Theravada Buddhism: The View of the Elders

Chapter 7 The Traditional Theravada Practice

ChapTEr 7 The Traditional Theravada Practice In the parlance of Western Buddhists, “practice” usually means meditation , which is understood as something one does during a specific allocated time set aside for it in one’s daily life. This concept is almost nonexistent in traditional Theravada life. Although sometimes “practicing Buddhists” are spoken of and compared to “not practicing Buddhists,” the contrast is more value-laden than factual. In traditional Buddhist societies all Buddhists are Buddhists, but with obvious differences in the number of practices they undertake that they would call Buddhist or religious. It is possible to discuss separately the practice of Theravada in each of the countries discussed in the previous chapter. In fact one could argue that such individual treatment may be the most appropriate way to approach the subject, because it enables one to address details particular to each country. In this chapter, however, I have taken a different approach, mainly because similarities in the larger picture outnumber the minor differences on its fringes. From viewing the practices of all these countries together, one is bound to observe the remarkable continuity of the tradition across two distinct geographical areas, an important phenomenon that would not be clear from individual descriptions. From the time Theravada became the state religion in the region there has been a constant two-way flow of religious and cultural exchanges between Sri Lanka and the countries of Southeast Asia. Furthermore, it was on Sri Lanka that Myanmar and Thailand depended for the authentic Theravada. What they received from these encounters was a Theravada that had experienced its own The Traditional Theravada Practice 93 Sri Lankan development for more than fourteen centuries earlier. Therefore, it is very important to investigate the Sri Lankan roots of the Theravada, along with its own peculiarities, in order to better understand its vicissitudes in the Southeast Asia region. It is for these reasons that I propose to discuss the practice of Theravada as a whole, highlighting individual differences where necessary. Let me begin with key aspects of the Theravada practice and then move on to a consideration of the roles played by Buddhist monks and laypersons in overall Theravada practices. Merit Making It has been claimed that there are two forms of Theravada practice , kammatic and nibbanic. In the former are included all types of religious behavior intended to generate “merit” (punna), which are believed to further one’s interests and ambitions in the samsaric existence—that is, the cycle of existence that includes past, present, and countless future lives. Nibbanic Buddhism, on the other hand, is the path followed by those who do not have samsaric aspirations or ambitions but wish to bring to an end samsara as soon as possible. Our examination will show that the distinction is basically valid. It will also show that it is not at all correct to believe that monks and laypeople are sharply divided along these lines. In fact, it will become clear that the boundaries between these two forms of religious practice are quite fluid. Buddhists believe that they wander in the wheel of existence (samsara) by way of an endless cycle of repeated births and deaths, depending on their good and bad actions (karma). Good actions produce pleasant results, bad actions unpleasant ones, and both jointly provide “fuel” for the samsaric journey. The Buddha has said that the starting point of the samsara of anyone is not known (The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, trans. Bodhi, 2000, p. 651). This indicates that one’s samsaric existence could be unimaginably long, both in the past and into the future. Realization of nirvana is what marks the end of samsara. But this is not an easy task, in particular for a householder, who “wears white cloths, handles money, enjoys sleep interrupted by children.” The best that such a person can expect to achieve is to be born into a good place—namely, heaven—and to 94 thERAvADA BuDDhI SM avoid birth into an unpleasant existence—namely, hell. Accumulating merit or doing meritorious deeds capable of producing pleasant results, and avoiding demerit, which is capable of producing unpleasant results, must be understood in this context. The difficulty a layperson faces in attaining nirvana immediately or in the present life has been made evident in the discourses. From that early period it seems that aspiring to be born into heaven has been considered the more realistic goal for the layperson...