theravada Religious festivals:
Magha Puja Vesakha Puja Asalha Puja Uposatha Vassa (Rain Retreat)Ordination
The minimum age for ordaining as a Buddhist monk is 20 years. Monks follow 227 rules of discipline, while nuns follow 311 rules.
In most Theravada countries, it is a common practice for young men to ordain as monks for a fixed period of time.
Ordaining as a monk, even for a short period, is seen as having many virtues. Thai men who have ordained as a monk may be seen as more fit husbands by Thai women, who refer to men who have served as monks with a colloquial term meaning 'cooked' to indicate that they are more mature and ready for marriage.
In Sri Lanka, temporary ordination is not practiced, and a monk leaving the order is frowned upon. Though Sri Lankan monastic nikayas are often organized along caste lines, men who ordain as monks temporarily pass outside of the conventional caste system, and as such during their time as monks may act (or be treated) in a way that would not be in line with the expected duties and privileges of their caste.
Some well-known Theravadin monks are: Ajahn Mun Bhuridatta, Ajahn Chah, Ajahn Sumedho, Ajahn Khemadhammo, Ajahn Brahm, Bhikkhu Bodhi, Buddhadasa, Mahasi Sayadaw, Nyanaponika Thera, Preah Maha Ghosananda, Sayadaw U Pandita.
Practices
The practices usually vary in different sub-schools and monasteries within Theravada. But in the most orthodox forest monastery, the monk usually models its practice and lifestyle on that of the Buddha and his first generation of disciples by living close to nature in forest, mountains and caves.
In a typical daily routine at the monastery during the 3 month vassa period, the monk will wake-up before dawn and will begin the day with group chanting and meditation.
After the end of the Vassa period, many of the monks will go out far away from the monastery to find a remote place (usually in the forest) where they can hang their umbrella tents and where it is suitable for the work of self-development.
The monks do not fix their times for walking and sitting meditation, for as soon as they are free they just start doing it;
Those monks who have been able to attain a high level of attainment will be able to guide the junior monks and lay Buddhists toward the four degrees of spiritual attainment.
Lay Devotee
In Pali the word for a male lay devotee is Upasaka.
In Myanmar and Thailand, the monastery was and is still regarded as a seat of learning.
Traditionally, a ranking monk will deliver a sermon four times a month: when the moon waxes and wanes and the day before the new and full moons. The laity also have a chance to learn meditation from the monks during these times.
Buddhist orders within Theravada
Different orders, which are referred to as nikayas, has not resulted in the development of separate doctrines.
Bangladesh: Sangharaj Nikaya Mahasthabir Nikaya Myanmar (Burma): Thudhamma Nikaya Vipassana tradition of Mahasi Sayadaw and disciples Shwekyin Nikaya Sri Lanka: Siam Nikaya Waturawila (or Mahavihara Vamshika Shyamopali Vanavasa Nikaya) Amarapura Nikaya Kanduboda (or Swejin Nikaya) Tapovana (or Kalyanavamsa) Ramañña Nikaya Galduwa (or Kalyana Yogashramaya Samsthava) Delduwa Thailand Maha Nikaya Tradition of Ajahn Chah (Forest Tradition) Vijja Dhammakaya Thammayut Nikaya Forest Tradition of Ajahn Mun Bhuridatta, Luang Ta Maha Bua
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