Buddhist Countries Research Articles

Bhutanese Teacher Educators’ Attitudes Towards Information, Communication and Technology Acceptance and use in Teaching

Information and Communication Technology is a powerful tool for transforming education, and in developing, largely rural countries such as Bhutan, where its widespread access is relatively recent. Information and Communication Technology acceptance and use among teacher educators is crucial for effective contemporary teacher education. Acceptance and use depends on well-established factors, including teachers’ attitudes; however, little is known about teachers’ attitudes in rural developing countries, especially Himalayan and Buddhist countries, which are culturally different to other developing countries. Accordingly, this mixed-method study investigated how Bhutanese teacher educators’ attitudes influence acceptance and use of Information and Communication Technology in teaching. Analysis of survey (n = 90) and semi-structured interview (n = 21) data indicated that teacher educators generally held positive attitudes toward its use. Age, gender, teaching experience and subject of specialization did not influence attitude, while perceived usefulness, facilitating conditions and Information and Communication Technology use, did. Positive attitude was associated with perceived usefulness, while negative attitude aligned with Information and Communication Technology incompetence and slow internet connectivity. Some agreement exists between findings in Bhutan and other developing, rural contexts, however, differences in factors, including gender, and the presence of Buddhist zhenphen highlight the need for policymakers, researchers and interventions to account for context, alongside continued improvement of Information and Communication Technology infrastructure.

‘Little Arabia’ on Buddhist land: Exploring the linguistic landscape of Bangkok’s ‘Soi Arab’ enclave

Abstract Never formally colonised by Western powers, Thailand is a rapidly developing nation in Southeast Asia. To outsiders, the assumption might be that Thailand is a homogenous Thai-speaking Buddhist country. However, such over-simplistic views ignore diversity and the existence of de facto multilingualism and multiculturalism on the ground. This linguistic landscape (LL) study explores a unique and sociolinguistically compelling area called ‘Little Arabia’ (Soi Arab) in the heart of Bangkok, where elements of both Islamic and Buddhist civilisations meet. The existence of this Middle Eastern enclave creates a sense of contrasts on linguistic, religious, and cultural levels. Because of globalisation and spurred by (medical and sex) tourism, this area boasts a number of halal restaurants, hotels, travel agencies, stores, pharmacies, and clinics. This gives rise to an interesting sociolinguistic ecology, featuring an ‘ethnic’ economy which caters to the needs of tourists and businessmen hailing from the Arab world. Drawing on authentic photographic data, this study explores how various linguistic practices give the area a unique identity. More specifically, we reveal how various languages (including Arabic, Thai, and English) are mobilised and combined in ways that illustrate translation practices evidenced within the enclave for particularised marketing, commercial, and communication purposes. Theoretically and conceptually, the term ‘machine-translated multilingualism’ is coined to capture the growing trend for businesses to resort to translation software for multilingual communication, which may result in non-standard translations and orthographic forms. This study contributes to a growing body of sociolinguistic research examining LLs in global cities and commercial hubs in the Global South, particularly those arising from ‘South-South’ population flows.

Taiwanese family members’ bereavement experience following an expected death: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

BackgroundBereavement experience is shaped by cultural and social contexts. No systematically constructed reviews were identified to explore the bereavement experience for people who are influenced by Chinese culture valuing filial piety and mutual dependence. This review aimed to systematically review the bereavement experience of Taiwanese family members living in Taiwan following an expected death.MethodsMEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, China Academic Journal Database, and Chinese Electronic Periodical Services were searched with no date restrictions from inception to 20 October 2022. The methodological rigour of studies was assessed using Hawker’s appraisal tool. A narrative synthesis approach using Popay’s work was employed to synthesise the findings of the studies. Studies investigating Taiwanese family members’ bereavement experiences were included. We excluded papers studying bereavement through the death of a child.ResultsSearches retrieved 12,735 articles (after de-duplication), 17 of which met the inclusion criteria and were included for synthesis: English [9] and Chinese [8], published between 2006 and 2021. The studies varied in quality with scores ranging from 22 to 33 out of 36. The studies differed in the relationship between participants and the deceased, the bereaved time frames, and the definitions of bereavement. Most studies focussed on family members of cancer patients receiving specialist palliative care. Three bereavement theories and four tools were used. Risk factors of bereavement outcomes included family members feeling less prepared for death and deaths where palliative sedative therapy was used. Protective factors were higher caregiving burden and longer caregiving periods. Four themes regarding Taiwanese bereavement experience were generated: multiple impacts of death; problem-based coping strategies; importance of maintaining connections; influential religious beliefs and rituals.ConclusionContinuing the relationship with the deceased is a key element of Taiwanese bereavement experience and it is influenced by religious and cultural beliefs. Suppressing or hiding emotions during bereavement to connect with the deceased and maintain harmonious relationships needs to be acknowledged as culturally acceptable and encouraged by some religions in Taiwan. The findings could be potentially relevant for other Chinese populations, predominantly Buddhist countries or other East Asian societies. The role of preparing for death in bereavement outcomes is little understood and requires further research.

Ойратский текст дхарани-сутры Ганапати

Introduction. The tradition of worshiping Ganapati in Buddhism, including in religious traditions of Mongols, is an interesting — though understudied — issue. In Hinduism, this ancient deity was believed an evil demon (Vinayaka) inclined to create obstacles. Subsequently, when included in the Buddhist pantheon, its tantric forms became widespread enough in Tibet and Mongolia. In Buddhist teachings, Ganapati is seen as an emanation of Avalokiteshvara, and in some of its forms is associated with Chakrasamvara and Tara, hence having little in common with the Hindu Ganesha, the son of Parvati and Shiva, the Lord of the Ganas. The cult of Ganapati in Buddhist countries shows how the ancient deity of Hinduism had lost its original essence — to become an organic part of the Buddhist tantric tradition. Goals. The paper aims to introduce Oirat texts of the Ganapati Dharani Sutra. Materials and methods. Collections of Mongolian manuscripts in Russia and other countries contain a total of seven dharani sutras in the Oirat Clear Script. The study focuses on a Kalmyk manuscript from the Saxon State and University Library Dresden (Mongolian Collection) and a manuscript from the Mongolian Academy of Sciences (Institute of Language and Literature, Oirat Collection). The work employs textual research methods and tools of comparative historical analysis. Results. Some manuscripts in the Clear Script are literary works of minimal size that include two parts — Dharani Sutra of Lord Ganapati (Oir. Xutuqtu čuulγani ezen kemēküyin toqtōl) and Collected Dharanis of the Five Chapters of Pancharaksha (Oir. Pañcaragšyin tabun bölögiyin xurangyui). The combination of the two texts in a single work makes it possible to assume the worshipping practice of Ganapati be somewhat tied to that of the five Pancharaksha protector goddesses. In Buddhism, the Ganapati Dharani Sutra is recited for various purposes, such as welfare, virtuous reincarnation, new knowledge, and spiritual progress. Conclusions. Texts of the Ganapati Dharani Sutra and various iconographic images (forms) are integral to tantric practices believed instrumental in acquiring, cognizing and organizing new knowledge, thus forming milestone spiritual experiences on the path towards the ultimate goal of Buddhists.

Sri Lanka: recent crises in a multi-religious society

ABSTRACT Sri Lanka has traditionally been known as a predominantly Buddhist country, where people belonging to Hindu, Muslim and Christian religions have co-existed, largely peacefully, for centuries. From time to time, opportunistic politicians and a small minority of militant religious leaders have tried to foment unrest among religious groups. The civil war that lasted for 30 years resulted in the murder of Buddhist and Muslim devotees and damage to sacred places of worship. The Easter Sunday attacks in 2021 by Muslim militants set back modest efforts underway to promote religious harmony. This article examines the causes and implications of such challenges.

Large‐scale human celebrations increase global light pollution

Abstract Culturally dependent human social behaviours involving artificial light usage can potentially affect light pollution patterns and thereby impact the night‐time ecology in populated areas, although to date this has not been examined globally. By analysing continuous (monthly), highly resolved, spatially explicit data on global night lights (Visible and Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite–Day/Night Band‐VIIRS‐DNB; 2014–2019) with circular statistical techniques, we evaluated whether macro‐cultural activities involving social aggregations and the use of artificial lights shape annual lighting patterns globally. Scheduled routines associated with cultural‐specific festivities appear to be important drivers of observed seasonal patterns in urban night‐time lights. For instance, the display of Christmas lights between Christmas and Epiphany Day celebrations (December–January) coincides with the annual peak in urban night‐time light intensity in Christian countries. Analogously, night celebrations during the Holy Month of Ramadam (from May to July) or the month‐long period of Karthika Masam (from October to November) fits with annual night light peaks in Muslim and Hindu countries. Annual peaks of urban light intensity in China and Vietnam also match with Chinese and Vietnamese (Tê't) New Year celebrations (January–February). In contrast, predominantly Buddhist countries, which do not have such prominent and prolonged celebrations involving artificial lights, show a relatively uniform distribution of night light peaks throughout the annual cycle. Social behaviour and sociocultural contexts help explain how people modify the global nightscape and contribute to light pollution globally. Understanding the cultural contexts responsible for peaks in artificial light usage is an important first step if humans are to mitigate any deleterious effects associated with global increases in night‐time light pollution. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Incomprehensible Concepts and Contexts: Teaching The Duchess of Malfi in Bhutan

Teaching a Jacobean British text such as The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster to the Bhutanese students was a real challenge as the text deals with a world of class and gender hierarchy. Living in a Buddhist country, where even the killing of animals for food is prohibited and the Gross National Happiness is prioritized, the psychological trauma and the violent and gory events portrayed in the play appalled the students. The students could not imagine a world of female subjugation, gory, and bloodshed. Therefore, the teacher takes caste and community-based honor killing contemporary examples from their neighboring country, India, to explicate the world of the Duchess. Thus, they could understand a culturally different text via examples from India.

Rights talk in a genocide: Myanmar as a lens for the problem of rights in Buddhist political thought

ABSTRACT With their integration into the global political world, the historically Buddhist countries of Southeast Asia have begun to augment, sometimes to the point of replacement, their traditional political structures with Westernized political institutions. Despite these formal changes, far less development has been made as a matter of underlying political theory. Though the language of contemporary Buddhist political thought and action is colored with talk of rights, it remains unclear how firmly this new orientation is founded. The consequences of this mixture of Western democratic political forms built upon an underlying foundation of Buddhist political theory can be seen in the developing human rights crisis in Myanmar. On the subject of the Muslim Rohingya, advocates of Burmese democracy, such as Aung San Suu Kyi, have seemingly found common cause with the military junta, with the country’s newly-minted democratic institutions proving themselves to be inadequate as a means of sustaining rights protections for the religious minority group. This paper examines the standing of rights-language in Buddhist political thought and how these concepts have thus far proven insufficient as a surrogate to similar conceptions in the liberal tradition as a foundation for political protections.

Sharing Health-Related Data and Buddhism

Health-related research funders, regulators and journals increasingly expect de-identified health research data to be shared widely. This article examines non-western reasons for decision-making in Thailand, a Buddhist country, to explore the extent to which Buddhist DACs should make decisions based on Buddhist norms. The method used in this study is a qualitative method with literature and sociology approaches. Meanwhile, the source of data came from the DAC and the perceptions of various Buddhists. The results of this study suggest that the social impact of big data on health has the support of Buddhists and the community so that there is data transparency that can be known by the wider community. In addition, health data is big data that can utilize technology in its management. In conclusion, data sharing raises concerns about the accuracy and reliability of data so that it needs supervision so that the data presented is the correct data.

Impact of Buddhist thoughts on Cultural Nationalism of India

The colonized nations saw a rise in nationalistic feelings during the height of colonialism in the middle of the 19th century, putting special stress on the concept of shared ancestry, culture, and language. It is important to note that this idea has strong roots in India, where there is a plethora of ancient literature that emphasizes on cultural nationalism, whether it is Vedic, Jain, or Buddhist. In most regions of the continent, Buddhism has had a major geographic and historical presence often for very long times. Additionally, it has had a significant impact on the creation of particular states as well as less formal interpretations and shaping of social and political processes, and this influence has persisted to the present day. It promoted the notion of tolerance and diversity and integrity. Asoka, Kanishka, and Harshavardhan became passionate nationalists who sought to reunite India under a unified state. Both the Mughals and the British did this afterward. Thus, it seems likely that Buddhism contributed to national cohesion. Buddhism has a significant impact on Indian society and culture in every way. The restrictions placed on the populace by the Latter Vedic religion society and literature was lifted. It advocated for social harmony and spoke out against the caste system. Buddhism has had an impact on a variety of art genres, including painting, sculpture, literature, and architecture. Buddhism promoted unrestricted trade between India and other nations. Buddhist monks began disseminating the Buddha's teachings to other countries in the third century B.C. and pilgrims and students from other Buddhist countries began travelling to India to further their education. When foreigners visited India, the rich culture of Buddhism engulfed them; they abandoned their own identities and creeds in favour of Buddhist names and the faith. These outsiders included the mythical Kushana ruler Kanishka and Greek emperors. Buddhism thus had a significant influence on the synthesis that led to the development of contemporary Indian civilization. This paper highlights Buddhism's history, including its rise and fall, as well as how Buddhist teachings have influenced cultural nationalism of India.

The Radical in Ambedkar: Critical Reflections

The Radical in Ambedkar: Critical Reflections

IT usage and fundraising performance in nonprofit organizations: Empirical evidence from Buddhist temples in Thailand

The use of IT has seen great success in the private sector and is now beginning to fill a similar role for non-profit organizations (NPOs) as well. The use of IT in fundraising activities in NPOs has been studied in the past. But applying this concept in the case of Buddhist temples, which make up the majority of NPOs in a Buddhist country like Thailand, has never been done before. Using the national survey of 16,895 Buddhist temples in Thailand and econometrics modeling reveals that using IT in temple management has a statistically significant effect on generating higher income from fundraising activities. Using the Internet and computers can boost temple donations and fundraising by promoting religious activities. And temples that use websites and social media seem to receive more government subsidies. In addition, other variables, such as location, number of monks and staff, pro-social activities, and temple age, also represent strong determinants of fundraising performance. Therefore, we find that Buddhist temples in Thailand would do well to use the Internet and social media to develop content, provide advice, and preach online, as these technology-enhanced activities play an important role in increasing fundraising efficiency. Thus, training in such current communication technology should be provided to monks so that they can take advantage of such tools to not only increase their productivity, but also to equip themselves with other, up-to-date skills to enhance the religious education of their congregations that they currently provide through traditional preaching.

Theravāda Buddhism

Sri Lanka is the only country that has seen Theravāda Buddhism established, preserved, and continue to exist up to the present since the missions to other countries from its birth in India. It is a historical fact that after the Third Buddhist Council, missionaries were dispatched to nine countries for the propagation of Theravāda Buddhism. There is no historical evidence to confirm that any of the nine countries except Sri Lanka was able to preserve Theravāda Buddhism and keep it in its original form throughout the course of time. On the other hand, Sri Lanka secures the honour and credit to have been the centre of Theravāda Buddhism for a considerable time. The present paper deals with the way Sri Lanka contributed immensely to the establishment, protection, and flourishing of Theravāda Buddhism as a unique tradition of Buddhist thought. In this respect, our attention is focused mainly on the exegetical literature of the Theravāda tradition which will shed much light on both the theoretical and practical aspects of the tradition. The Sri Lankan Mahāvihāra community of monks was responsible for providing a vast exegetical literature which consists of commentaries, sub-commentaries, sub-sub-commentaries, and the compendiums based on the Theravāda canon brought to Sri Lanka. The writing down of the Theravāda Pāḷi canon in Sri Lanka for the first time also marks a unique event in the history of Buddhism. The contribution made by Sri Lanka to preserve the Pāḷi canon by this means was highly instrumental in preserving it in its original form. Further, Sri Lanka was a source of inspiration to other Theravāda Buddhist countries to revitalize their Buddhism in accordance with the more orthodox form of Theravāda.

Measuring LGBT Discrimination in a Buddhist Country

ABSTRACT Previous literature has found that, among other religions, Buddhism tends to be relatively less discriminatory against members of the LGBT community. However, this assessment is based solely on cross-country comparisons rather than analyses of discrimination at the individual level. The present study therefore uses an individual-level dataset that comprises a national representative sample of 27,855 observations to examine discrimination against LGBT people in Thailand, as a case study of such discrimination in a Buddhist country. It also examines the influence of Buddhist thoughts concerning prosocial behavior and positive emotions, which might be expected to reduce LGBT discrimination. Using an order-probit model, we find that while those who practice Buddhism tend to discriminate against members of this community less than do adherents of other religions, older generations tend to discriminate against LGBT people more than do their younger counterparts. Buddhist teachings regarding prosocial behavior such as reciprocating benefactors and donating money and goods as well as fostering positive emotions such as sincerely forgiving others and feeling gratified after helping others tend to reduce discrimination against LGBT individuals.

The Circle of Karma: A Realistic Approach to Bhutanese Gender, Culture and Religion

The Circle of Karma, a novel published in India in 2005 by Zubaan Books in collaboration with Penguin Books. It is explicitly a Buddhist novel but one that concentrates on the everyday struggle to apply religion to the protagonist- Tsomo’s life. The writing is rich with rich Buddhist imagery but the story firmly grounded in mundane realities of gender and cultural issues, in short an excellent novel about one woman’s hard life, set against vivid gender, cultural and religious background. The novel applies the theory of Nemesis in practice. It deals with the importance of Karma/action. There is message that each human being will experience the Consequences of karma whether good or bad, in one or other way, in this or other birth. There is no escape. The novel is a story of Tsomo the central character, a fat girl compelled by her own restless spirit and later by circumstances to leave her family and go on series of endless travels. Hope and tragedy mark her path in equal measure as her story gives a look of microcosm of Bhutanese society. It is informative regarding the cultural, religious and gender issues in Bhutan which is a Buddhist country.

The Silencing and Ostracization of Rohingyas: A Study of Habiburahman’s Memoir First, They Erased Our Name: A Rohingya Speaks

A minority group refers to a racially, culturally, or ethnically distinct group that is secondary or subordinate to a dominant group. Nearly every state consists of various communities whose traditions, religion, language, and historical experiences differ from one another and through socio-political powerplay. People treat others based on what they perceive as essential characteristics of those individuals or groups, which are often based purely, on their position in the stratification hierarchy. Though in several states the ethnoculturally diverse communities co-exist in harmony, resulting in ‘Pluralism’, however, in others the minority groups are subjected to discrimination and violence. Establishing the cultural hegemony of the dominant group has been an effective tool in subjugating the minority communities. However, Repressive State Apparatuses are also employed by the state, in extreme conditions, which result in expulsion and genocide. One such instance of ethnic cleansing is the ostracisation of the Rohingya community. Rohingyas are a Muslim minority group in Myanmar, erstwhile Burma, which is predominantly, a Buddhist country. They have been the target of institutionalised discrimination. They were denied citizenship by the government and were rendered stateless. The discriminatory policies of the government of Myanmar have compelled a huge number of Rohingya Muslims to flee their homeland. Many took refuge in the neighbouring countries. The paper aims to examine the racial and ethnic discrimination of the Rohingya community and their systematic oppression and ostracisation which lead to the exodus of the Rohingyas, as documented in Habiburahman’s memoir First, They Erased Our Name: A Rohingya Speaks.

Examining the Development of Zen Buddhist Sources in the East Asian Buddhist Countries

It must be stated that there are not sufficient sources to study the theory and the practice of Zen Buddhism for the students and the teachers of Sri Lankan universities, who do their studies in Sinhala language. To fulfil this gap to some extent, this research is carried out. This tradition is named as “Dhyana” in Sanskrit, “Chan” in Chinese, “Son” in Korean, and “Zen” in Japanese. Though this isrecognized as a tradition that refuses books or scriptures, its great teachers have produced many books which are known as the primary sources of Zen Buddhism. The main subject discussed in these sources is the Buddhist meditation systems which developed as “Zen” Buddhism in the East-Asian countries such as China, Korea and Japan. Thus, these sources were written in Chinese, Korean and Japanese languages. One of the main characteristics of these sources is that they try to introduce the path of purification in a simple manner so that the followers can easily practice. This can be seen throughout the Zen Buddhist history, and that knowledge will help the readers to understand how to implement simple Zen Buddhist techniques in their busy day to day life. Hence, the objective of the research is to examine the Zen Buddhist sources and the meditation systems or techniques which are found in them.

Finding the Right Path: Towards a Buddhist Sense of Corporate Ethics in Bhutan

Is there such a thing as a “Buddhist” sense of corporate ethics? In this article, the authors propose a contribution to that question by drawing on their personal experience managing or supporting the development of an innovative new business venture in Bhutan, a small and primarily Buddhist country. The authors propose that one salient feature of a Buddhist business ethic might be a conscious choice by an entrepreneur to encourage and facilitate the full agency of those communities that stand to be impacted the most by a business’ operations. This business ethic intentionally empowers communities to speak on their own behalf, and consciously embraces a consensus-oriented decision-making process, even in situations when the logic of power, status, or wealth would not demand such a commitment. We describe this business model as one of intentional interdependence with affected communities, and describe how this logic is not only ethically the right thing to do, but also valuable from a business perspective, especially during turbulent and unpredictable times such as our own.

In Buddha, we serve better? The effect of formalization and religious belief on the service quality of tourism practitioners in Laos

ABSTRACT Previous literature in Western context suggested formalization of a service company has a strong tie with its service quality; however, how cultural factors affect the mechanism remains unclear. The current research is aimed to investigate how formalization and religious belief affect the service quality of tourism practitioners. A total of 252 valid responses were collected from a survey distributed to tourism practitioners in Laos. The results revealed, formalization was positively related to service quality via work engagement, while lowering the level of religious belief would enhance the relationship between formalization and work engagement. These findings shed light on how Buddhist countries improve the quality of tourism.

On the utility of the category of ‘Hinduism’ in Thailand

Abstract Although earlier scholarship on Southeast Asia focused on the legacy of Hinduism in that region, the recent turn away from models of syncretism and toward explaining Buddhism in terms of the ‘Pali imaginaire’ has led to a sharp de-emphasis of ‘Hinduism’ as a valid category for understanding religion in Buddhist countries of Southeast Asia such as Thailand. In this article, I argue that ‘Hinduism’ still has a utility for the study of religion in Thailand as long as it is used correctly—that is, not to label something as ‘non-Buddhist’. I argue that we must study Theravāda Buddhism and the Pali imaginaire as embedded in a broader world context that includes Hinduism within it. In particular, certain historical continuities between the Sanskrit Cosmopolis that once reigned over Southern Asia and the Pali Cosmpolis that formed in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia after the former's collapse have resulted in a space for Hinduism to have ongoing agency within Pali Buddhism.