The Xishuangbanna Temple Education On The Development Of The Dai Students

Temple education in Xishuangban’na, as one of traditional education styles to Dai People, has been contributing to significant elements of Dai Culture. It is gradually increasing the influence on people’s daily life there, for this type of education does not only cultivate loyal Buddhists, but extends the national culture to next generations. However, what disappoints us now is, this classical education is coming to wind off, with progress of both social and culture, which can be shown mainly in three directions, simplification of content and methods, and loosing of management.The difference among a cultural system, limits the development of students. The gender gap in a religion can lead to the unbalanced development status, which shows the educational status wholly. In Dai schools, this unbalanced status is especially obvious between boys and girls.In order to make it clear how temple education can influence students’development, Dai students of Menghai No.3 Middle School in Menghai County, was chosen to be a trial. All Dai students were divided into four groups,Dai boys, namely Monks; unfrock boys; boys who never was a monks; and Dai girls. The main tactic is to observe students developmental status in basic performance and subjects, and also to interview parents, teachers, and students themselves by observation, contrast and analysis in details.The research shows that huge difference happens among these students. In studying, "Monk students" are more negative, dislike studying and even escape from school frequently. In inter-personal relationship, they don’t respect teachers and classmates, which leads them to be a small community and separated from others. In achievements, they get fewer points, fewer chances to study further and higher possibility to leave school earlier.As to Dai boys who never accepted temple education, they perform almost the same with Dai girls, both better than "Monk students" in many fields. In the primary stage of compulsive education, there is almost no difference between Dai boys and Dai girls, while Dai boys show a little better than Dai girls in some ways.Sexual difference, as an inevitable and natural factor, is resulting into difference between both sexual psychology and behavior. However, more other factors, such as family, education, and social background, should contribute most to the increasing difference between sexes. Culture is, especially, the most important factor of sexual difference.Dai culture is so unique that Dai people’s daily life has s strong relationship with Buddhism, and it gradually forms an excellent tradition of culture. Whereas, the quality of temple education is becoming worse and worse, which is impacting students’psychological and physical development seriously.To be a conclusion, temple education should be developed in two ways. In one way, the first-class tradition of culture should be succeeded and promoted continuously, combined with elites of school education. In the other way, its invisible function should lead all the visible behaviors to invisible quintessence of inside moral.