Research on the overall picture of "ethnic orders" among the Theravada Sangha in the Mainland Southeast Asia

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K20545
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 80010:Area studies-related
• Research Institution: Kanda University of International Studies
• Principal Investigator: Wada Michihiro 神田外語大学, 外国語学部, 准教授 (70814325)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 上座部仏教 / 少数民族 / 僧伽 / 宗派 / モン（Mon） / ダウェー / タイ / ミャンマー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study found that ethnic orders (groups of monks) were formed in Theravada Buddhist societies, by researching the case of Mon. The ethnic Mon monks have chanted in their pronunciation based on their writing systems, and the tradition made some Mon orders since the 19th century. In Thailand, the Mon order in Dhammayuttika Nikaya had conducted ordination rituals almost exclusively in their network. In Myanmar, the three Mon orders have made their monastic lists annually, from which we can imagine the ethnic group as a body consisting of numbers. These research results, which were part of my dissertation and supplemented by new research, have been published as articles. Besides, my other article on periodicals revealed that the Mon monks tend to attach more importance to the written Mon language than the lay publishers or writers of the ethnic magazines.

Free Research Field

地域研究（タイ、ミャンマー）

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

これまで宗教と民族意識やナショナリズムとの関係は広く議論されてきた。しかし、上座部仏教の内部でも民族（とくに少数民族）ごとに異なる出家者集団が形成されてきたことは、十分に明らかにされてこなかった。そうしたなか本研究は、モンやダウェーの事例から、上座部仏教の僧伽もまた、民族主義や地域主義と密接に関わり合い、独自の宗派を形成してきたことを明らかにできた点で学術的に意義があった。とくにモンの例については出家者が書き言葉の担い手として民族主義を先導している点も再確認できた。また、これまであまりなかった、上座部仏教社会に関する概説書を共著で上梓し、各国各地域の異同を紹介できたのは社会的意義があった。