| dia has also shared the same Buddhist tradition with | | | | throne, became the country’s first chief of |
| Thailand and Laos, since the beginning of her modern | | | | state. In the face of the Vietnam war, he tried to |
| history. According to the statistics of a year during the | | | | maintain Cambodia’s neutrality. Then, on March |
| 1960s, there were 2,750 monasteries with about | | | | 18, 2513/1970, while he was out of the country, his |
| 70,000 to 80,000 monks and novices in residence.1 | | | | government was overthrown in a pro-Western coup |
| There monks and novices might be either temporary | | | | led by Lt.Gen. Lon Nol. Almost suddenly began a long |
| or permanent as they enjoyed the practice of freely | | | | war between the U.S. supplied government troops and |
| entering and leaving the monkhood under the | | | | the North Vietnamese and Vietcong (gradually |
| ordination-for-learning tradition which was characteristic | | | | replaced, from 2513/1970 to 2516/1973, by the |
| also of Thailand and Laos. As in Thailand, there were | | | | Hanoi-backed native Cambodian Communist insurgents |
| two denominations or Sub-Orders of the Cambodian | | | | called the Khmer Rouge). |
| Sangha. One was the original order which was later | | | | The five-year war ended in April 2518/1975 as the |
| called Mahanikaya to distinguish it from the | | | | Government surrendered and the Khmer Rouge |
| newly-founded denomination of the Dhammayut. The | | | | entered Phnom Penh. Under a new constitution, a |
| other, the Dhammayut, was the Sub-Order introduced | | | | State Presidium was established, headed by Pol Pot. |
| from Thailand in the last Buddhist century. There were | | | | Refugees, who escaped to Thailand in thousands, |
| two Patriarchs, one for each of the two | | | | reported that all cities, including Phnom Penh swollen at |
| denominations. | | | | that time by 2 million refugees, had been evacuated |
| The Cambodian Sangha appeared to be active in | | | | and almost all the inhabitants were forcibly moved to |
| education. Efforts were made to modernize the | | | | rural areas and put to work in the rice fields or in the |
| ecclesiastical education. A Pali High School was | | | | jungle where new farm settlements were to be |
| founded in Phnom Penh in 2457/1914, which was later | | | | founded. In addition to the long forced marches, they |
| transformed into a college. Around the year 2499 | | | | spoke of starvation and wholesale killings. From 2518 |
| 1956, arrangements were made for the establishment | | | | 1975 through 2521/1978, about 3 or 4 million |
| of the Buddhist University of Phra Sihanu-Raja (The | | | | Cambodians are estimated to have died under the |
| Universite Bouddhique Preah Sihanouk) which began | | | | brutality of Pol Pot’s regime. The two patriarchs |
| functioning in 2504/1961. The Buddhist Institute of | | | | of the two Sub-Orders of the Cambodian Sangha are |
| Phnom Penh was also founded to carry out the | | | | also reported dead though the causes of their death |
| programmes of propagating Buddhism and Cambodian | | | | are still unclear. |
| culture. A Tripitฺaka Board was appointed a | | | | In April 2524/1981, a senior Cambodian monk, who is |
| few decades ago for the publication of the Canon | | | | the spiritual leader of several Cambodian communities |
| tohether with its Cambodian translation in 110 volumes. | | | | of refugees in the United States, gave an address in |
| During the 1960s, monks were encouraged to | | | | the City Hall of the City of Boston, saying, “... As |
| participate in various nation-building programmes. By | | | | you know, more than one third of Cambodia’s |
| involving monks in educational and community-welfare | | | | people were killed in the past ten years, including |
| projects, it was hoped that the traditional leadership | | | | almost all of Cambodia’s 80,000 Buddhist |
| and teaching role of the monks would be strengthened. | | | | monks ....” |
| Primary-school instruction was provided at temple | | | | In 2521/1978, border clashes with Vietnam developed |
| schools throughout the provinces. Monks were | | | | again. On January 9, 2522/1979, Phnom Penh fell to the |
| engaged in the improvement of village life, leading the | | | | Hanoi-backed People’s Revolutionary Council |
| peasants in the construction of country roads and | | | | of Cambodia headed by Heng Samrin who took over |
| bridges and supervising well-digging. Prince Sihanouk | | | | as president of the People’s Republic of |
| was then active in expounding his social gospel of | | | | Kampuchea. Pol Pot forces retreated to the |
| Buddhist Socialism. In the early years of the 1970s, | | | | countryside. Fighting still continues, as surely as the |
| however, political unrest developed in Cambodia, | | | | increase of the deaths of the Cambodians and the |
| monks and monasteries as well as the people | | | | ravage of Cambodia, and will certainly last long as the |
| suffered from battles and warfare, and the Buddhist | | | | retreating Democratic Kampuchea government, now |
| activities were put into obscurity. | | | | with Khieu Samphan replacing Pol Pot as head of |
| In 2498/1955, Prince Narodom Sihanouk abdicated the | | | | state, is prepared to join with all Nationalist forces in a |
| throne in favour of his father and remained premier to | | | | common front to expel the so-called Vietnamese |
| fill a more active political role. When his father died in | | | | invaders. |
| 2503/1960, Prince Sihanouk, without returning to the | | | | |