The ordination hall is a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

building specifically consecrated and designated for the performance of the Buddhist ordination ritual ('' upasampada'') and other ritual ceremonies, such as the recitation of the Patimokkha. The ordination hall is located within a boundary () that defines "the space within which all members of a single local community have to assemble as a complete

Sangha Sangha is a Sanskrit word used in many Indian languages, including Pali meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community"; Sangha is often used as a surname across these languages. It was historically used in a political context t ...

() at a place appointed for ecclesiastical acts ()." The constitution of the ''sīmā'' is regulated and defined by the

Vinaya The Vinaya (Pali & Sanskrit: विनय) is the division of the Buddhist canon ('' Tripitaka'') containing the rules and procedures that govern the Buddhist Sangha (community of like-minded ''sramanas''). Three parallel Vinaya traditions rema ...

and its commentaries and sub-commentaries.

Burmese ordination halls

In Burmese, ordination halls are called ''thein'' (), derived from the

Pali Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of ''Theravāda'' Buddhi ...

term , which means "boundary." The ''thein'' is a common feature of Burmese monasteries (''

kyaung A ''kyaung'' (, ) is a monastery ( vihara), comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Buddhist monks. Burmese ''kyaungs'' are sometimes also occupied by novice monks (samanera), lay attendants (''kappiya''), nuns ('' thilashin''), and yo ...

''), although the ''thein '' may be not necessarily be located on the monastery compound itself. Shan ordination halls, called ''sim'' (သိမ်ႇ)'','' are exclusively used for events limited to the monkhood. The central importance of the ordination hall in the pre-colonial era is exemplified by the inclusion of an ordination hall, the Maha Pahtan Haw Shwe Ordination Hall (မဟာပဋ္ဌာန်းဟောရွှေသိမ်တော်ကြီး), as one of seven requisite edifices (နန်းတည်သတ္တဌာန) in the founding of

Mandalay Mandalay ( or ; ) is the second-largest city in Myanmar, after Yangon. Located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, 631km (392 miles) (Road Distance) north of Yangon, the city has a population of 1,225,553 (2014 census). Mandalay was fou ...

as a Burmese royal capital.

Thai ordination halls

In Thailand, ordination halls are called ''ubosot'' ( th, อุโบสถ, ) or ''bot'' (, ), derived from the Pali term , meaning a hall used for rituals on '' uposatha'' ("Buddhist sabbath") days.Architecture of Thailand. A Guide to Traditional and Contemporary Forms. Nithi Sthapitanonda; Brian Mertens. The ''ubosot'' is the focal point of Central Thai temples, whereas the focal point of Northern Thai temples is the stupa. In Northeastern Thailand ( Isan), ordination halls are known as ''sim'' (), as they are in Laos ( lo, ສິມ). The ''ubosot'', as the

wat A wat ( km, វត្ត, ; lo, ວັດ, ; th, วัด, ; khb, 「ᩅᨯ᩠ᨰ」(waD+Dha); nod, 「ᩅ᩠ᨯ᩶」（w+Da2)) is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Provi ...

's principal building, is also used for communal services. In the Thai tradition, the boundary of the ''ubosot'' is marked by eight boundary stones known as '' bai sema'', which denote the . The oldest ''bai sema'' date to the

Dvaravati The Dvaravati ( th, ทวารวดี ; ) was an ancient Mon kingdom from the 7th century to the 11th century that was located in the region now known as central Thailand. It was described by the Chinese pilgrim in the middle of the 7th cen ...

period. The ''sema'' stones stand above and mark the ''luk nimit'' (), stone spheres buried at the cardinal points of the compass delineating the sacred area. A ninth stone sphere, usually bigger, is buried below the main Buddha image of the ''ubosot''. The entrance sides of most ''ubosot'' face east. While '' wihan'' buildings also similarly house

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...

images, they differ from ''ubosot'' in that ''wihan'' are not marked by ''sema'' stones. Across from the entrance door at the end of the interior is the ''ubosot'' largest Buddha statue which is usually depicted in either the ''

meditation attitude Meditation Attitude (Buddhism) ( Khmer: ព្រះពុទ្ធសម្មាធិ, ''preah pud (buddha) samathi'', th, ปางสมาธิ; ), also known as meditating Buddha, is an attitude of Buddha in Thai, Burmese, Khmer, Lao, ...

'' or the ''

Maravijaya attitude Māravijaya attitude or ''mara vichai'' ( th, ปางมารวิชัย, ; Khmer: ព្រះពុទ្ធផ្ចាញ់មារ, ''preah pud (buddha) p'chanh mea'') is an attitude of Buddha in Thai art of which the seated Buddha ...

''.

Burmese ordination halls

Thai ordination halls

See also

References

Further reading