BUDDHISM IN SRI LANKA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA 155of some anthropological findings concerning Thai Buddhism, we will divide
the discussion into two parts, the first on domesticated Buddhism, and the
second on Buddhism in the forest. Bear in mind that the situation in Sri Lanka
and Burma, although differing in details, follows the same general patterns.
7.5.1 Domesticated (Popular) Buddhism
In the symbolism of the Pali Canon, leaving saJ:!lsara for the freedom of nirval).a
is likened to the act of leaving home for the freedom of the outside world.
Domesticated Buddhism earns its name not only because it is located in the
villages, but also because it is not yet ready to leave home. It aims at nirval).a
by a circuitous route. Its main concern is with proximate ends (better condi-
tions in this lifetime, a more fortunate rebirth), the goal of nirval).a being put
off to a distant future lifetime after one has tasted the pleasures that good karma
has to offer in this world and the next.
Although the Buddha's main concern was that his listeners attain the bliss
of nirval).a as quickly as possible, he recognized that not all of them were ready
to commit themselves immediately to the goal. Thus he offered advice for
those who are more concerned with using the doctrine of karma to earn the
puiifia (Pali for merit) that will entitle them to a more pleasurable journey
through SaJ:!lsara than with attaining nirval).a. As noted in Section 3.4.4, the
main means of acquiring merit are generosity, virtue, and meditation; these
three categories shape the practice of popular Buddhism, both for monks and
laity, on all levels of Thai society. Here we will take as our example Buddhism
as practiced in a typical central Thai peasant community to show how the do-
mesticated Buddhism· of a village wat, or temple/monastery, interacts with the
other elements in the'syncretic mix of Thai popular Buddhism in the quest
for merit.
The wat serves as the primary institution for facilitating the making of
merit. For the typical Thai peasant, a community is not civilized, an area is
not settled, until a wat has been built and monks have taken up residence. The
translation chosen for the word wat-temple/monastery-provides an idea of
the dual function the institution plays. It is both a ritual arena for merit-mak-
ing ceremonies and a place where monks may devote themselves to the meri-
torious activities of following the monastic code, studying the Buddha's
teachings, and meditating as much as the circumstances of the village location
will allow. Thais themselves recognize the dual function of the wat by divid-
ing it into two areas, the Buddhavasa, or dwelling of the Buddha, and the Sang-
havasa, or dwelling of the community of monks. In wealthier wats the two
areas are clearly defined, sometimes separated by walls; in poorer wats they are
not so clearly separated, but the concepts still apply to a more intuitively felt
sense of sacred space and dwelling space.
The Buddhavasa contains the main meeting hall of the wat, which invari-
ably houses a Buddha image and the altars devoted to it. Other elements may
include a library housing old texts, and a chedi (cetiya), or stupa, which ideally
will enshrine a relic of the Buddha or, failing that, copies of the Pali Canon
together with consecrated objects. The Buddhavasa is the ritual arena of the