BUDDHISM IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Theravāda Buddhism is the national religion of Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. Devotees are also to be found in Vietnam, particularly in the south, and also in Malaysia and Indonesia, the Muslim countries of the region. In the Theravāda tradition, sometimes referred to as Pāli Buddhism because of adherence to the scriptural tradition written in the Pāli language, homage is paid to the Three Gems: The Buddha; the Dhamma (the Buddha’s teachings); and the Saṅgha (the monastic lineage). Acts of merit-making such as offering food to monks, donating in cash or kind for the construction of monastery buildings, and sponsoring ordinations anchor religious belief in the social world and ensure the religion’s future. The maintenance of a healthy Saṅgha, properly ordained monks who observe the rules of the ascetic life, is necessary for Buddhism to prosper. In the Theravāda countries young men are encouraged to ordain as monks, even for a few weeks, before they marry, and many young boys in rural Southeast Asia also ordain as novices, serving as attendants to senior monks and acquiring an education while living in the monastery.