Thailand and Southeast Asia Regional Office

Buddhist Institute

One step forward

by Naurin Ahmad-Zaki

These days the Buddhist Institute in Phnom Penh is bustling with last-minute-activity, for its staff is getting ready to shift from their present domicile at Wat Unnalom into a newly constructed building on the banks of the Mekong River. Almost seventy years after its establishment in 1930 as the first and only educational and research centre of its kind at that time, then also known as the ‘soul of Cambodia’, the institute will now be housed in an impressive pagoda-styled abode near the palace of the Cambodian royal family.

``The main objective of establishing the Buddhist Institute, the Native Institute of Theravada Buddhist Studies, as it was then called, was to study Buddhism as practised in Cambodia, Laos and Cochinchina (now South Vietnam),´´ explains Om Khem, director of the institute. The institute had its own specialised library, a small ethnological museum with religious and ethnographic objects, two research commissions and its own monthly publication named Kampuja Suriya, which was first published in 1926. However, in the years of terror and war in the seventies during the Pot Pol regime, the institute ceased to exist. ``During the war years everything in the institute was damaged and Kampuja Suriya seemed to have been systematically destroyed,´´ laments Dr. Thonevath Pou, the in-charge of the library. Famous for its remarkable collection of oriental studies among its 30,000 to 40,000 books, the library was counted among the finest in the whole of Southeast Asia. But due to the destruction of almost all books and all catalogues, it was and still is an arduous task to reproduce a similar collection after 1992 when the institute was re-established. ``After the war the institute did not possess a single copy of the Kampuja Suriya which along with the famous Khmer dictionary of Chuon Nath and the Khmer translation of the Tripitaka formed the basis for research on Khmer religious and literary culture,´´ explains Dr. Pou about the importance of the magazine. ``Therefore photocopies were made from all issues available from private collections and other libraries and distributed among the 19 branches of our library in 16 provinces as well as among all other important libraries in the country.´´ The magazine, which is meant for all segments of society, was relaunched in 1994 and includes articles on culture, literature and religion.

The other departments of the institute include the research and spiritual centre comprising the Tripitaka Commission, which was already established in 1929, and the Mores and Customs Commission. The third department, the audio-visual department, forms a relatively small part of the institute. Monthly seminars on a variety of subjects ranging from history and art to religion attract the interest of students and monks in the country since they offer an opportunity to listen to experts and scientists from Cambodia as well as from other countries.

However, only after independence in 1954 did the institute include art and culture in its work, initially it was established to work solely in the field of Buddhism, which was introduced in Cambodia as early as in the 4th century. Being the largest religion, it suffered severe setbacks during the war years from 1975 to 1979. During this period, the infrastructure of most temples was completely destroyed and almost one-fourth of the 60,000 monks at that time were killed. The rest were sent off to labour camps where they suffered from unmerciful malnutrition and ailments.

Almost twenty years after the regime of terror came to an end, the country is currently undergoing a renaissance of Buddhism, a fact which can be assessed by the estimated 40,000 monks living in 3,000 temples across the country. In this process, which greatly helps in the elevation of society, the institute plays a vital role. The standard of education of the monks at present is not what it used to be before the war. Therefore, the Buddhist Institute, which is directly linked with the ministry of religions and culture, has made it its aim to improve the schooling process of the monks.

The education of monks in Cambodia is divided into three levels, namely the primary school, secondary school and high school. The duration of each level varies, the one for primary school being three years, while training at the secondary and high school levels takes approximately four years respectively.

The primary school level, which is attended by young monks who are approximately 15 years old at the start of their training, is conducted in 400 schools spread all over Cambodia. At present, there are 5,000 monks acquiring an education at this level with the main subjects being Pali (the language in which the teachings of Buddha are written down), Khmer, history, geography, maths and general knowledge.

Before the monks are admitted to the next level, the secondary school level, they are required to undergo an admission test. Each year only 300 monks are admitted into the three secondary schools in Phnom Penh and only 100 students into the two schools in the provinces.

The high school level is equivalent to a study course at university level. The first batch of students of this course which is only taught in the capital have not graduated yet, but it is expected that 30 out of the 40 graduates will later on proceed abroad to India, Burma, Sri Lanka, the USA or the UK for PhD. studies. As far as the involvement of the institute in the education process of the monks is concerned, it is responsible for providing the teaching materials - not only for the monks who visit these schools, but also for those monks who receive a general type of education inside the temples.

``This system of education is similar to the one in neighbouring Thailand, in Burma and in Sri Lanka. We expect that our graduates will go on to become our spiritual leaders with a solid grounding in religious studies and can thus contribute greatly to the betterment of society.´´ explains Om Khem, who has been at the helm of affairs of the institute since its re-establishment in 1992. During the war years, he was forced to work in a concentration camp like most other Cambodians. Although the institute is directly answerable to the ministry and it is an registered organisation, he elucidates that at close inspection it becomes very apparent that his organisation is able to take its own decisions and formulate its own policies. 

For this, it is of utmost importance to draw on the expertise of surviving Khmer intellectuals, academics, researchers and other trained personnel presently scattered inside Cambodia and abroad on the one hand and international scholars and resource persons visiting the country on the other.

However, the lack of human resources within the institute is a major constraint in realising the goal of re-establishing the Buddhist Institute. This problem arises in the aftermath of the Pol Pot regime which left a dearth of  trained and experienced personnel in the country, but also the institute’s inability to offer handsome salaries to the new generation of academics emerging from the universities due to a lack of financial resources. It would be extremely beneficial for the institute to fill leading positions in the various departments with academics who have innovative ideas and are able to realise them with the help of other intellectuals and institutions in the country.

According to Om Khem, the shift to the new premises will give the institute added official weight and importance. He hopes that with their tasks escalating manifold, the institute will attract more attention from society, ``We see our role in the process of improving society in raising the spiritual standard and to develop human resources in all parts of the country. If this goal can even partially be achieved, it will be a great step forward in getting Cambodia on the right track. ´´ Yet, with Om Khem having reached retirement age, the institute is in desperate need of fresh people at the helm of affairs in order to achieve its ambitious and noble goals.