Encyclopedia of Buddhism

EDUCATION

For centuries, Buddhist monasteries throughout Asia
played a prominent role in disseminating both reli-
gious and secular education. In fact, two of the most
important contributions Buddhism made to premod-
ern society was the establishment of educational facil-
ities and the improvement of literacy. The high literacy
rates of two modern THERAVA
DABuddhist states—Sri
Lanka and Thailand—suggest the efficiency of these
nations’ traditional educational infrastructures and the
positive attitudes of their societies toward learning,
writing, memorizing, and preserving traditional
sources of knowledge.

In all the traditions of Buddhism in Asia, Buddhist
monasteries have served as educational institutions,
disseminating both religious and secular education.
This entry, however, examines the educational prac-
tices of only one of those traditions—the Therava
da
tradition of South and Southeast Asia.

In all Therava
da countries, Buddhist preaching halls
have historically functioned as sites for disseminating

education related to religious matters, morality, good

conduct, and healthy habits. Within traditional Bud-

dhist education, “preaching the doctrine” (dham-

madesana
) developed the act of teaching, while

“listening to the doctrine” (dhammasavana) func-

tioned as a form of learning. In this context, “doctri-

nal discussion” (dhammasa
kaccha
) paved the way for

those seeking clarification on what they heard in the

sermons. Dhammasa
kaccha
 led to evaluation and

analysis of the Buddha’s teachings in a more intellec-

tual fashion that included monastic debates, scholas-

tic disputes, and exegetical treatises. These Buddhist

learning strategies strengthened critical awareness

within Buddhist learners.

Monastic education was largely restricted to the

male population, and women had limited access. In

addition, traditional Buddhist schools were not oper-

ated on a regular basis, and until modern times it was

rare for a large class to be taught by a single teacher.

Traditionally, teachers met with students individually,

and helped them complete set tasks. Lecturing was

rare; rather, teachers focused on what students had

EDUCATION

A Tibetan monk studying at Rnam gyal (Namgyal) Monastery, in Dharamsala, India, 1997. © Don Farber 2003. All rights reserved.
Reproduced by permission.