Buddhism has been in Thailand far longer than thought?

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Bankei
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Buddhism has been in Thailand far longer than thought?

Post by Bankei »

Interesting article.

The secrets of the forest
By PHOOWADON DUANGMEE
THE NATION
Udon Thani
Published on February 21, 2009
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/search/ ... the+Forest" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Anyone flying over the little Udon Thani district of Ban Phue can see the rice fields stretching endlessly in all directions, with occasional cattle gnawing on stalks left over from the harvest. Further north, along a canal snaking its way through the paddies, is Phu Phan, a sandstone ridge that reaches into Laos.


The lifeless Ban Phue landscape is hardly breathtaking, but Srisak Vallibhotama, the archaeologist leading our expedition, wants to convince us that, for people in his line of work, this area is as exciting as an amusement park is for kids.


"It's so interesting!" he says. "The Fine Arts Department has excavated several sites around here and found many artefacts that suggest Phu Phan hill was a forest-temple hub for centuries.


"The boundary stones, Buddha images and other remnants date back to the late Dvaravati Period, around the 10th century."


Surely Buddhism hasn't been around that long in Thailand, but we're learning.


Our excursion is a lesson in "animism, Buddhism and forest temples on both sides of Mekong River". Siam Michelin made the arrangements, the latest in a decades-long commitment by the French tyremaker to the Kingdom's culฌtural heritage.


A mixed bag of culture buffs spends days on the bus, people like SEAWrite Award winner Wanich Jarungidanan, artist Sangkhom Thongmee and political activist Thirayuth Boonmee
We first explore little Wat Nonsilaard in the village of Nong Kaleum. Here are some of the boundary stones Srisak mentioned.


They're not your typical markers, but clearly ancient, three metres high and made of pinkish sandstone, with fine carvings on the lower parts of horses and people who are reminiscent of Angkor's dancฌing apsara.


"The Nong Kaleum artiฌsans might have used the same bas-relief technique of those who built Angkor Wat," says Srisak, "but don't let the carving style fool you.


"This isn't a Hindu monastery, even if the artwork suggests that. This is a Buddhist temple - a forest temple, to be precise."


Monks who pursue their faith in the woods usually come from a small faction of Theravada Buddhism popular among the Laospeaking communities of Northeast Thailand.


Orthodox and conservative, they bring scant possessions to the forests in search of nirvana through unfettered meditation.


"The Buddha's wisdom was continuously passed on in the folklore, stories based on his earlier incarnations," Srisak explains. "What we're seeing on the carved boundary stones are illustrations of the Jataka tales about the Lord Buddha."


We follow the monks' trail between the trees to Phutthabat Buaban, an historical park five minutes by foot from the village.


Right in the midst of the forest we're amazed to find another group of boundary stones.


This has been called "Thailand's Stonehenge".


The description is quite apt. Looming like a long-lost twin of the famous prehistoric site in England's Wiltshire, there are three rings of tall stones. Each ring forms an octagon.


"One standing stone after the other two - forming the three-layer circle," Srisak points out. "The composition is as unique as it is mysterious."


So far, much less is known about the ruined monastery than scientists have pried from Stonehenge. The remains seem to hark back to the Dvaravati and Lop Buri eras, suggesting the forฌest temple also originated in the 10th century.


A 30minute drive away is Phu Phrabat Historical Park, notable for its caves and bizarre rock formations with names like "Tower of Usa" and "Turtle". Here different civilisations overlapped, from the gloom of prehistory to Dvaravati times.


Strolling around the archaeological sites you can witness the fascinating transition from caveman to devout monk. In one cave is a prehistoric painting of a white elephant and her calf; walk a litฌtle further and there are Buddha images set against the walls.


"Such a serene setting - among the megaliths and rock chambers - made Phu Phrabat an ideal place for a forest temple," Srisak says.


"The forest monks left their mark at every turn - the boundary stones, the Buddha images, the prayer grounds and so on."


The trail crosses the Mekong to Phuphra Wangchang, a sandstone hill that's only about two hours' drive from Vientiane.


Again, the hill looks mundane, but it holds another important clue in the saga of the forest temples, another link in the chain that begins in Udon Thani.


Overlooking the river, carved in the rock wall, are two large depictions of the seated Buddha. Nearby is a flat area the size of tennis court. This was another forest temple, I can now tell.


"The two Buddha images are often overlooked, or at least mistaken for recently made images," says Srisak, peering into their hands. "But the posture and style convinces us that they were probably made in the late Dvaravati Period."


Three days into the journey and we're still encounterฌing surprises. So often we've been told that Buddhism arrived in what is now Thailand in the 13th century, when King Ramkhamhaeng invited Sri Lankan monks to visit.


Having seen the hundreds of boundary markers, strange megaliths and sculptures of the Buddha that are three centuries older than that, it's time to correct our perspective.


Clearly the Buddha's teachings arrived much earlier than those Sri Lankan preachฌers who braved the Bay of Bengal. The sutras were here a full millennium ago.
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Bankei
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Re: Buddhism has been in Thailand far longer than thought?

Post by DNS »

Bankei wrote: Clearly the Buddha's teachings arrived much earlier than those Sri Lankan preachฌers who braved the Bay of Bengal. The sutras were here a full millennium ago.
10th century AD ? Buddhism has been in Sri Lanka way, way before that.

Bhikkhu Mahinda and Bhikkhuni Sanghamitta (children of Ashoka) went to Sri Lanka in the third century BC.
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Dhammanando
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Re: Buddhism has been in Thailand far longer than thought?

Post by Dhammanando »

Hi David,
TheDhamma wrote:
Bankei wrote: Clearly the Buddha's teachings arrived much earlier than those Sri Lankan preachฌers who braved the Bay of Bengal. The sutras were here a full millennium ago.
10th century AD ? Buddhism has been in Sri Lanka way, way before that.

Bhikkhu Mahinda and Bhikkhuni Sanghamitta (children of Ashoka) went to Sri Lanka in the third century BC.
The writer means that Buddhism was present in what is now Thailand before the arrival of Sri Lankan monks here, not before Buddhism arrived in Sri Lanka.

Best wishes,
Dhammanando Bhikkhu
Yena yena hi maññanti,
tato taṃ hoti aññathā.


In whatever way they conceive it,
It turns out otherwise.
(Sn. 588)
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gavesako
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Re: Buddhism has been in Thailand far longer than thought?

Post by gavesako »

There are speculations, of course, that Buddhism reached Suvannabhumi (possibly part of central Thailand) already with Asoka's missions. However, if it did, then it probably died out in between. The kind of Buddhism they are talking about could have arrived via other countries, along the Mekong, who knows. But to call them "forest monasteries" is a bit inaccurate perhaps: in those days, there was nothing but "wilderness" everywhere! Whether the sutras were known at that time is also not clear: often Buddhism was just transmitted through the folklore of the Jataka tales and some ceremonial chanting.
Bhikkhu Gavesako
Kiṃkusalagavesī anuttaraṃ santivarapadaṃ pariyesamāno... (MN 26)

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Re: Buddhism has been in Thailand far longer than thought?

Post by DNS »

Dhammanando wrote: The writer means that Buddhism was present in what is now Thailand before the arrival of Sri Lankan monks here, not before Buddhism arrived in Sri Lanka.
Ah, okay, thanks. That's what happens when I speed-read an article. That would be significant then, because it could imply a more 'direct' route of transmission from India.
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