IOverview
Vietnamese call Theravada Nam Tông, the Southern lineage, because it spread south by sea and land to Sri Lanka and then into Southeast Asia. The name Theravada means the teaching of the elders.
It is the only surviving tradition descended from the early Indian Buddhist schools. Its scripture is the Pali Canon, with its three baskets of monastic discipline, discourses and Abhidhamma, together with a large commentarial literature. The goal of practice is arahantship, the state of one who has ended all defilements and will not be reborn.
According to Wikipedia's Theravada article, citing the World Religion Database for 2010, about 36 percent of the world's Buddhists are Theravadin. It is the majority religion of Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.
IIOrigins and History
After the Buddha's death the monastic community split into several schools, and Theravada descends from the Sthavira line. According to the Sri Lankan chronicles, the elder Mahinda, son of Emperor Ashoka, brought Buddhism to the island in the 3rd century BCE. After centuries of oral transmission, the Pali Canon was written down on palm leaves in Sri Lanka in the 1st century BCE.
- 3rd c. BCEMahinda in Sri LankaThe Mahavamsa records the conversion of King Devanampiya Tissa and the founding of the Great Monastery at Anuradhapura.
- 1st c. BCEThe canon is written downThe Pali scriptures are committed to writing for the first time in Sri Lanka.
- 5th centuryBuddhaghosaHe composed the Path of Purification and many commentaries still in use.
- 11th centuryKingdom of PaganKing Anawrahta of Burma adopts Theravada as the court's main tradition.
- 13th to 14th c.Thai, Lao and Khmer landsSri Lankan style Theravada becomes the main religion of Sukhothai, Lan Xang and Cambodia.
- 1833The Dhammayuttika orderThe monk prince Mongkut, later King Rama IV, founds a reform order with strict discipline in Siam.
- 1954 to 1956Sixth CouncilHeld in Yangon, it re-collated the entire Pali Canon.
IIITeachings and Distinctive Features
Theravadins see their tradition as preserving the Buddha's teaching in its most original form. The path has three parts: ethics, concentration and wisdom. Practitioners contemplate the three marks of existence, impermanence, suffering and not self, and move through the four stages of awakening from stream entry to arahantship.
- One Buddha for this age: Theravada honours Shakyamuni, accepts past Buddhas and the future Buddha Metteyya, but does not maintain the cult of celestial bodhisattvas found in Mahayana.
- Abhidhamma: a detailed analysis of mind and phenomena, central to monastic study, especially in Myanmar.
- Calm and insight: samatha meditation settles the mind and vipassana sees reality clearly. In the 20th century vipassana spread worldwide through Burmese and Thai teachers.
People often assume that because Theravada monks are not vegetarian they may eat meat freely. In fact monks eat whatever is placed in their bowls, and may accept meat only when they have not seen, heard or suspected that the animal was killed specifically for them. Many monks choose to be vegetarian anyway.
IVPractice, Ritual and Daily Life
Every morning monks walk with their bowls while lay people wait by the road to offer rice and food. Monks eat only before noon. A fully ordained monk keeps the 227 rules of the Pali Vinaya. The three months of the rainy season are a retreat, closed by the Kathina robe offering, one of the great festivals of the lay year.
In Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and among the Khmer of Vietnam, young men often spend a short period as monks before marriage. The temple serves as a place of worship, a school and a keeper of script and culture.
The Theravada nuns' order is thought to have died out in Sri Lanka around the 11th century. Women practise as renunciant nuns such as the mae chi of Thailand and the thilashin of Myanmar. Since the late 1990s some Sri Lankan women have received full bhikkhuni ordination. This has been welcomed in many places but is not yet formally recognised by every national monastic council.
VOrganisation and Distribution
In Theravada countries the monastic order is usually closely tied to the state. Thailand has a Supreme Sangha Council headed by the Supreme Patriarch, with two orders, Maha Nikaya and Dhammayuttika. Sri Lanka has three main fraternities, the Siam, Amarapura and Ramanna Nikayas, formed in the 18th and 19th centuries. Laos and Cambodia also have national sangha councils.
| Country | Buddhist share | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka | 70.2 percent of the population | Sri Lanka census, 2012 |
| Myanmar | 87.9 percent of the population | Myanmar census, 2014 |
| China | About 1,700 Theravada temples, mostly in Yunnan | Chinese government white paper, 2018 |
VIIn Vietnam
Vietnam has two Theravada lineages with different histories and communities:
- Khmer Theravada: the tradition of the Khmer people of the Mekong Delta, present for many centuries. The Can Tho religious affairs office reported 463 temples and 7,028 monks across 16 provinces in 2021.
- Vietnamese (Kinh) Theravada: the lineage among ethnic Vietnamese, begun at Buu Quang temple in Thu Duc in 1938. The Journal of Buddhist Studies counted 106 temples, 1,100 monks and 654 nuns around 2019.
In 1981 both lineages helped found the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and remain member lineages within it. Their monks still go on alms rounds, wear saffron robes and eat before noon. Each lineage has its own page in Van Dao Duong.
VIISymbol of the Branch
Red Dharma wheel on yellow
Dhammacakka
VIIISub-branches
- Khmer Theravada in Vietnam
- Vietnamese (Kinh) Theravada
- Maha Nikaya and Dhammayuttika in Thailand
- Siam, Amarapura and Ramanna Nikayas in Sri Lanka
IXOther Branches of Buddhism
Mahayana BuddhismMahāyāna 大乘, the Great VehicleThe largest branch, centred on the bodhisattva ideal of liberating oneself and others.Theravada BuddhismTheravāda, the teaching of the eldersThe second largest branch.
Vajrayana BuddhismVajrayāna, Tibetan rdo rje theg pa, also Mantrayana or Esoteric BuddhismThe branch that uses mantra, mudra and mandala visualisation, with a strong role for the teacher.
Pure Land Buddhism淨土宗, also called the Lotus School 蓮宗, Japanese JōdoA Mahayana school centred on reciting the name of Amitabha Buddha for rebirth in the Pure Land.
Chan and Zen Buddhism禪 Chan, Japanese Zen, Korean Seon, Vietnamese Thiền, from Sanskrit dhyānaA Mahayana school that points directly to the mind rather than relying on scripture.
Khmer Theravada Buddhism in VietnamTheravāda of the Khmer of southern VietnamThe Theravada tradition of the Khmer people in the Mekong Delta.Uses the common symbol of the pathKhất Sĩ BuddhismĐạo Phật Khất Sĩ Việt Nam, Vietnamese Mendicant BuddhismA Vietnamese lineage founded in the South by Patriarch Minh Đăng Quang around 1944 to 1946.Uses the common symbol of the pathVietnamese (Kinh) TheravadaTheravāda among the Kinh, formerly called Original BuddhismThe Theravada lineage among ethnic Vietnamese, begun at Bửu Quang temple in Thủ Đức in 1938 by monks including Hộ Tông (Vansarakkhita), Thiện Luật, Bửu Chơn and Huệ Nghiêm.Uses the common symbol of the pathXSources
The library cross-checks the sources below. Where they disagree, the page gives both.
- Wikipedia, Theravada
- Britannica, Theravada
- Wikipedia, Religion in Sri Lanka (điều tra 2012)
- Wikipedia, Religion in Myanmar (điều tra 2014)
- Chính phủ Trung Quốc, Sách trắng tự do tôn giáo 2018
- Ban Tôn giáo Cần Thơ, Đôi nét về Phật giáo Nam tông Khmer ở Nam Bộ, 2021
- Tạp chí Nghiên cứu Phật học, Từ Giáo hội Tăng già Nguyên thủy tới Hệ phái Nam tông Kinh
- Wikipedia, Bhikkhuni
?Quick Questions
Is Theravada the same as Hinayana
The two should not be equated. Hinayana is a critical term from Mahayana sutras aimed at certain early schools, not a name Theravada uses for itself. The correct name is Theravada, known in Vietnam as Nam Tông or Original Buddhism.
Why are Theravada monks not required to be vegetarian
Monks live on alms and eat what they are given, so the Pali Vinaya does not ban meat. It only forbids accepting meat from an animal killed specifically for the monk. Many monks choose vegetarianism voluntarily.
What scriptures does Theravada use
The Pali Canon of Vinaya, Suttas and Abhidhamma, plus commentaries such as the Path of Purification. In Vietnam texts are chanted in Pali, with Vietnamese translations.
Are there Theravada temples in Vietnam
Yes. Khmer Theravada temples are concentrated in the Mekong Delta, above all in the former provinces of Soc Trang, Tra Vinh, Kien Giang and An Giang. Vietnamese Theravada temples are mainly in Ho Chi Minh City and the South.