Buddhism in Cambodia

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Buddhist monks in front of the entrance to the main temple of Angkor Wat
Small Buddhist altar in the outer walkway around the main temple of Angkor Wat, whose religious affiliation has changed several times over the course of history

The Buddhism in Cambodia was in the area since the times of the Khmer empire large presence from the 9th to the 15th century. As the state religion, the Mahāyāna was highly promoted at the end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th centuries under the reign of King Jayavarman VII . His descendant Srindravarman , who reigned from 1295, then introduced the Theravāda teachings, to which an estimated ninety percent of the people adhere today. Doctrine and everyday practice do not differ from the Therāvada-shaped neighboring countries Laos or Thailand .

Mahāyana temples can only be found among the Vietnamese population in the border area or among missionary groups of Chinese origin, such as B. in the nunnery Mahā Pana Vihara near the airport of Phnom Penh .

Modern Theravāda

King Ang Duong († 1860) was born in 1841 by the Siamese King Rama III. enthroned again in Udong . The resulting Siamese-Vietnamese War (1841-1845) ended with the division of the region into vassal states of both powers, whereby the royal house was retained. The ruler was and remained the protector and promoter of Buddhism and its institutions.

Through contract negotiations with Siam , a French protectorate was established over parts of modern Cambodia for the first time in 1863, then in 1867/8. Only after the unrest in 1886 was a civil French colonial administration established. Religious issues were only interfered with after the First World War . The final demarcation of Cambodia took place in 1904–1907.

Thammayut and Mahānikai

Wat Botum (2016)

In the Siamese entourage of the reinstated ruler there were also monks who belonged to the orthodox, then still young Thammayut-nikai (or Thommayut ). Introduced in Cambodia by Ang Duong in 1855, King Norodom I established the headquarters in Wat Botum Vatthey ( វត្ត បុ ទម ) near the Royal Palace, where the novice Pol Pot also learned to read and write in the 1930s . Thanks to royal sponsorship, the Thammayut spread mainly in the urban centers.

They differed from the majority of the monks in the Mahānikai (Mohanikay) in their stricter interpretation of the vinaya , the way of wearing the robe, as well as in the fact that they were generally more educated and many followers went to Thailand for study purposes. In Cambodia, about three percent of the monks belonged to this Thai-style school. For each of the two groups there was a Sangharaja ( ស ម្តេ ច ព្រះសង្ឃ រាជ ; "Patriarch"), whom the king appointed.

Traditionally, disputes within the Sangha were settled on the first level by the Mekon , i.e. H. the chief monk of a so-called administrative district; then a spiritual court to which the sect patriarchs and some learned monks belonged. In case of doubt, the ruler had the last word.

19th century

As in Thailand, the village temples fulfilled certain social functions and were the linchpin for moral questions. Before the establishment of a western education system in the early 1930s, these were the only places where boys were given (rudimentary) education. Most often, the firstborn should be ordained for a long time (or permanently). The monks also act as fortune tellers.

Spirits and the "widow Penh", after whom the temple Wat Phnom Don Penh and the resulting capital are named, are also venerated . There are “white- robed ” nuns (Dounji) who only obey the ten great commandments .

Thammayut in colonial times

The Thammayut school met with resistance from the rest of the monks and later also from the colonial rulers, because they continued to have very close contacts with the Thai Thammayut. She was therefore seen as an agent of the neighboring state, with which political relations were difficult. The French have been suspicious of the wandering monks since the fall of the absolute monarchy in the neighboring country and during the Franco-Thai War (1940/41). The establishment of the royal library and a Pāli school was intended to reduce the need for educational migrations and thereby reduce Siamese influence. (Until the ban in 1940, especially religious works were also written in the Khmer alphabet in Thailand.)

Both in 1918 and on August 31, 1929, ordinances were issued that were intended to prevent monks (especially the Thammayut) from deviating from the “true doctrine” - without the approval of the king. The publication of a binding Khmer Tripitaka from 1929 can be seen in this light.

In 1937, Thammayut had 87 temples with 1,500 monks, while the majority school had around 2,500 temples with a good sixty thousand monks.

During the time of the Vichy-friendly administration 1940-45, the rights of the king were restricted, but he was left with a. the appointment of spiritual leaders. The colonial rulers also saw in strengthening the "native" Buddhism the possibility of countering Siamese irredentism. On July 20, 1942, there was also a nationalist demonstration by monks in Phnom Penh, calling for independence.

Independent Cambodia

Jhotañano Chuon Nath, Mahānikai Patriarch (1961). He had headed the sect since 1948
Indanano Phul Tés (1891–1966), Thammayut Patriarch (1961)

In the constitution imposed by Norodom Sihanouk on May 6, 1947 , Buddhism was determined as the state religion, but at the same time freedom of belief was guaranteed. The king ordained for some time that same year. He was nominally head of the Sangha until 1970.

The Buddhist organization (French: Association des Bouddhistes ), founded in 1952, had 10,756 members at the end of 1961 and published its own journal.

In 1961 the Mahānikai had about 52,000 ordained in about 2,700 temples. The Thammayut had one hundred temples with 1460 monks. It grew rapidly in the following decade to 2,800 members in 320 temples. The latter was due to the fact that large parts of the country were devastated by terrorist air strikes by the US Air Force during the secret war in eastern Cambodia . This also gave the left-wing liberation fighters active in the Cambodian civil war a boost, which fueled the fighting even more. Bombed out rural refugees often moved to cities where, as mentioned, the Thammayut was stronger. The CIA-sponsored coup of Lon Nol and Sirik Matak in 1970 led to an expansion of the (civil) war and a worsening of the situation in rural areas.

In Cambodia, the administration of Mahānikai and Thammayut remained separate before 1975. The former had 35 members on its board, the latter 21. Both groups have eleven spiritual ranks. The lower seven are collectively called thananukram , the four upper ones , from whose members the board members are composed, rajagana.

6th World Buddhist Congress, 1961

The sixth Congress of the World Fellowship of Buddhists , which is prestigious for the country , was held from November 14-22 , 1961 in Phnom Penh in the newly built Salle de Conference Chaktomuk ( សាលសន្និសីទ ). Since the Sarit Thanarat coup in Bangkok, where the organization is based, orchestrated by the CIA , it has become increasingly politicized for the anti-communist struggle. The delegation of the Chinese Buddhist Association, headed by Zhào Pǔchū ( 趙朴初 , Chao P'u-ch'u ; 1907–2000) and Sherab Gyatsho ( 喜饒嘉措 ; * 1884–1968; W.-G: Hsijao Chia-ts 'o ), left early in protest.

hospital

The Association d'assistance médicale Preah moha Ksatryani , founded in 1949 under the auspices of His Majesty, sponsored the construction of the Preah Kossamak Hospital (named after the Queen) for the medical care of monks. The inauguration of the house with 150 beds was in February 1956. In 1962 the association had almost 11,000 members. It has been a general hospital since reopening and renovating from 1979.

Democratic Kampuchea

On April 17, 1975, the Buddhist organizations were dissolved. Contrary to popular belief that the Khmer Rouge deliberately murdered most of the monks after the liberation, studies since 1999 have shown that only leading figures were deliberately arrested. The majority of the monks were deprived of their livelihood due to the rapid transformation of society , as hardly any food donations were made. They then inevitably had to take off their robes. Their death rate afterwards was no higher than that of the general population. There was also a group of twenty ordained at that time who were supported by the government.

People's Republic of Kampuchea and monarchical restoration

In September 1979 seven monks were reorganized at Wat Unnalom ( វត្តឧណ្ណាលោម ), who devoted themselves to rebuilding the Sangha in the following years. It is estimated that around 3,000 monks had survived at this point, some of which had to be re-ordained. Initially only men over 50 years of age could be ordained. Around 700 temples, of the original 3,600, were renovated in the following years. The Buddhist holidays and temple festivals have been celebrated again without restrictions since around 1985.

The separation into the two sects was to be lifted in 1981 with the establishment of the Braḥ saṅgh raṇasirsa under its president Tep Vong (ទេព វង្ស, * 1932), but this ultimately failed in 1991. Only in 1993 did Prince Sihanouk finally re-establish the legal basis for an independent Thammayut. Bour Kry (* 1945), who lived in exile in France, was the seventh patriarch since it was founded. He founded the Association Bouddhique Khmère in Paris in 1977 . In 1980 he founded Wat Khemararam in Créteil near Paris as a spiritual center.

Of the approximately four thousand existing temples in 2006, around 150 belonged to the Thammayut. In the 1990s, around fifty thousand permanent ordained people were estimated to be again, plus up to forty thousand short-term ordained or novices (under 20), especially during the rainy season. Since around 2000, as in many other parts of the world, it has become more common to construct “scandals” from the misconduct of individual black sheep, which are widely exploited in the media. The number of monks, 34,000 in 2003, has fallen steadily since the beginning of the economic boom in the late 1990s, as more Cambodians succumb to the Kleśa of greed within the framework of a capitalist economic system.

Although Tep Vong was named "Supreme Patriarch of Cambodia" in 2006, this was the first appointment to this rank in 150 years. Bour Kry continues to preside over the Thammayut as its own patriarch. The Mahānikai has been running Non Nget since 2006 . The 1993 constitution guarantees both of them a seat on the throne council, which elects the king. Politically, Tep Vong is close to Prime Minister Hun Sen , while Bour Kry was the spiritual mentor for King Norodom Sihamoni .

Synods

Once a year, around eight hundred leading Cambodian monks gather to exchange ideas. In recent years there has been a dispute over the question of whether monks are allowed to be politically active or not, and to what extent it makes sense for them to exercise their right to vote. Tep Vong, who himself was in the government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea in the 1980s , calls for their voting rights to be abolished.

Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party

From 1992 to 1997 there was a Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party (គណបក្សប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ សេរីនិយម ព្រះពុទ្ធសាសនា), which was founded by Prime Minister Son Sann . The general secretary was Kem Sokha . As a conservative force, after the 1993 election , it held ten parliamentary seats in the governing coalition at the time. In 1997 there was a split after a dispute with Ieng Mouly . In the 1998 election, the two wings failed to win seats.

Educational institutions

New building of the Buddhist Institute (2005)

Pāli elementary schools existed since 1933 and imparted elementary basic knowledge in three years (4th to 6th grade). After that, monks could switch to a lycée if necessary . Since 1955 the schools have been monitored by the Ministry of Religions. The director of the Lycée Preah Suramarith was also inspector general of the Buddhist school system. A total of around six hundred primary schools were organized by 1962, in which 830 monk-teachers taught over ten thousand pupils, mostly novices. In the 1969/70 school year, 27,000 pupils attended elementary schools and 1,328 went to secondary schools.

  • The Lycée Preah Suramarith was established in 1955. In the first year there were nine classes with 57 students. In four years one learned not only the clerical languages ​​Pāli and Sanskrit but also Khmer and subjects of worldly life. It was supported by a development association with three thousand members in 1961. At that time there were 680 students in thirteen classes.
  • The Preah Sihamoni Raja University , founded in 1959, is located in the complex of Wat Svay Popè ( វត្ត ស្វាយ ពពែ ; Phnom Penh). 107 students enrolled in the first year. Their number rose to 176 by 1969/70. In the temple there is again a secondary school today, where Pāli is taught.
  • King Sisowath Monivong initiated the establishment of a Buddhist institute in 1921, which was renamed Preah Raj Bannalai in 1925 . At first you were accommodated in Wat Unnalom. The first director was Suzanne Karpeles , seconded from EFEO in 1923 . As one of the fifteen Jews in the colony, she was released from her position in 1940. The Buddhasāsanapaṇḍity was merged with the Buddhist college in 1954. Research is also carried out on Cambodian literature, art and folklore in general ( Commission des Mœurs et Coutumes, founded in 1941, director Eveline Poree-Maspero until 1945). The institute was closed from 1975 to 1993. The in-house magazine Kampuchea Sopheak ( កម្ពុជសុរិយា ), which has been published since 1926, is available online on wikisource .
  • The Tripitaka -Commission connected founded in 1925 National Library had at its inception in 1929 commissioned the entire Pāli canon into Cambodian translate (Sisowath be reserved the right to correct translations). The corresponding edition, Braḥ Traipiṭ, in 110 volumes was complete in 1969. Since then there has been commentary literature a. Ä. out.
  • As a higher Buddhist educational institution, the Thammayut founded the Preah Sihanouk Dhammadhiraj in the village of Chambâk ( ចំបក់ ), about 45 km south of Phnom Penh .

literature

  • Heinz Bechert: Buddhism, State and Society in the Countries of Theravāda Buddhism. Volume 2: Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand. Göttingen 2000 (Seminar for Indology and Buddhist Studies at the University); [New edition. with suppl. as well as personal and subject registration].
  • Chau Seng: L'organization buddhique au Cambodge. Université Buddhique Preah Sihanouk Raj, Phnom Penh 1962.
  • Yoeurn Choeum: Le rôle du Bouddhisme dans la vie sociale du Cambodge. In: Revue illustrée khmère. Phnom Penh, July 3, 1953, pp. 40-43.
  • May M. Ebihara, Carol A. Mortland, Judy Ledgerwood: Cambodian Culture Since 1975: Homeland and Exile. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY 1994.
  • Alain Forest: Histoire religieuse du Cambodge: un royaume d'enchantement. Indes Savantes, Paris 2012, ISBN 978-2-84654-332-3 .
  • Ian Charles Harris: Buddhism in a Dark Age: Cambodian Monks under Pol Pot. Univ. of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu 2013.
  • Ian Charles Harris: Cambodian Buddhism: History and Practice. Univ. of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu 2005, ISBN 0-8248-2765-1 .
  • Institute bouddhique de Phnom Penh: Un center d'études bouddhique au Cambodge. Phnom Penh 1961 [Khmer, French, English].
  • Institute bouddhique de Phnom Penh: Brief Story of the Buddhist Hospital Association of Samdech Preah Mahaksatriyani. Phnom Penh 1961 [Khmer, French, English].
  • Moritz Jacobi: Buddhism in Cambodia. Grin, Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-640-30599-5 .
  • Markus Karbaum: The reinvention of Buddhism in Cambodia. In: Southeast Asia. 3/2014, pp. 10-2; [Hun Sens Politics and the Sangha].
  • Adhémard Leclère: Livres sacrés du Cambodge. Leroux, Paris 1906; Sert .: Annales du Musée Guimet / Bibliothèque d'études. 20th
  • Meas-Yang: Bouddhisme au Cambodge. Thanh-Long, Brussels 1978.
  • Ministère de l'Information: Bouddhisme au Cambodge: aperçu religieux. Phnom Penh 1962.
  • Pang Khant [Bhikshu]: Bouddhisme au Cambodge. In: France-Asie (Saigon). No. 153/7, pp. 841-52; also: Institut bouddhique, Phnom Penh 1970.
  • Vittorio Roveda, Sothon Yem: Buddhist painting in Cambodia. River Books, Bangkok 2009, ISBN 978-974-9863-52-7 .
  • Viriyapaṇḍiṭo [Bhikkhu]: Buddhism in Cambodia. Institut bouddhique, Phnom Penh 1970.

Web links

Commons : Buddhism in Cambodia  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Sisterhood. January 23, 2016. Hou Chhivneath, the vinaya expert of the Cambodian Sangha, like all his colleagues in Theravāda-influenced countries, rejects the ordination of women.
  2. ^ Karl Döhring, Henry Lohner: Buddhist temples in Thailand. Norderstedt 2014, ISBN 978-3-7357-3903-2 , p. 482.
  3. ↑ a b c d e Detailed on the history from around 1920: Geoff Gunn: Monarchic manipulation in Cambodia (orig. In Japan Focus ).
  4. ↑ The “classic” anthropological description of Cambodian rural life (1959/61) is and remains the dissertation of May Mayko Ebihara (1934–2005): Svay: A Khmer Village in Cambodia. Columbia Univ., 1971 (reprint: Southeast Asia Program Publications, Ithaca, New York 2018, ISBN 978-1-5017-1511-2 )
  5. ↑ Alfons Dufey: Khmēr-Thai-Hss. of the Bavarian State Library. Munich 1972, cit. in Karl Döhring, Henry Lohner: Buddhist temples in Thailand. Norderstedt 2014, ISBN 978-3-7357-3903-2 , pp. 15, 501.
  6. ↑ The latter at the request of the French resident, who had to bribe the king with a car to get him to sign. Geoff Gunn: Monarchic manipulation in Cambodia .
  7. ↑ . John Prip-Møller, Henry Lohner: Buddhist temple in China. Norderstedt 2017, ISBN 978-3-7448-7273-7 , pp. 631, 691.
  8. ↑ Holmes Welch: Buddhists in the Cold War. In: Far Eastern Economic Review . March 8, 1962 (German: Methods and successes of China's Asian policy. In: Ost -problem. No. 14/5, pp. 469–473).
  9. ↑ L'hôpital Kossamak soigne son avenir. In: Khmer Times . 3rd July 2015.
  10. ^ Ian Charles Harris: Buddhism in a Dark Age: Cambodian Monks under Pol Pot. Univ. of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu 2013.
  11. ^ Karl Döhring, Henry Lohner: Buddhist temples in Thailand. Norderstedt 2014, ISBN 978-3-7357-3903-2 , p. 437.
  12. ↑ Hagiographical to Bour Kry: Sa Sainteté le Sangharajah Bour Kry (2014-07-18)
  13. ↑ On both patriarchs: Sakou Samoth: Hommes et Histoire du Cambodge. Ed. Angkor, Phnom Penh 2012, ISBN 978-99950-2-173-3 , pp. 39-41, 185.
  14. ↑ For example: Pagoda problems: The Decline of Buddhism in Cambodia. In: Sea Globe. 1st February 2017.
  15. ↑ Clergy Seeks Law to Ban Monks From Voting. In: Cambodia Daily . December 18, 2014
  16. ↑ Like Father, Like Son Sann, Octogenarian Patriarch, Buddhist Liberalism Define Opposition Party. In: Cambodia Daily. June 27, 1998.