How to behave: Buddhism and modernity in colonial Cambodia, 1860-1930

266 Pages·2011·37.811 MB·English

by  Hansen, Anne Ruth

Buddhism / Southeast Asia
HOW to
(Continued from front fl ap) H
BEHAVE
“It has become increasingly clear that the rational and ethical A
N T
religion called Buddhism is as much a product of the late nine-
S
Duang. She follows Khmer monks his ambitious cross-disciplinary
teenth and early twentieth centuries as it is of the time of the E
to Siam as they sought out Buddhist N study of Buddhist modernism in colo-
Buddha, more than two millennia ago. What remain to be deter- Buddhism and
scriptures and examines how they nial Cambodia breaks new ground in
mined are the specifi c ways in which this Buddhism was pro-
carried ideas back to Cambodia and understanding the history and devel-
Modernity in
duced within and among the cultures of Asia. In this fascinating
shaped their own reformist movement opment of religion and colonialism
in a colonial society infl uenced by study, Anne Hansen examines the case of Cambodia, combining H Colonial Cambodia in Southeast Asia. In How to Behave,
French discourses of modernization. extensive research with insightful analysis to both contextualize Anne Hansen argues for the impor-
Drawing on literary and ethical forms and complicate the category of modern Buddhism.” tance of Therava¯da Buddhist ethics
O 1860 –1930
of analysis as well as historical, Hansen for imagining and articulating what it
—Donald S. Lopez Jr., University of Michigan
not only accounts for this historical means to be modern in early-twenti-
rise of modernist values but also intro- W eth-century Cambodia. The 1920s in
“A remarkable characteristic of this book is the deftness with
duces readers to modernist worldviews Cambodia saw an exuberant burst of
which the author moves between the intellectual currents of
through careful translations of sermons, new printed writings by self-described
Buddhist studies and Southeast Asian history, drawing analyses
ritual manuals, ethics compendia, and Khmer Buddhist modernists on the
of textual practice, regionalism, nation-building, and colonial
vernacular folktales. subject of how to behave (as good
t
experience into fruitful conversation. The study uses, and sig-
Buddhists and moral persons) and how
How to Behave will be of interest to a nifi cantly develops, new work in Buddhist Studies related to o to purify oneself in everyday life in the
wide, multi-disciplinary audience in vernacular textuality, education, and the emergence of Buddhist modern world. Hansen’s book, one of

the fi elds of Southeast Asian studies, print culture. It is particularly timely in the context of compara- the fi rst studies of colonial Buddhism
B
religious studies, colonial history, and tive colonial studies, where it will be a welcome addition to a based largely on Khmer-language
Buddhist ethics. It adds to the exami- movement now underway to depart from rather narrow colonial sources, examines the modernists’
E
nation of the comparative and pan- stimulus-local response analyses of colonialism and Asian questioning of Buddhist values that
Asian contours of religious modernism they deemed most important and rele-
modernity.”
H
among scholars of Asia and will be vant. She explores their new interpreta-
—Anne M. Blackburn, Cornell University
essential reading for those working in tions of traditional doctrines, how they
the fi elds of comparative colonialism, A were produced, and how they represent
nationalism, and religious modernity. Southeast Asian ethical and religious
Jacket art: “Bronzes cambodgiens,” a portrait of fi ve unknown Khmer V responses to the modern circulation
of local and translocal events, people,
monks, undated. Photo from the National Archives of Cambodia.
ideas, and anxieties.
E
ANNE RUTH HANSEN is associate Jacket design by Santos Barbasa Jr.
professor in the Department of History Hansen begins her study in the mid-
at the University of Wisconsin, Milwau- nineteenth century with a Buddhist
kee, and a faculty member in the Com- UNIVERSITY of HAWAI‘I PRESS purifi cation movement that had been
parative Study of Religion Program. set in motion by the Khmer king Ang
Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822-1888
(Continued on back fl ap)
A R H
NNE UTH ANSEN
www.uhpress.hawaii.edu
jack mech.indd 1 12/5/06 4:04:41 PM

Southeast Asia
politics, meaning, and memory
David Chandler and Rita Smith Kipp
series editors
OTHER VOLUMES IN THE SERIES
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Transgender Identity and Female Same-Sex Relationships in Thailand
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From Free Election Movements to People Power in the Philippines
Eva-Lotta E. Hedman
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Society and Rebellion in Eighteenth-Century Vietnam
George Dutton
Spreading the Dhamma
Writing, Orality, and Textual Transmission in Buddhist Northern Thailand
Daniel M. Veidlinger
Art as Politics
Re-Crafting Identities, Tourism, and Power in Tana Toraja, Indonesia
Kathleen M. Adams
Buddhism and Modernity
in Colonial Cambodia,
1860–1930
anne ruth hansen
university of hawai‘i press Honolulu
© 2007 University of Hawai`i Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
12 11 10 09 08 07 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hansen, Anne Ruth.
How to behave : Buddhism and modernity in colonial Cambodia, 1860–1930 / Anne Ruth
Hansen.
p. cm. — (Southeast Asia : politics, meaning, and memory)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8248-3032-8 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Buddhist modernism—Cambodia—History—19th century. 2. Buddhist modernism—
Cambodia—History—20th century. 3. Buddhist ethics—Cambodia. I. Title.
BQ464.H36 2007
294.3'9109596—dc22
2006028169
University of Hawai‘i Press books are printed on acid-free
paper and meet the guidelines for permanence and durability
of the Council on Library Resources.
Based on a design by Richard Hendel
Printed by The Maple-Vail Book Manufacturing Group
To my parents, Jan and Mimi
Portraits (clockwise from top) of Mahã Vimaladhamm Tho°, Uƒ-Sûr, Huot
Tath, Chuon Nath, Lvî-Em, the “¤ve great Mahãnikãy scholars,” dated 1931.
Photo from the National Archives of Cambodia.
contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1. Defending the Jeweled Throne: Khmer Religious Imagination
in the Nineteenth Century 18
2. Buddhist Responses to Social Change 45
3. Vinaya Illuminations: The Rise of “Modern Dhamma” 77
4. Colonial Collusions 109
5. How Should We Behave? Modernist Translations of
Theravãda Buddhism 148
Archives and Special Collections 185
Notes 187
Sources 229
Index 245

acknowledgments
My acquaintance with Cambodian history began with horri¤c accounts of the
Khmer Rouge period, in refugee camps on the Thai border, and later, through
deepening friendships with survivors of the Pol Pot regime in U.S. diasporic com-
munities. My efforts to comprehend these accounts of violence and suffering led
me to the study of Buddhism—through ideas and stories and explanations of the
world I learned from Khmer elders and friends. Thus, for this book and for some
of the ways I have learned to interpret Buddhist history, I am indebted especially
to Bounthay Phath and to Sok Yi, Phin Ngim, and Duok Phith, who introduced
me to the Triple Gem, Vessantar, Maddî, and Bhikkhu Sukh and helped me
understand how and why these ideas and images and stories have meaning.
The subject of this book grew out of comments and suggestions from Charles
Hallisey and John Strong in response to my 1999 dissertation, a textual analysis of
Ukñã Suttantaprîjã Ind’s Gatilok. I am indebted to both of them for ideas about
framing this historical project and to Charlie for teaching me how to read Bud-
dhist texts. In its different incarnations, this work has also bene¤ted from the
thoughtful critiques and ideas of many different people to whom I owe enormous
gratitude for their patience, support, and ideas. First and foremost among them is
David Chandler, whose long-suffering encouragement, comments, corrections,
and fabulous editing have guided this project from start to ¤nish; I am truly grate-
ful for David’s generosity over many years. The book has also taken its present
shape due in no small part to comments and ideas from Rita Kipp, Anne Black-
burn, Douglas Howland, and Mark Bradley, all of whom read and commented on
earlier drafts of the manuscript, from Pamela Kelley at the University of Hawai‘i
Press, and JoAnne Sandstrom, who copyedited the manuscript.
My research in Phnom Penh and writing were supported by grants and fel-
lowships from the National Endowment for Humanities, the Graduate School at
the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, the Center for Twenty-¤rst Century
Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and the Institute for Re-
search in the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Parts of the
research on colonial millenarianism were carried out in conjunction with Judy
Ledgerwood as part of our ongoing work on the Khmer Buddh Daƒnãy. I am
grateful for Judy’s insights on Khmer culture, apparent in many aspects of this
book, and for her generosity and friendship.
My research at the National Archives of Cambodia could not have been con-
ducted without the expertise of its staff: Chhem Neang, NAC director; Y Dari,
chief administrator of the Technical Bureau; Hou Rin, chief administrator of the
Repository Bureau; Chun Lim, associate chief administrator of the Repository
Bureau; Mam Chean, director of administration; and Peter Arfanis. I am grateful