Abstract

The Theravadi Bhikku Kathikawath (Registration) Bill, presented to the parliament of Sri Lanka in January 2016, is a proposed framework for formulating codes of conduct for Buddhist monks. The bill marked an important moment in the politics of Buddhism, as it led to the emergence of competing views among lay and monastic groups over the question of who could introduce monastic reforms. The paper demonstrates that this effort at monastic reform encountered complexities when attempts were made to incorporate monastic jurisdiction into the state’s legal framework, which in turn led to the failure of the bill. Furthermore, monks from different monastic backgrounds called for deeper reforms of the religious environment itself and the monastic stratum that facilitated it.

摘要

《 Theravadi Bhikku Kathikawath（注册）条例草案》于2016年1月提交给斯里兰卡议会，是拟订和尚行为守则的拟议框架。该法案标志着佛教政治中的一个重要时刻，因为它导致了外行和修道院团体之间在谁可以进行修道院改革的问题上出现了相互竞争的观点。该文件表明，当试图将修道院管辖权纳入该州的法律框架时，寺院改革的努力遇到了复杂性，从而导致该法案失败。此外，来自不同寺院背景的僧侣呼吁对宗教环境本身以及为其提供便利的寺院阶层进行更深层次的改革。