User:Rachelseagren/sandbox

Large print is stuff I have written, Small print is stuff already in the existing article (before other class editors added), Stuff that is crossed out is stuff in the already existing article that I don't think should be there. I also did a lot of minor edits to clear up grammar issues or to clarify sentences on the articles as I went. My main contributions are editing the history section, adding a theravada, and adding a mahayana section. My references are listed at the bottom. I used three books and an article from class.

Buddhism in Southeast Asia includes a variety of traditions of Buddhism including two main traditions: Mahāyāna Buddhism and Theravāda Buddhism. Historically, Mahāyāna Buddhism had a prominent position in this region, but in modern times most countries follow the Theravāda tradition.

Southeast Asian countries with a Theravāda Buddhist majority are Sri Lanka Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.

Vietnam continues to have a Mahāyāna majority due to Chinese influence.^[1] Indonesia was Mahāyāna Buddhist since the time of theSailendra and Srivijaya empires,^[2] but now Mahāyāna Buddhism in Indonesia is now largely practiced by the Chinese diaspora, as inSingapore and Malaysia. Mahāyāna Buddhism is the predominant religion of most Chinese communities in Singapore. In Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines and Indonesia, it remains a strong minority.

History

Buddhism reached Southeast Asia both directly over sea from India and indirectly from Central Asia and China in a process that spanned most of the first millennium CE.

In the third century B.C., there was disagreement among Ceylonese monks about the differences in practices between some councils of Bhikkhu monks and Vajjian Monks. The Bhikkhu monks affirmed Theravada traditions and rejected some of the practices of the Vajjian monks. It is thought that this sparked the split between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism.

Theravada Buddhism was formed and developed by Ceylon Bhikkhus during a period spanning from the third century B.C. to fifth century A.D.. Ceylonese influence, however, did not reach Southeast Asia until the eleventh century A.D.. Theravada Buddhism developed in Southern India and then traveled through Sri Lanka, Burma, and into Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Beyond.

In the twelfth Mahayana Buddhism developed in Northern India and traveled through Tibet, China and into Vietnam, Indonesia and beyond.

Before the 12th century, the areas of Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia were dominated by various Buddhist sects from India, and these included the teachings of Mahāyāna Buddhism. In the 7th century, Yijing noted in his travels that in these areas, all major sects of Indian Buddhism flourished.^[3]

The Khmer Empire and Srivijaya

During the 5th to 13th centuries, The Southeast Asian empires were influenced directly from India, so that these empires essentially followed the Mahāyāna tradition. The SrivijayaEmpire to the south and the Khmer Empire to the north competed for influence, and their art expressed the rich Mahāyāna pantheon of bodhisattvas.

Srivijaya, a maritime empire centered at Palembang on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, adopted Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna Buddhism under a line of rulers named the Sailendras. Yijing described Palembang as a great center of Buddhist learning where the emperor supported over a thousand monks at his court. Yijing also testified to the importance of Buddhism as early as the year 671 and advised future Chinese pilgrims to spend a year or two in Palembang.^[5] Srivijaya declined due to conflicts with the Chola rulers of India, before being destabilised by the Islamic expansion from the 13th century.

From the 9th to the 13th centuries, the Mahāyāna Buddhist and Hindu Khmer Empire dominated much of the Southeast Asian peninsula. Under the Khmer, more than 900 temples were built in Cambodia and in neighboring Thailand. Angkor was at the center of this development, with a temple complex and urban organisation able to support around one million urban dwellers.

Conversions to Theravāda

Though there are some early accounts that have been interpreted as Theravāda in Myanmar, the surviving records show that most Burmese Buddhism incorporated Mahāyāna, and used Sanskrit rather than Pali.^[4][6][7] After the decline of Buddhism in India, missions of monks from Sri Lanka gradually converted Burmese Buddhism to Theravāda, and in the next two centuries also brought Theravāda Buddhism to the areas of Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, where it supplanted previous forms of Buddhism.^[8]

Vietnamese traditions[edit | edit source]

Buddhism in Vietnam as practiced by the Vietnamese is mainly of Mahāyāna tradition. Buddhism came from Vietnam as early as the 2nd century CE through the North from Central Asia via India. Indian Buddhist Monks brought Buddhism to Vietnam. ^[9] Vietnamese Buddhism is very similar to Chinese Buddhism and to some extent reflects the structure of Chinese Buddhism after the Song Dynasty.

Mahāyāna Buddhism in SE Asia

Mahāyāna Buddhism in SE Asia is rooted in Buddhist Traditions that traveled from Northern India through Tibet and China and eventually made their way to Vietnam, Indonesia and other parts of southeast Asia.

Mahāyāna Buddhism consists of a large variety of different sūtras. A defining feature of Mahāyāna Buddhism is it's inclusiveness of a wide range of doctrines. The Mahāyāna tradition includes the doctrine of the three bodies of the Buddha (trikāya). The first is the body of transformation (nirmānakāya), the second is the body of bliss/enjoyment (sambhogakāya), and the third is the body of law/essence (dharmakāya). Each body makes sense or a different function of the Buddha. Another common theme in the Mahāyāna tradition of Buddhism is path of the bodhisattva. Stories are told about prior lives of the Buddha as a bodhisttva. These stories teach the qualities that are desirable to a good Mahāyāna Buddhist. Bodhisttvas are self-less as they care not only for their own salvation, liberation, and happiness, but also for the salvation, liberation, and happiness of others. A bodhisttva will make it almost all the way to Nirvana, but go back in order to help others go farther. The bodhisttva is contrasted with the pratyekabuddha who is only self-enlightened and not fully enlightened like the bodhisttva. The pratyekabuddha is seen as selfish as they only seek their own enlightenment and do not try to help others.

Theravada Buddhism in SE Asia

Theravada Buddhism in SE Asia is rooted in Ceylonese Buddhism that traveled from Sri Lanka to Malaysia (Then Burma) and later to lower Thailand.

The Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha are the three fundamental aspects of Theravada Buddhist thought. The Buddha is a teacher of gods and men. Unique to Theravada Buddhism is the view that the Buddha is not a god to be worshiped, but rather a teacher to be followed. The Dhamma consists of the teachings of the Buddha. It is path made through the words and deeds of the Buddha that is to be followed. The path leads the follower from the Realm of Desire, to the Realm of Form, the the Formless Realm with the ultimate destination being Nirvana. The Sangha (gathering) refers to the two types of followers of the Buddha: lay and monastic. The monastic followers adhere to the Bhikkhu-way. The Bhikku lead a very disciplined life modeled after the Buddha going from pabbajja or novice ordination (samanera) to upasampada or higher ordination (Bhikkhu).

Buddhism by Country

Currently, there are approximately 190-205 million Buddhists in Southeast Asia, making it the second largest religion in the region, after Islam. Approximately 35 to 38% of the global Buddhist population resides in Southeast Asia. The following lists Southeast Asian countries from most to least adherents of Buddhism as a percent of the population.

• Thailand has the largest number of Buddhists with approximately 95% of its population of 67 million adhering to Buddhism, placing it at around 63.75 million.^[10][11]
• Myanmar has around 59 million Buddhists, with 89% of its 66 million citizens practicing Theravada Buddhism.^[12][13] Around 1% of the population, mainly the Chinese, practice Mahayana Buddhism alongside Taoism, but are strongly influenced by Theravada Buddhism.
• Vietnam may have a large number of Buddhists, but the Communist government under-reports the religious adherence of its citizens. It has around 44 million Buddhists, around half its population.^[14][15] The majority of Vietnamese people practice Mahayana Buddhism due to the large amount of Chinese influence.^[16]
• 95% of Cambodia's population adheres to Theravada Buddhism, placing its Buddhist population at around 14 million.^[17]
• Malaysia has about 20% of its citizens, mainly ethnic Chinese, with significant numbers of ethnic Thais, Khmers, Sinhalese and migrant workers, practising Buddhism. The Chinese mainly practice Mahayana Buddhism, but due to the efforts of Sinhalese monks, Theravada also enjoys a significant following.^[18][19]
• Communist Laos has around 5 million Buddhists, who form roughly 70% of its population.^[20][21]
• Indonesia has around 4.75 million Buddhists (2% of its population), mainly among its Chinese population. Most Indonesian Buddhists adhere to Theravada Buddhism, mainly of the Thai tradition.^[22]
• Singapore have around 2 million Buddhists, forming around 33% of their populations respectively.^[23] Singapore has the most vibrant Buddhist scene with all three major traditions having large followings. Mahayana Buddhism has the largest presence among the Chinese, while many immigrants from countries such as Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka practice Theravada Buddhism.^[24]
• Philippines have around the 2% of the total population or around 2 millions. All the important schools of Buddhism are well represented in Philippines although it is predominantly Mahayana School of Buddhism that is practiced in the country. Other Schools of Buddhism are also making their presence felt gradually amongst the people. Prime amongst these are - Nichiren Buddhism, Thervada Buddhism and Vajrayana Buddhism.
• Brunei, which has the smallest population in Southeast Asia, has around 13%^[25] of its citizens and a significant migrant worker population adhering to Buddhism, at around 65,000.^[26]

Below there should be a list of my references.