“In other words, the dhamma, or the doctrine, and the vinaya, or the discipline, make the whole of Buddhist ethics. The dhamma deals with ideals and principles, whereas the vinaya deals with rul…

Tradition and Change in Thai Buddhism In the Kālāma-Sutta, one of the Buddha’s discourses best known to Western scholars, the Buddha says, among other things, “Do not go merely by tradition.” This say…

Vinaya: The Buddhist Monk’s Discipline I. The code of fundamental rules for the Buddhist orders of monks and nuns is called Pātimokkha. There are two Pātimokkha, viz., Bhikkhu-pātimokkha containing 22…

Notes on Stupas and Other Sites of Pilgrimage I. In Pali, there are three terms that are often used in reference to holy places, namely, cetiya (Sanskrit: caitya; Thai: chedi), a shrine, which has the…

Thai Rituals and Festivals Connected with Buddhism I. Thai Buddhist Ceremonial Calendar April 13: Songkran (Water-throwing festival, traditional Thai New Year) Early May: Phuet Mongkhon (Blessing for …

…ลักษณะอย่างหนึ่งของพระพุทธศาสนาก็คือ พระพุทธศาสนานี้ ตัวหลักแท้ๆ พูดตามภาษาสมัยใหม่ ก็คือ เรื่องของธรรมชาติ หรือสิ่งที่มีอยู่ตามธรรมดาของมัน…