View source for Kappiya

{{short description|In Southeast Asian Buddhism, a boy who lives in a temple and assists the monks}}
{{Buddhist_term
  | title=Kappiya
  | pi= {{IAST|kappiyakāraka}}
  | sa= 
  | my= ကပ္ပိယ
  | my-Latn= kaʔpḭya̰
  | zh= 
  | zh-Latn= 
  | km=
  |km-Latn=
  | ko=
  | ko-Latn=
  | ja= 
  | ja-Latn= 
  | en=lay attendant
  | th=ลูกศิษย์วัด / เด็กวัด
  | th-Latn= luuk sit wat / dek wat
  | vi= 
  }}
'''''Kappiya''''' is a Buddhist lay [[manciple]] (attendant or steward) who resides in a monastery ([[vihāra]]) and assists Buddhist monks ([[bhikkhu]] in Pali). 

== Names ==
The term '''''kappiya''''', which literally means "lawful" or "proper,"<ref>{{Cite book|last=Buddhadatta|first=A. P.|title=Concise Pali-English Dictionary|date=1992-01-01|publisher=French & European Publications, Incorporated|isbn=978-0-7859-7473-4|language=en}}</ref> is of [[Pali]] origin, and is also employed in the [[Burmese language]] ({{Langx|my|ကပ္ပိယ}}). The compound word '''''kappiyakāraka''''' ({{lit|one who makes it befitting}}) is also used in Pali.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kappiyakaraka, Kappiyakāraka, Kappiya-karaka: 2 definitions|url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/kappiyakaraka|last=www.wisdomlib.org|date=2014-08-03|website=www.wisdomlib.org|access-date=2020-05-17}}</ref> In Thailand, the terms '''''luuk sit wat''''' (ลูกศิษย์วัด) and '''''dek wat''''' (เด็กวัด), commonly rendered into English as "temple boy", are typically used. In Cambodia, the term '''''khmeng voat''''' (ក្មេងវត្ត) is used.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Headley|first=Robert Kirk|title=Cambodian-English Dictionary|date=1997|language=en}}</ref>

== Roles ==
The ''kappiya''<nowiki/>'s primary role is to assist ordained Buddhist monks with various tasks, especially those which are forbidden by the [[Vinaya]], the set of Buddhist monastic rules (e.g., handling of money).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bhikkhu Rules|url=https://www.budsas.org/ebud/ebsut042.htm|last=Bhikkhu Ariyesako|website=BuddhaSasana|access-date=2020-05-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Other points of the monastic discipline|url=https://en.dhammadana.org/sangha/vinaya/other_points.htm|website=Dhammadana|access-date=2020-05-17}}</ref> A ''kappiya'' is not ordained, unlike bhikkhu, [[bhikkhunī]], [[Samanera|sāmaṇera]] or sāmaṇerī. ''Kappiya'' may also assist in other capacities, including carrying alms bowls during morning alms collection, and preparing food for monks.

== Regional differences ==

=== Myanmar (Burma) ===
In Myanmar (Burma), ''kappiya'' are generally young men or boys who live in the monastery they support.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Scott|first=Sir James George|title=The Burman: His Life and Notions|date=1910|publisher=Macmillan and Company, limited|language=en}}</ref> Some female renunciants called ''kappiya [[thilashin]]'' also serve as lay attendants to monastic institutions (''[[kyaung]]''), providing support to ordained monks as managers and treasurers, entrusted with the ongoing upkeep of monasteries.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Skidmore|first=Monique|title=Burma At The Turn Of The Twenty-first Century|date=2005|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|isbn=978-0-8248-2857-8|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Kawanami|first=Hiroko|title=Renunciation and Empowerment of Buddhist Nuns in Myanmar-Burma: Building a Community of Female Faithful|date=2013-02-01|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-23440-6|language=en}}</ref>

=== Thailand ===
In Thailand, ''kappiya'' are typically young boys (typically between the ages of 10 and 15)<ref>{{Cite book|last=Young|first=John E. De|title=Village Life in Modern Thailand|date=1966|publisher=University of California Press|language=en}}</ref> who are affiliated with temples ([[wat]]) and provide cleaning services, run errands and collect gifts in exchange for food, lodging, instruction, and other benefits.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Fry|first=Gerald W.|title=Historical Dictionary of Thailand|last2=Nieminen|first2=Gayla S.|last3=Smith|first3=Harold E.|date=2013-08-08|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-7525-8|language=en}}</ref> Some are sent to become temple boys to acquire [[Merit (Buddhism)|merit]]; others, because they are given free room and board; and others to receive [[religion|religious]] and [[morality|moral]] instruction. Some temple boys go on to be ordained as monks themselves. Temple boys may undertake the formal step of [[śrāmaṇera|sāmaṇera]] ordination as part of their role, depending on their age and local custom. Historically speaking, serving as a temple boy has provided a means for social mobility; notable figures including politicians ([[Chuan Leekpai]] and [[Watana Muangsook]]) and actors (e.g., [[Rangsiroj Panpeng]]) spent their formative years in this role.<ref name=":0" />

==See also==
*[[Vinaya]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Buddhism topics}}
{{Religion in Myanmar}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kappiya}}
[[Category:Buddhism in Thailand]]
[[Category:Thai Buddhist titles]]
[[Category:Buddhist religious occupations]]
[[Category:Buddhist monasticism]]
[[Category:Buddhist titles]]


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