Monastic Discipline and Communal Rules for Buddhist Nuns in Myanmar and Thailand

This study explores the contemporary social reality of Buddhist precept nuns in Myanmar and Thailand through the lens of the monastic regulations and communal rules they adhere to, and how/if such rules inform their monastic discipline and communal cohesion. The concept of cohesion, in turn, may have much to tell us about nuns’ ritual practices and religious activities in relation to those of monks, as well as about their engagement with the outside world. The article also discusses nuns’ legal status in relation to the state; traditional norms for Buddhist women in various socio-religious contexts; the workings of hierarchy, authority and punishment in nunneries. In recent decades, some Buddhist nuns in both countries have expanded the size of their communities and enhanced their levels of education in part by upholding discipline and following Buddhist rules and norms. However, while thilashin in Myanmar have worked closely with monks by offering ritual services and are now fully integrated into the wider Buddhist community there, mae chi in Thailand have enhanced their education and spiritual development by making the most of their independent status outside the control of the sangha

Recovery and Buddhist Practices in the Aftermath of the Tsunami in Southern Thailand.

For most Thai people, Buddhism serves as a base for explanations about life and death. This article focuses on Buddhist practices and the importance of ceremonies in the recovery process after the 2004 tsunami in Southern Thailand. The tsunami had devastating consequences for most people in the coastal regions. First, through the loss of life, and second, through the damage to and loss of houses, fishing boats and means of livelihood. This article analyses informants’ experiences, narratives, interpretations and actions in terms of their Buddhist beliefs. The key findings of this article are that collective ceremonies form an important part of the recovery process. One finding revealed that, in cases of ambiguous loss, a Buddhist ceremony that was unknown to most people before the tsunami became an important element of the search for missing persons. Another finding is that the common Buddhist practice of communicating across the boundary between the living and dead became the most important ritual among the surviving relatives. The ethnography is based on a long-term anthropological research project with in-depth interviews, life stories and participant observation carried out in coastal villages located mainly in Phang Nga, the worst hit province in Thailan

Gender and Buddhism in the Wake of the Tsunami

In December 2004, the Indian Ocean Tsunami hit the shores of 13 countries and more than 280,000 people lost their lives. In Thailand, about 10,000 people died or are missing and approximately 8,500 people were injured. The exact number of how many died will never be known. This chapter deals, from a gender perspective, with the significance of Buddhism in the post-Tsunami recovery process in small fishing communities in southern Thailand. It explores local adaptation strategies. The chapter is based on findings from a long-term anthropological project carried out in coastal villages in Phang Nga, the worst-hit province in Thailand. In Phang Nga, 69 villages were affected by the Tsunami and some were totally destroyed. Many of those who survived lost their homes, families, friends, and neighbours. After the Tsunami, the intact Buddhist temples became important places of refuge and hubs around which everything functioned. The ethnographic accounts presented in the chapter are based on in-depth interviews, life stories, and participant observation. The chapter contains Buddhist monks’, nuns’ and lay people’s experiences of the catastrophe and provides instances where Buddhism has been important in the recovery process