Buddhism in Cambodia

Most known that Cambodia is a Buddhist Country, around 95% of the country's population is Buddhist and Buddhism has been the core of Khmer culture and civilization. To exemplify the importance of Buddhism, one finds that Cambodia's National Trinity has been "The Nation, Religion, King," (Buddhism is State Religion, Khmer Institution) suggesting the three important components of Khmer Life. In Cambodian Society, maters/problems or the social unrest which always occurred in the past or recently are the result of breaking the concept of national trinity as the Monarchy and Buddhism were abolished. Even Buddhism have been deeply embedded in the Khmer's beliefs - Since Buddhism was introduced, the Khmers did not abandon their beliefs and replace it with new ones, but adapted the new religion to the old one. Khmer religious practices reflect a conscious 'Khmerization' suiting Khmer tastes, adopting beliefs that were practical, and which helped serve the community both socially and spiritually. 

The Impacts of Buddhism in Khmer Society

Buddhism has played a significant role in Khmers’ lives both in rural and urban. In Buddhism, the essential teaching rests upon the good deeds, accumulation of merits, and peace-making. Adhering to the ten Buddhist precepts or five precepts, this is how Khmer dedicate their souls and merits to their world. In the traditional setting, monasteries functioned as educational and cultural centers, and offered a wide range of social services. Past and current Kings have often lived a monastic life for some time in order to gain education and become good and effective leaders. Monasteries also served as mental health centers, retreat centers for the aging, recreational centers, meeting places, rest areas for travelers, orphanages, and funeral homes. Each individual Khmer owes a great deal to the monastery for the memorable experiences it provides from childhood to adulthood to old age. For an elderly person, the monastery provides a peaceful place to relax, meditate, and prepare for the death. When life ends, remains are cremated and the ashes are kept in a stupa in the Pagodas.

Religion has certainly been the pre-eminent foundation of Khmer society. Religion and the arts have had a great impact in the shaping of Khmer culture. The Khmer Buddhist religion has strengthened common beliefs, building solidarity of the people and nation, teaching values, self-esteem, pride, and emphasis upon the mental over the physical, and the spiritual over the materialistic. Buddhism for Cambodians, is at the heart of their tradition, culture, and identity. To many Khmer people, the absence of Buddhism is the absence of the “Khmerness or Khmer Identity” such as in Khmer Rough Regime, No Buddhism, so how more than two millions of people were died of starvation, torture, overwork and killing. In this new context, efforts are being made to restore, revive, and preserve Buddhism in Cambodia. The traditional arts are also increasingly being viewed as valuable resources for community development, urban revitalization, and the development of tourism. Recreating and preserving the traditional practices of Buddhism in the new physical and social contexts beyond Cambodia, however, are next to impossible. In Japan, Australia, France, Canada, and the United States, millions of Khmer people now make their new homes. The change in education, experience, context, value and role of monks and Buddhism itself, makes the practice of Buddhism a challenging one. Ceremonies have been curtailed and simplified. In Cambodia and Khmer communities beyond, a valuable first step is to look back and study their religious and artistic traditions and understand them. The challenge ahead is not to break away from tradition, but to find a contemporary way of expressing it. Only within continuity of the past, can Khmer cultural identity be preserved and reaffirmed for its future generations.

Even at least 95% of total population is Buddhist, but the real practices for their daily lives’ happiness and peaces as what the Buddha touch is very poor-especially the politicians, powerful-man or businessmen etc always take advantage/exploitation of empower one. The questioning is what the Buddha taught? and what some people have been done and being doing is never simplified as Buddhist at all, because of the Buddha Taught of No killing, No Stealing, No sexual misconduct, No Telling lie and No drinking alcohols or intoxicant, loving-kindness, compassion, doing all good deeds and not doing all bad deeds etc.