Abstract
This thesis has 3 objectives: 1) to study the role of Buddhists for Buddhism conservation as appearing in Tipitaka 2) to study the role of Buddhists for Buddhism conservation in Pakse city, Lao People’s Democratic Republic and 3) to study the way of Buddhism conservation of the Buddhists in Pakse city, Lao People’s Democratic Republic. The data for this thesis was searched and collected from related documents and researches, and from interviewing target group then it was brought to the analysis and conclusion for the result of research.
The result of research was found that:
The Buddhists have conserved Buddhism following The Buddha’s teachings by the way the Buddha himself had practiced as an example, then monks and laymen had practiced the same way. Later, the Buddha had preached Dhamma for being the way of liberality, the way of practice, and the way of life to provide knowledge for monks. Later, the monks adapted and propagated that knowledge to laymen as well as cultivated them to have a faith in Buddhism. Then Monks and laymen themselves had conserved Buddhism, for example, the monks strictly practiced discourse and discipline, studied deeply Dhamma, adapted them to teach laypeople to understand and follow as they did. The Buddhist monks had trained lay followers to abstain from evil, to have unity, compassion, generosity, sharing, and to understand unwholesome, wholesome, advantage, and disadvantage. Meanwhile, laypeople should train themselves to be a good person, aware to perform merit for achieving happiness. In addition, they should take care and support the monks by offering the four necessities of life. As the reason, the Buddhism has been maintained with stability and prosperity until the present time.
The Buddhists in Pakse city had done their individual duties to conserve and maintain the Buddhism. For example, the monks, as the Lao Buddhism associated organization, have gradually taken their own responsible duties assigned and laid down by The Sangha Constitution. It consists of The Sangha Governance Committees who have a duty to rule the Sangha, The Sangha Educational Committees who have a duty to support education, The Committees Of Morality and meditation propagation who have a duty to propagate the Dhamma, local traditions and cultures, and The Public Assistance Committees who have a duty to manage monastery constructions, reconstructions, and conservation of religious places. Besides four committees, all monks in Pakse city have also conserved Buddhism in other ways as well. In other hand, laypeople have preserved Buddhism with fully perfect faith in Triple Gem, and have followed the Buddha’s teachings. For the way of life, they applied the belief in Buddhism to work and to help society in several ways. They have maintained Buddhism by giving supports to the Buddhist monks; such as, offering them four necessities of life e.g. robes, foods, monastery buiding and medicines
The Buddhists in Pakse city have encouraged Buddhism according to discourse and discipline, the Sangha institutional policy, and good local customs and cultures which Pakse’s people have strictly practiced for long time. Lao Buddhism Associated Organization has a policy to promote the governance suitable for modern society, to have schools for monks and novices to study inside the country and to support them for education abroad, to enhance the monks to propagate discourse and discipline by both the original and modern applied ways, Especially, the way of Dhamma propagation through television, radio, and social network. In another way, laypeople are usually the supporters for the monks to help them do their duties comfortably.
The roles of Buddhists in Pakse city for Buddhism conservation are related to construction, cultivation, supporting, observation, prevention, and reconstruction of The Buddha or The Buddha image, Buddha’s teaching or discourse, monastery buildings, Buddhists, religious rites. As the reason, with the cooperation and participation of Buddhists in Buddhism conservation, the Buddhism in Pakse City is still progressively prosperous and steady until the present time.
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