Cambodian Buddhism

A forum for beginners and members of other Buddhist traditions to ask questions about Theravāda (The Way of the Elders). Responses require moderator approval before they are visible in order to double-check alignment to Theravāda orthodoxy.
Post Reply
mabw
Posts: 125
Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2021 3:10 pm

Cambodian Buddhism

Post by mabw »

Hi,

One often hear of teachers in Burma, Thailand and Sri Lanka, but not so much about Cambodia. So my questions are;
-are there any defining characteristics of Cambodian Buddhism that set it apart from other Theravadan countries?
-Bagan, Myanmar, contributed substantially to Pali literature. Are there any from Cambodia?
-is meditation practised any differently in Cambodia?

Thank you in advance.
dharmacorps
Posts: 2298
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2015 7:33 pm

Re: Cambodian Buddhism

Post by dharmacorps »

Sadly, the main reason we don't know much is that the sangha and much of Cambodian Buddhism was systematically destroyed by the Khmer Rouge and is still struggling to recover. So, we may never know very much of what their living tradition was. There are programs in neighboring countries (Thailand specifically) to help Cambodia grow again, but it is going to take some time.
User avatar
Ceisiwr
Posts: 22410
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2009 2:36 am
Location: Wales

Re: Cambodian Buddhism

Post by Ceisiwr »

Thanks to materialist communism and nationalism.
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
sunnat
Posts: 1431
Joined: Tue Apr 02, 2019 5:08 am

Post by sunnat »

After the fall of polpot, arisen largely as a result of US carpet bombing of Cambodia, neighbouring Vietnam was asked to send in Theravadan teachers to restart the sangha. Today, while fiercely independent minded, the lay community and monks are going strong with various centers around the world. Other lineages in Theravada are also well established, for example the Ledi Sayadaw (goenka) lineage is teaching with monks as teachers and managers overseeing the courses. Apparently a bit stricter than in other countries. Overseas students welcome.
sakka
Posts: 80
Joined: Sun Apr 04, 2021 11:58 am

Re: Cambodian Buddhism

Post by sakka »

Me and my mother lived in the Wat Botum pagoda in Phnom Penh 2010 for 4 months in the so called ”sick room” sharing a small room with maybe 20+ people at a time, sleeping on the floor, one toilet (with cockroaches) for us all. ;) Students at the University closeby also living in the pagoda hehe.

Black magic is a known fact in Cambodia and at the time I was more of a seeker and not a buddhist and had read things from various teachings, meditated and had to deal with really strange stuff...

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/cambodia-witch-hunts/

Venerable Chhoung Seaksat featured is in this article also helped me.

The people me and my mother met there can't be descibed in words, probably the most beautiful and kind people anywhere in the world not only the monks and maechis but other people in the sick room, the students and around the pagoda area! :)

Then again when I had to go and see a doctor, I was locked in a room, put on heavy medications and even unjustly without a real cause beaten by the staff.... When I said to the doctor: If my mother would see how you're treating me she would take a gun and do this - *I made my hand into a gun firing of* All of a sudden because of this the doctor put a loaded gun to my face..... I just asked calmly: ”Khmer Rouge?”
He nodded yes and took away the loaded gun from my head...
So there's sadly complete idiots like him still there also, the complete opposite of buddhist devotees.
When I finally could leave that awful place the last thing he said to me was:
”Go and worship your Buddha!” in a very condescending way.... hahaha ahhh such a @#&%! ;)

Also when I was in the town Sihanoukville in 2010 there was pretty much nothing there, now just a few years later there's close to 90(!!!) Casinos in that small town built by chinese investors while gambling is by law prohibted for Cambodians...!

But all in all the practioners of Buddhism are of a really really high class, as one monk named Sophanna said to me: ”We might be poor but we are rich in Spirit”

Also got the chance to visit Venerable Chhoung Seaksat's home village which was filled with such lovely people! :)

Venerable Penh Vibol was also a really really great and noble monk, great just to meet such a person! :) And head of Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia, Kol Pheng also such a great person, he even gave me this in the picture below to keep negative forces away:

Image
User avatar
mjaviem
Posts: 2302
Joined: Wed Dec 16, 2020 5:06 pm

Re: Cambodian Buddhism

Post by mjaviem »

sakka wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 6:17 pm ...
Thanks for sharing this with us.
Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammā Sambuddhassa
Post Reply