With this in mind it is sometimes argued that the Theravada would not have been considered a " Hinayana " school by Mahayanists because unlike the now-extinct Sarvastivada school, the primary object of Mahayana criticism, the Theravada school does not claim the existence of independent dharmas ; in this it maintains the attitude of early Buddhism.

The predominant religion is Theravada Buddhism.

Theravada Buddhism was the link between Sri Lanka and Burma from the earliest times.

Religious activities in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism are also carried out, a tradition which all of these cultures share.

* Āyatana ( Sense Bases in Theravada Buddhism )

The Pali language ( the liturgical Prakrit language of Theravada Buddhism ) tends to be treated as a special exception from the variants of the Ardhamagadhi language, as Classical Sanskrit grammars do not consider it as a Prakrit per se, presumably for sectarian rather than linguistic reasons.

Consequently, as Theravada Buddhism spread to Thailand, the Theravada Sangha consisted only of monks.

Sinhalese culture is a unique one featuring back to as back as 2600 years and has been nourished by Theravada Buddhism.

The form of Buddhism in Sri Lanka is known as Theravada ( school of elders ).

Through Hariphunchai, the Tais of Chiang Saen adopted Theravada Buddhism and Sanskrit royal names.

The first ruler of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, King Ramathibodi I ( ruled 1351 to 1369 ), made two important contributions to Thai history: the establishment and promotion of Theravada Buddhism as the official religion – to differentiate his kingdom from the neighbouring Hindu kingdom of Angkor – and the compilation of the Dharmashastra, a legal code based on Hindu sources and traditional Thai custom.

International access through the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand made the South a crossroads for both Theravada Buddhism, centered at Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Islam, especially in the former Pattani kingdom on the border with Malaysia.

Theravada Buddhism is the official religion of Thailand and is officially the religion of about 97 % of its people.

Meat dishes are also commonly part of the alms offered to Buddhist monks in Thailand as vegetarianism is not considered obligatory in Theravada Buddhism ; but having an animal killed specifically to feed Buddhist monks is prohibited.

* King Anawrahta of Myanmar made a pilgrimage to Ceylon, returning to convert his country to Theravada Buddhism.

* Theravada Buddhism is officially introduced to Sri Lanka by the Venerable Mahinda.

* King Anawrahta of Burma captures Thanton in northern Thailand, strengthening Theravada Buddhism in the country.

He begins to propagate Theravada Buddhism as the state religion.

* 1260 – The newly formed Sukhothai kingdom of Thailand adopts Theravada Buddhism.

The new regime reforms Burmese Buddhism on Sri Lankan Theravada models.

* The newly formed Sukhothai kingdom of Thailand adopts Theravada Buddhism.

On the other hand, countries practicing Theravada Buddhism, such as Thailand, Burma, Cambodia and Sri Lanka, tend to take a much more conservative view of monastic life, and continue to observe precepts that forbid monks from touching women or working in certain secular roles.

According to Theravada commentaries, there are five requisite factors that must all be fulfilled for an act to be both an act of killing and to be karmically negative.

The text contrasts the orthodox Theravada position on a range of issues to the heterodox views of various interlocutors ; the latter are not identified in the primary source text, but were speculatively identified with specific schools of thought in the ( historically subsequent ) commentaries.

The commentaries presume that the non-orthodox views were posed by well-established schools of Buddhist philosophy ( other than the Theravada ) in ancient India, and this, too, may entail anachronisms, or may simply be incompatible with the earlier date of authorship that tradition has presumed.

The Theravada school remained a presence on the Indian mainland long after its establishment in Sri Lanka, however.

In Theravada Buddhist countries such as Sri Lanka and Thailand, Buddhist laymen and laywomen will often spend one day a week ( on the Uposatha days: the new moon, first-quarter moon, full moon and last-quarter moon days ) living in the monastery, and practicing the eight precepts.

On the other hand, the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions accept both Theravada and Mahayana scriptures, and consequently the practice will vary depending on their interpretation of the sutras.

The Dhatu of Doi Tung, constructed around 850 AD, signified the piety of Tai people on the Theravada religion.

In Theravada countries following the Buddhist calendar, it falls on a full moon Uposatha day, typically in the 5th or 6th lunar month.

In Theravada Buddhism, nuns ( Pāli: bhikkhunis ) and monks ( Pāli: bhikkhus ) go on a daily almsround ( pindacara ) to collect food ( piṇḍapāta ).

Money should not be accepted by a Buddhist monk or nun in lieu of or in addition to food, although nowadays not many monks and nuns keep to this rule ( the exception being the monks and nuns of the Thai Forest Tradition and other Theravada traditions which focus on vinaya and meditation practice ).

:* The Theravada Buddhist place of worship Wat Dhammapateep ( Temple of the Flame of Truth or Reality as taught by the Enlightened One ) has since 2005 on its grounds an in China beautifully sculptured Buddha seated on a soccle, both in dark green granite – the tallest stone Buddha statue in Europe.

In the Theravada Buddhist tradition, the teacher is a valued and honoured mentor worthy of great respect and is a source of inspiration on the path to Enlightenment, however the teacher is not generally considered to be a guru but rather a spiritual friend or Kalyāṇa-mittatā.

An Arhat needs to follow the teaching of a Buddha to attain Nirvana, but can also preach the dhamma after attaining Nirvana In one instance the term buddha is also used in Theravada to refer to all who attain Nirvana, using the term Sāvakabuddha to designate an Arhat, someone who depends on the teachings of a Buddha to attain Nirvana.

The new regime reforms Burmese Buddhism on Sri Lankan Theravada models.

Rahula further says, though, that in declaring " all dhammas are anatta ," the Buddha included even nirvana in his blanket statement that all things are not one's self ; this standard Theravada interpretation also hinges on interpreting the word " sankhara " in the widest sense.

* Translations and extensive commentary on Theravada Vinaya ( Vinaya section on www. accesstoinsight. org )

Evola based his interpretation of Buddhism on the original Pali Canon, rejected western interpretations of Buddhism as a humanitarian religion of compassion for all beings, held reincarnation as a false tenet not found in the original Pali Canon and saw the Mahayana tradition as heterodox along with certain aspects of Theravada.

According to the Theravada school, after rediscovering the path on their own, Paccekabuddhas are unable to teach the Dhamma, which requires the omniscience and supreme compassion of a Sammasambuddha, and even He hesitates to attempt to teach.

The Thai meditation masters, pre-eminently of the Dhammakaya Movement, who teach of a true Self of which they claim to have gained meditative experience, are not rejected by Thai Buddhists in general, but tend, on the contrary, to be particularly reverered and worshipped in Thailand as arhats or even Bodhisattvas, far more so than more ' orthodox ' Theravada monks and scholars.

Retrieved on 2007-05-20 from " Access to Insight: Readings in Theravada Buddhism ," at http :// www. accesstoinsight. org / tipitaka / dn / dn. 22. 0. than. html.

Furthermore, on February 28, 2003, Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, formerly known as Chatsumarn Kabilsingh, became the first Thai woman to receive bhikkhuni ordination as a Theravada nun ( Theravada is a school of Buddhism ).