How old is Buddhism in Thailand?

By PHOOWADON DUANGMEE, The Nation/ AsiaNews, March 29, 2009 Discoveries on either side of the Lao border suggest Buddhism has been in Thailand far longer than thought

Udon Thani, Thailand — 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 cultural 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 dancing apsara.

“The Nong Kaleum artisans 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 Lao speaking 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 forest temple also originated in the 10th century.

A 30-minute 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 little 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 encountering 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 preachers who braved the Bay of Bengal. The sutras were here a full millennium ago.

source buddhistchannel.tv

Who were these 10th century people that were supposedly Buddhist? That question isn't answered in the article. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the use of the phrase "Dvaravati Period" is perhaps a misconception- the Dvaravati were centered on the Chao Praya basin way over in Bangkok area.... it was my understanding that Isaan was Khmer or Champa territory ever since pre-history. Or are these newly discovered monuments really built by the Dvaravati people (e.g. the Mon race)? The 10th century wasn't a complete void in Isaan- there were Champa monuments in Champassak Laos (near Ubon), Angkor was getting going, and Champa in Vietnam was in full power... going all the way up the Mekong I believe as traders. All these kingdoms were Hindu, so it is a suprise I guess that this is a Buddhist monument, but perhaps in that time the Buddha wasn't cleary distinguished form the Hindu pantheon??

I've visited the sites mentioned in the article, read some academic speculations and made my own comparisons with other known Mon or Dvaravati sites in SE Asia and would tentatively agree that the sites are probably Mon. The use of the term 'Dvaravati' for all Mon sites may be a bit misleading if you prefer to confine the use to Mon cultures in the Chao Phraya Basin where epigraphic use of the term has been found. But Mon Buddhist sites do exist in almost all regions of Thailand including Isan (Muang Fa Daet for example), northern Thailand (Lamphun/Hariphunchai) and as far south as Phetchaburi. Wang Chang (Wang Xang in modern Lao) is widely considered to be a Mon site because of the sculptural style. There are a couple of other Mon sites in Laos as well. The green area on this map represents the sphere of influence for Mon Buddhism in first-millennium Thailand and Laos.

A very interesting discussion.

For others, if you have never visited Phu Phrabat Historical Park (and related sites) and are into history, you will love this location. For me it really was a highlight of a few trips into Issan.

My only caveat -- lots of cobras! So you have to be a little aware as you wander through the rather extensive historic park.

I've visited the sites mentioned in the article, read some academic speculations and made my own comparisons with other known Mon or Dvaravati sites in SE Asia and would tentatively agree that the sites are probably Mon. The use of the term 'Dvaravati' for all Mon sites may be a bit misleading if you prefer to confine the use to Mon cultures in the Chao Phraya Basin where epigraphic use of the term has been found. But Mon Buddhist sites do exist in almost all regions of Thailand including Isan (Muang Fa Daet for example), northern Thailand (Lamphun/Hariphunchai) and as far south as Phetchaburi. Wang Chang (Wang Xang in modern Lao) is widely considered to be a Mon site because of the sculptural style. There are a couple of other Mon sites in Laos as well.

There is a Laying Buddha near to Muang Sema not far from Khorat (called Phra Norn Sema), which I was told is even slightly older and "the oldest" depiction of Buddha in Thailand. There are city ruins of Dvaravati-style not far from there, older than (also) nearby Phimai. The Buddha itself is maybe nine or ten meters long, so it was quite an effort to build it, I would think myself more than a group of forest monks would be able to organize.

So it seems that the region was first Buddhist and was later re-claimed by the Hindu neighbors out of the direction of Cambodia; interesting to know maybe that the Thais and the cultures directly preceding them moved along the rivers while Khmer influences centered around forest clearings, which also was used to explain the large overlap in both cultures which can be observed in the northeast until today (eg Khmer-Isaan-dialects).

What follows is my grossly oversimplified explanation of modern Buddhism.

Please correct me if I am wrong and I am sure that there are many errors.

Lord Buddha was a man, named Siddhartha Gautama, who lived in north India about 2,500 years ago.

After fathering many children he left his extended family to seek enlightenment in the forests

around Patna and Bodh Gaya where he lived.

Read the book, watch the movie, Siddhartha by Herman Hesse.

When Buddha died (or left his body) he said to his disciples that now you are on your own

and must forget everything that I have taught you.

You must work it out for yourselves.

Many chose to do so and eventually they formed the Hinayana sect of his religion.

Hinayana means northern. It was considered the more liberal version.

They wear dark red maroon robes like the Dalai Lama.

All of India was Buddhist at one time.

Hinayana Buddhism was taken from India to China by Bodhidharma, the fat one who is always laughing.

It was then taken south into what is now Thailand and Cambodia.

It finished at about the time of the fall of Angkor Wat, which was part Hindu.

The temple complex of Angkor Wat was built by the Khmer king to house his collection of Shiva Linga.

Shiva Linga are a part of the modern Indian religion Hinduism.

Indians traded through the port of Funan what is now Saigon or Ho Chi Minh city

and then moved up the Mekong river.

The conservative sect of Buddhism was called Mahayana which means southern.

They are now called the Theravada's.

They wear the saffron robes with which we are now so familiar.

The Theravada's have written down everything that Buddha said during his lifetime.

His teaching known as the Darma is exactly that with all of the accompanying ceremonies and rituals.

Today there are two sects of Buddhism, Hinayana and Theravada.

There are even Hinayana wats (temples) in the west.

One of them is England with a daughter house in Thailand.

Theravada is no longer known as Mahayana.

The Theravada's look down on the Hinayana's as the lesser sect.

Theravada Buddhism was taken by missionaries from Thailand to Sri Lanka.

Subsequently Buddhism died out in Thailand and Cambodia.

Missionaries then introduced Theravada Buddhism into Thailand from Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka has sacred relics like the tooth of Lord Buddha in Kandy.

It must be remembered that India, Thailand and Cambodia were very different from what we see today.

They were mostly tropical rain forests filled with lions and tigers and uninhabited by humans.

Most areas were just too dangerous to visit.

Most of what is now Thailand, Burma, Cambodia and Vietnam was sparsely inhabited by Mon Khmer people.

The Chinese tell us that they wore no clothes and were very black.

This is the claim by modern Cambodia to most of Thailand.

There is very little in common between modern Cambodia and Mon Khmer.

Khmer is spoken by some of the tribes in the Andaman Nicobar islands,

off the coast of Burma, which now belong to India.

It is a syllabic language (one character represents one syllable) and the closest to Sanskrit.

Modern Cambodia exists only because of the French empire and Pol Pot.

Otherwise it would have been swallowed up by Siam (Thailand) and Vietnam.

Thai, Burmese and Vietnamese people migrated south from China forced out by Genghis Khan.

These people migrations explain the religious migrations.

Hinayana Buddhism was the religion of India and then China and then Mon Khmer.

Theravada Buddhism was introduced from Sri Lanka.

Jobsworth

It might be better to read some primary sources rather than see a movie for information on Buddhism. There are many inaccuracies in your post. In fact, almost everything you mentioned is inaccurate.

I believe the suttas mention the Buddha had just one child, a son named Rahula.

He didn't leave his body, but died!

His last words were recorded in the Mahaparinibanna sutta as "vayadhammā sankhārā appamādena sampādethā" which can be translated into English as:

"all things are perishable, through vigilance Awaken!" http://jayarava.blogspot.com/2006/02/last-...-of-buddha.html or

All compounded things, all experiences (mental and physical), all phenomena by their very nature decay and die, and are disappointing: it is through being not-blind-drunk on, obsessed by, or infatuated with, the objects of the senses that you succeed in awakening, or obtain liberation.

Or more succinctly: All things are disappointing, [it is] through vigilance [that] you succeed.

http://www.jayarava.org/buddhas-last-words.html

Hinayana doesn't mean northern! Hina means small or inferior and yana means vehicle. So Hinayana means 'lessor vehicle'. It is a term used by Mahayanists (greater vehiclers) to describe non-mahayana schools. These days there is only one Hinayana school surviving and that is the Theravada which is popular in Thailand, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. This is sometimes referred to as Southern Buddhism.

The robes of Theravada monks vary, but are generally a yellowish colour.

Hinayana did reach China, but well before Bodhidarma (who wasn't fat!). However Mahayana flourished in China, not Hinayana.

It is unlikely that Buddhism entered Thailand via China

Funan is generally regarded as being located in modern Camdodia.

Mahayana means 'greater vehicle' and is a completely separate movement/school to Theravada!!

Theravadins didn't write down everything the Buddha said, but much of his teachings were preserved, orally, by the disciples. This was passed down, not just by Theravadins, but by monks of all schools. It was only later, around the 1st C that the teachings were written down.

The teachings are called Dhamma or Dharma. Ceremonies and rituals were developed later.

Today there are many many sects of Buddhism. roughly divided into 2, Theravada and Mahayana.

Theravada is one sect, or the only surviving sect of Hinayana Buddhism - there were traditionally 18 schools. Theravadins don't look down on their own teachings.

There are Theravada and Mahayana temples in most western countires these days.

Theravada was never known as Mahayana!!

Buddhism arrived in Sri Lanka around the 3rd c BC. Well before it arrived in Thailand! No one has ever claimed Thailand introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka! More likely the other way around. There is evidence of a Sinahala sect in 12th C Thailand.

Not sure about the lions in India or Thailand or Cambodia. Aren't these African animals? But Asoka's emblem was a lion.

Not sure about the Mon running around naked either. Do you have a source?

Let's try to stay on topic, Buddhist archaeology in Thailand and Laos, shall we?

Let's try to stay on topic, Buddhist archaeology in Thailand and Laos, shall we?

This thread revived my interest in the early history of Thailand and neighboring regions; lots of very interesting information can be found in this book: Early Civilizations in Southeast Asia; Google Book Search has it only with limited preview, which means that you get to read around every second page. Still extremely interesting and good to get an overview over a very complex thematic.

Link to the booik in Google Book Search: http://books.google.com/books?id=eyHTschgg...tsec=frontcover