ABSTRACT
Theravada Buddhism was introduced to the Southeast Asian mainland in the third century B.C. and became the state religion in Kampuchea in the twelfth century A.D. The Buddhist monastery in nearly every village was the center for the village's activities. It was a recreational center where villagers would meet to celebrate Buddhist festivals, to play traditional games, or just to exchange remarks about everyday life. Interviews conducted with twenty nine surviving monks yielded a vivid account of how was achieved. The Khmer Rouge emerged at a time when the people were receptive to the ideas. Many monks as well as laypeople were disillusioned with the past and current governments, of Sihanouk and Lon Nol, when corruption, oppression and injustice were widespread. People took just enough provisions for three or four days, hoping that they would be able to return. No one could escape the evacuation of Phnom Penh, including the aged and the sick.
