than one buddha living at a time is a view also rejected
in the Kathavatthu.The most common reason made
to distinguish Mahayana and Theravada is thoroughly
flawed. This is the distinction made between Mahayana
as the path of the BODHISATTVAand Theravada as the
path of the ARHATor s ́ravaka (disciple). Even Bud-
dhaghosa recognized three levels of practice: that of the
Buddha through the path of the bodhisatta(Sanskrit,
bodhisattva); that of the paccekabuddha(Sanskrit,
PRATYEKABUDDHA); and that of the arhat. Furthermore
the bodhisattva ideal is present throughout Theravada
history, even if it never became ritualized and institu-
tionalized to the same degree as it did in other Bud-
dhist traditions. Although the bodhisattva ideal in
Theravada is more commonly associated with Gotama
Buddha himself and with kings, it is also found ex-
pressed by those of humbler position. It is, for exam-
ple, a common vow made by manuscript copyists in
the colophons to Theravada texts.
See also:Cambodia; Commentarial Literature; Coun-
cils, Buddhist; Folk Religion, Southeast Asia; Laos;
Mainstream Buddhist Schools; Myanmar; Pali, Bud-
dhist Literature in; Sri Lanka; Thailand; Theravada
Art and Architecture; Vietnam
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Bangkok, Thailand: White Lotus Press, 1994.KATECROSBYTHERAVADA ART AND ARCHITECTUREThe focus of THERAVADABuddhist art and architecture
is Buddha Gautama, as revered teacher, exemplar of
virtue and ethical conduct, role model for the SAN ̇GHA,
and source of supernatural power. Thus the Theravada
monastery serves as a center for the dissemination of
the Buddha’s teachings, a gathering place for the prac-
tice and continuity of the religion, a dwelling place for
monks, and a repository of sacred objects, including
BUDDHA IMAGESand relics. Similarly, the majority of
Theravada art consists of sculptures and paintings de-
picting narratives about the historical Buddha’s life
and previous lives as lessons for the faithful.
In premodern times, Theravada Buddhist monaster-
ies were the focal point in the social and educational life
of the community. Every village had at least one
monastery and each town and city had several. While
sociological, economic, and in some cases political
changes—particularly in Cambodia and to a lesser de-
gree in Laos—have disrupted many traditional patterns,
the local monastery continues to occupy a significant
place in the lives of individuals and communities.
A monastery compound typically includes an im-
age hall for the monastery’s principal Buddha image,
an ordination hall, an assembly hall where laypeople
gather to listen to sermons and recitations of sacred
texts by the monks, a solid, dome-shaped reliquary,
and residence buildings for the monks. Regional vari-
ations on this model exist, however; for example, in
certain places the image hall and assembly hall are
combined into one building. In other places the as-
sembly hall and ordination hall are combined and the
place reserved for ordinations is off-limits to women.
Moreover, some monasteries have residences for nuns
and lay meditators and some have a separate building
for storing sacred scriptures. The latter, often referred
to as a Tripitaka hallor library is usually raised on stilts
to protect the books from water, insects, and rodents.
While the proportions and architectural features of
monastery buildings vary from one region to another,THERAVADAART ANDARCHITECTURE