IsanNortheast Thailand or Isan (Isan/อีสาน, ʔīː.sǎːn; ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pāli isāna or Sanskrit ईशान्य īśānya "northeast") consists of 20 provinces in the northeastern region of Thailand. Isan is Thailand's largest region, located on the Khorat Plateau, bordered by the Mekong River (along the Laos–Thailand border) to the north and east, by Cambodia to the southeast and the Sankamphaeng Range south of Nakhon Ratchasima.
Khmer architectureKhmer architecture (ស្ថាបត្យកម្មខ្មែរ), also known as Angkorian architecture (ស្ថាបត្យកម្មសម័យអង្គរ), is the architecture produced by the Khmers during the Angkor period of the Khmer Empire from approximately the later half of the 8th century CE to the first half of the 15th century CE. The architecture of the Indian rock-cut temples, particularly in sculpture, had an influence on Southeast Asia and was widely adopted into the Indianised architecture of Cambodian (Khmer), Annamese and Javanese temples (of the Greater India).
AnagārikaIn Buddhism, an anagārika (Pali, 'homeless one', əˈnəɡɑːrɪkə; f. anagārikā əˈnəɡɑːrɪkɑː) is a person who has given up most or all of their worldly possessions and responsibilities to commit full-time to Buddhist practice. It is a midway status between a bhikkhu or bhikkhuni (fully ordained monastics) and laypersons. An anagārika takes the Eight Precepts, and might remain in this state for life. Anagārikas usually wear white clothes or robes, depending on the tradition they follow.
MaechiMaechi or Mae chee (แม่ชี; mɛ̂ː.t͡ɕhiː) are Buddhist monastics in Thailand who have dedicated their life to religion, vowing celibacy, living an ascetic life and taking the Eight or Ten Precepts (i.e., more than the Five Precepts taken by laypersons). They occupy a position similar to sāmaṇerī. It is still illegal for women to take full ordination as a bhikkhuni (nun) in Thailand because of a 1928 law created by the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand. He based this on the belief that Gautama Buddha allowed senior bhikkhunis to initiate new women into the order.
VesakVesak (Vesākha; Vaiśākha), also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima, Buddha Day, and Phật Đản, is a holiday traditionally observed by Buddhists in South Asia and Southeast Asia, as well as Tibet and Mongolia. It is the most important Buddhist festival. The festival commemorates the birth, enlightenment (Nibbāna), and passing (Parinirvāna) of Gautama Buddha in Theravada, Tibetan Buddhism and Navayana. The name Vesak is derived from the Pali term vesākha or Sanskrit vaiśākha for the lunar month of Vaisakha, which is considered the month of Buddha's birth.
PrajadhipokPrajadhipok (ประชาธิปก, RTGS: Prachathipok, 8 November 1893 – 30 May 1941), also Rama VII, was the seventh monarch of Siam of the Chakri dynasty. His reign was a turbulent time for Siam due to political and social changes during the Revolution of 1932. He is to date the only Siamese monarch of the Chakri Dynasty to abdicate. Somdet Chaofa Prajadhipok Sakdidej (สมเด็จเจ้าฟ้าประชาธิปกศักดิเดชน์) was born on 8 November 1893 in Bangkok, Siam (now Thailand) to King Chulalongkorn and Queen Saovabha Phongsri.
Buddhism in Sri LankaTheravada Buddhism is the largest and official religion of Sri Lanka, practiced by 70.2% of the population as of 2012. Practitioners of Sri Lankan Buddhism can be found amongst the majority Sinhalese population as well as among the minority ethnic groups. Sri Lankan Buddhists share many similarities with Southeast Asian Buddhists, specifically Myanmar Buddhists and Thai Buddhists due to traditional and cultural exchange. Sri Lanka is one of five nations with a Theravada Buddhist majority.
Nirvana (Buddhism)Nirvana (Sanskrit: निर्वाण, ; Pali: ) is "blowing out" or "quenching" of the activity of the grasping mind and its related unease. Nirvana is the goal of many Buddhist paths, and marks the soteriological release from worldly suffering and rebirths in saṃsāra. Nirvana is part of the Third Truth on "cessation of dukkha" in the Four Noble Truths, and the "summum bonum of Buddhism and goal of the Eightfold Path.
Monarchy of ThailandThe monarchy of Thailand refers to the constitutional monarchy of the Kingdom of Thailand (formerly Siam). The king of Thailand; พระมหากษัตริย์ไทย, historically, king of Siam; พระเจ้ากรุงสยาม) is the head of state and head of the ruling Royal House of Chakri. Although the current Chakri Dynasty was created in 1782, the existence of the institution of monarchy in Thailand is traditionally considered to have its roots from the founding of the Sukhothai Kingdom in 1238, with a brief interregnum from the death of Ekkathat to the accession of Taksin in the 18th century.
Buddhist modernismBuddhist modernism (also referred to as modern Buddhism, modernist Buddhism, and Neo-Buddhism) are new movements based on modern era reinterpretations of Buddhism. David McMahan states that modernism in Buddhism is similar to those found in other religions. The sources of influences have variously been an engagement of Buddhist communities and teachers with the new cultures and methodologies such as "Western monotheism; rationalism and scientific naturalism; and Romantic expressivism".
