Pariyatti and Patipatti-Dhamma in Theravada Countries

Biological Background
Thai chiefs and their warrior bands, migrating from southwest China, founded the first Thai capital, Sukhothai, in the thirteenth century. But the land they entered had been the scene of flourishing civilizations many hundreds of years before.

The area that is now Thailand had been part of the Funan Empire, centered on the lower Mekong valley and with a culture derived from India, which flourished from the first to sixth centuries A.D. The Mon people, who were settled in the Chaophaya valley, the heart of present Thailand, Theravada Buddhism, which adheres to the earliest texts, is practiced in Sri Lanka(by Sinhalese), Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. By the eleventh and twelfth centuries, however, ordinary people in most Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia had become deeply influenced by Theravada Buddhism with its simplicity, equality, and university, and the had previously absorbed the doctrines of karma and rebirth.

These countries absorbed this cultural heritage, creating in turn their own distinctive civilization: a product of Indianized concepts of king and state, Theravada Buddhism, and indigenous beliefs, customs, and social organization. This remarkable synthesis of externally derived and indigenous spiritual, political, and social ideas and activities was characteristic of the Ayuthaya dynasties that followed(mid-fourteenth to mid-eighteenth centuries)-and it still is, with the assimilation of two new elements: the impact of the west and the influx of Chinese.

Pariyatti-dhamma
The tenets of Theravada Buddhism Such are the classical tenets of Theravada Buddhism, the “pure” Buddhism of early texts, whose influence spread from Srilanka and Burma to the kingdom of Sukhothai. Theravada or Pali Buddhism (the language of its scriptures) underlies the great tradition of Buddhist art, literature, dram, and philosophy, It provides ethical standards or concepts which Southeast Asian Buddhists recognize as ideal forms of thought and action, but which are tempered in practiced (as in all religions) by what is attainable. The ideal of total renunciation, leading to Nirvana (extinction), is impossible for ordinary men. Instead, they are given rules of conduct, informed by the ideal, and indeed difficult to live up to, but falling short of the absolute. These, for laymen, are the “five precepts” abstain from taking life of any kind; give freely, but take nothing that is not given; abstain from wrong sensual pleasure; abstain from speaking what is false; and abstain from intoxicating drinks or drugs.

The monkhood as an institution encourages social mobility. It provides an assurance of status (the most revered in all Thai society),a means of education(up to and including university level in Bangkok), and an opportunity to travel to monasteries throughout the country, which are available even for the poor and underprivileged.

Buddhism in Thailand
Buddhism plays a very significant role in the daily life of Thai people. Since about 95 of the people in the kingdom of Thailand are Buddhists, Buddhism inevitably involves almost every occasion such as birthdays, marriages, moving to the house, funerals, opening business offices and buying new vehicles etc.

Buddhism probably reached its height under the reign of King Li Thai of Sukhothai (King Ramkhamhaeng’s grandson) as it was during his reign that the first Buddhist didactic literary work was written and it was known as the “Tribhumikatha”. Through the centuries Buddhism has been the main driving force in Thai cultural development. Thais of all classes subscribed to Buddhist doctrine. Although Buddhism is proclaimed as the state religion, all Thais are endowed with full religious freedom. Though Thai constitutions stipulate that Thai kings must be Buddhists the Kings, however, must be the Upholders of All Religions.

There are about 27,000 Buddhist temples across the century and majority of them are in the countryside. In Thailand Buddhist monks are highly venerated for their chaste life, self-restraint, social benevolence and knowledge of spiritual practice. To allow people to have more time to devote to religious practice, all major Buddhist holy day are declared as national holidays. In addition, it has long been a Thai custom for Buddhist males over twenty years old to be temporarily ordained as Buddhist monks, usually during the annual Rains Retreat. Temporary ordination, ranging from a few days to three months, is opened to everyone, even His Majesty King Bhumibol and Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn have been monks for short periods. Their acts will continue a tradition for the new generations to come.

The Buddhist outlook, for the layman, is in fact reoriented around the twin theme of “making merit” (tham bun) and avoiding sin (bad). It is the overall or karmic balance between merit and demerit which decides the individual’s existence in this and future lives. The aim, therefore, is to behave in a way that ensures a happy state of mind and maybe physical contentment, now or in the near future, and a more fortune rebirth. The best and most natural way to do this is by supporting the monks (by giving food, alms) and by maintaining the monkhood (by giving sons for ordination, repairing monastery buildings, constructing new ones). The monks reciprocate by blessing the hosts and participants at religious ceremonies and on important occasions in the life cycle-birth, marriage, departures, sixtieth anniversary, and death.

The Theravada Buddhism countries
Thailand is situated in the heart of the Southeast Asian mainland and covers an area of 513,115 square kilometers. It is bounded by Burma (the Union of Myanmar) and Laos in the North, Burma in the West and Malaysia in the South and Cambodia lies to the East of the country.

To be frank, our neighbouring countries are very friendly and peace-loving nations as they follow the principles of mutual cooperation and peaceful coexistence. Though we sometimes experience a border conflict, it is peacefully solved through diplomatic channels. Indeed border trade with our neighbours are very active. It is estimated that several hundred millions of baht changes hands annually. We import timber and gemstones from Burma while it in turn imports consumer goods and engine parts from us. Meanwhile, Laos is our close neighbor as we speak a similar language, share the same religious beliefs and have identical culture links. Thus, we consider each other as brothers.

At present, cooperation on various issues is being strengthened between our neighbouring countries, for example, a Golden Quadrangle Project has been established by China, Thailand, Burma and Laos. They aim to cooperate in developing trade, investment and tourism by focusing on telecommunications and transportation.

It is to be remembered that Thailand has played a significant role in bringing about peace to her Cambodian neighbour. At a time of civil war, Thailand provided a temporary shelter to the Cambodian refugees who fled to Thailand for safety. Now peace has been restored, Thailand has not hesitated to provide financial and technical assistances to rebuild the war-torn country. At present, many Thai businessmen have invested in Cambodia. Thailand also imports timber and gemstones from Cambodia which, in turn, imports from Thailand consumer goods, fuel, cement and clothes. Trade between Thailand and Cambodai is increasingly important as Cambodai is now the world’s most important ruby-producing area and Thailand needs to import raw materials from her neighbours since she is one of the world’s leading centres for cutting and trading of gemstones.

In addition, Thailand also enjoys harmonious relations with her southern neighbour, Malaysia. As both are members of ASEAN (The Association of Southeast Asian Nations). Inevitably, they are under the same roof of the organization in which its members are bound to follow the same principles.

Patipatti-dhamma in Theravada
Now, although Theravada Buddhism is strictly concerned with individual salvation(which cannot be achieved either by divine intervention or by the use of ritual), in practice the individual layman acts (making merit, avoiding demerit) in social context, that is, in the help he gives others, in support for the monks, and by participating in ceremonies. Indeed the social organization required for religious activities plays a prominent part in Thai behavior.

Mujjhima Patipada (The Middle Practice)
According to Buddhism, Mujjhima Patipada is the middle path or the moderate practical code of conduct for both lay people and monastic life. Mujjhima Patipada is regarded as the Buddhist ethic, that the Buddha recommends all monks and lay people to abide by. It is the Eightfold Path for the cessation of suffering. This Eightfold Path is consists of 8 Folds (magga) Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. These 8 folds are categorized into 3 fundamental mode of training, called Trisikha, particularly for Buddhist monks and lay Buddhist in holy life, namely; Sila Sikha; training in higher morality, Samadhi Sikha; training in higher mentality and Panna Sikha; training in higher wisdom. This threefold training corresponds to the Buddha’s fundamental teaching “Exhortatory Patimokkha”: Not to do any evil (Sila); to cultivate good (Samadhi); and to purify the mind (Panna) which may be abbreviated as “Clean conduct, Calm spirit and Clear vision.”

Sila sikha or training in higher morality is for the development of bodily and verbal actions under Right speech, Right action and Right livelihood. Samadhi Sikha or higher training in mentality under Right Effort, Right mindfulness and Right Concentration. Panna Sikha is the training for higher wisdom under the Right View and Right Thought.

For lay Buddhists, the Buddha recommends to practice the right middle way of life under the bases of Meritorious action; Dana-meritorious action consisting in generosity, Sila- meritorious action in observing the moral precepts and Bhavana- meritorious action in mental development.
 
The right middle way is characterized by the following;
   1. The middle way is the middle practice I which the Buddha recommends his Buddhist assembly to avoid the two extreme ways of life: self mortification and sensual indulgence, which lead to stagnation from the Buddhist goal of mental liberation and realization of truth.
   2. The middle way is the process of cessation of suffering. According to Buddhism, suffering is the human problem. The causes of suffering are the outflow or bias, ignorance and craving for desires. The cessation of suffering is the cessation of kamma. The process of suffering is Dependent Origination or paticcasamuppada. The process of cessation of suffering is the Eightfold path under the middle way or Majjhima patipada.
   3. The middle way is the practical application of Buddhist ethic. It is not the ethic of thought, as clamed by some western theologians, but it is the method of ethical practice for a better way of life, the Buddhist life style which leads to the cessation of suffering at both the individual and social levels.
   4. The middle way is the way of life, not only normal life, but also monastic life. The middle way is more a process than a rigid law or rule. It is meant to help us recognize that we, as human beings, can grow and experience richer, fuller lives, that each of us has an inner true nature that we realize by listening to our intuitive wisdom.
   5. The middle way is the means to achieve the goals-cessation of suffering, realization of the spiritual liberation. The Buddha says:

“Dhamma is like raft, It is used for crossing the river of pain, suffering, and conflicts. Once the crossing has been accomplished, it is not necessary to cling onto the raft or carry it around.”
In order to attain the goal, Right View, Right Effort, and Right Mindfulness play the key role of “Right practice” of the “Middle path” to a journey. Right View is like a compass or a device to determine direction, Right Effort is the driving force while Right Mindfulness is like a driver who steers the vehicle.