I know very little about how Buddhist society ''works,'' but am trying to learn more. I am particularly interested in Mahayana Buddhism, and/or that in India, Vietnam, China, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. In Buddhist communities there, are people generally broght up from childhood to attend strict Buddhist schools, dress in certain ways, and to more or less stay secluded in Buddhist society? Or do Buddhists in these places mix with ''secular'' society, or with other faiths? Forgive my ignorance. I have a great respect for Buddhism, but my image of Asian Buddhism is of elderly gentlemen in red robes, in special religious communities, where children are schooled rigidly in Buddhist doctrine and very distinct from children of other faiths. I also imagine the societies are rather cut off from others, i.e. a Buddhist village here in the hills, while the other communities live down there in the town. Am I being totally stereotypical, or are my guesses accurate?
Religion & Spirituality - 4 Answers
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1 :
Try these sites. Hope they help to start your search. <www.cambodian-buddhist.org> , The Mahaprajna Buddhist Society - Home <www.tmbs.org.sg>, Buddhist Society Bodhi Page <www.ntu.edu.sg/studorgn/buddhist>, GOOD LUCK
2 :
Teravada is the orthodox Buddhist church, not Mahayana, and it dominates in Myanmar, Thailand, and southeast asia. But, If what you mean by "orthodox" is; "A fixed belief system", I would say NO, Buddhism in general is not orthodox. The first tenant of the Eightfold path is Right View, which means to see things openly, to grasp the impermanent and imperfect nature of worldly objects and ideas. That our beliefs are always imperfect and cause suffering and to drop all beliefs (orthodoxies?) is the goal that allows us to see the world as it is, and not what we believe it is.
3 :
There are some societies in which virtually everyone is Buddhist. Tibet was like this before the invasion by the Chinese. Buddhism was a vital part of people's lives and influenced every aspect of people's lives. In some Buddhist societies, people consider themselves to be Buddhists because they were born there, even though they may not be seriously practicing. This can happen in some Theravadan countries such as Burma or Thailand, where only monks are considered to be the 'real' Buddhists and there is a sharp distinction between the monks and the laity. I have been told that, in some countries, Buddhism strongly influences and perfumes the culture of the country. So, for example, a friend of mine who visited Sri Lanka told me that the people there were very generous and welcoming and it was obvious to her that they were influenced by the Buddha's teachings.
4 :
Buddhist society is not strict as you think .There is much more freedom than u think i believe. I am in sri Lanka and I think too much freedom is also not good.To have a idea about how the buddhist society works in Sri lanka,visit http://www.metta.lk/ .
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