An Analysis of Buddhism Propagation by Using Buddhist Arts and Landscape of Cetiyaphum Monastery, Namphong District, Khon Kaen Province

Abstract

The aims of this dissertation were: 1) to study the propagation of Theravada Buddhism by using Buddhist arts and landscape of the Isan people; 2) to study the propagation of Buddhism by using Buddhist arts and landscape of the Cetiyaphum monastery, Namphong district, KhonKaen; 3) to analyze the propagation of Buddhism by using Buddhist arts and landscape of the Cetiyaphum monastery. This study was the qualitative research conducted together with the fieldwork and the study of Buddhist scriptures, document and relevant research. The fieldwork study was carried out by implementing the in-depth interview and non-participant observation and then the gathered data were interpreted by the descriptive analysis.
The research results revealed that: 1) since the time of the Buddha, the propagation of Buddhism has been in the form of personal communication and self-practice as the model. After the Buddhist council, this method has been inherited. The temples, for Isan people, are the assemble center of the community as they are the place decorated with Buddhist arts and the monastery landscapes are built as the peaceful sites with the space. In the Cetiyaphum monastery, the Buddhist arts and landscapes are mixed with Isan style. 2) The results of Buddhist propagation of the Cetiyaphum temple indicated that the main Buddhist arts can be seen in the Kham Kaen Stupa resulted from the faith, beauty and culture of stupa construction, temple construction, Buddha image building and painting. The space within the temple is arranged to organize the religious activities such as ‘heet sib song khong sib si’ by adjusting the monastery landscape to suite the activities in each era. The monastery still preserves the original Buddhist arts and improve, restores and maintains them with cleanness, brightness and peace in consistency with the principles of suitability (sappấ ya) in the Tipitaka. 3) The Cetiyaphum monastery has preserved their ways to disseminate Buddhism in the personal communication form and practice as the model, additionally supported by Buddhist arts and landscape in consistence with the old and new versions of arts. It can be seen that the Kham Kaen stupa image has been used in the monasteries, government and private sectors in Khon Kaen until the stupa becomes the symbol of sacredness, empirically impacting on the dissemination of Buddhism through Buddhist arts and landscapes within the monastery.