Buddhism in Cambodia
Buddhism in
Cambodia
Buddhism in Cambodia is currently a form of Theravada Buddhism. Buddhism has existed in
Cambodia since at least the 5th century, and in its earlier form was a type of Mahayana Buddhism. Theravada
Buddhism has been the Cambodian state religion since the 13th century (except
during the Khmer Rouge period), and
is currently estimated to be the faith of 95% of the population.The history of Buddhism in Cambodia spans a number of successive kingdoms and empires. Buddhism entered Cambodia through two different streams. The earliest forms of Buddhism, along with Hindu influences, entered the Funan kingdom with Hindu merchants. In later history, a second stream of Buddhism entered Khmer culture during the Angkor empire when Cambodia absorbed the various Buddhist traditions of the Mon kingdoms of Daravati and Haripunchai.
For the first thousand years of Khmer history, Cambodia was ruled by a series of Hindu kings with an occasional Buddhist king, such as Jayavarman I of Funan, Jayavarman VII, who became a mahayanist, and Suryavarman I. A variety of Buddhist traditions co-existed peacefully throughout Cambodian lands, under the tolerant auspices of Hindu kings and the neighboring Mon-Theravada kingdoms.
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