[Blolover11]

Hello everyone. (note to moderators: I am also specifically interested in receiving a Theravadin response to this post. Apologies for also posting this topic in "General Buddhism" as well. If this is a problem, please delete this post or the other post.)

I'm originally from the US but have lived in Thailand for quite a few years, and it seems that "face" and "shame" play a big role in Thai culture. I'm not sure if this is due to the Buddhist virtue of lajja (shame), or if it's due to some type of over-riding collectivist cultural value - or perhaps a combo of both (this could be seen as a 'chicken and the egg' thing; I'm currently studying for a degree in Anthropology so I apologize for all these "cultural" topics floating around in my head!).

Shame in the West is usually seen as a negative trait, although lajja/shame is a (positive) virtue in Buddhism.

From the Journal of Buddhist Ethics:
"Fear and shame are regarded as virtues in Buddhist ethical discourse when, for instance, one fears the karmic consequences of misdeeds or feels shame at having violated monastic vows." - http://www.buddhistethics.org/9/mrozik.html#n16

My question is, what role do you feel lajja/shame plays in Buddhism? And, do you believe shame plays a larger role in certain types of Buddhism? Do you feel this is an important trait included, or not included, in "Western Buddhism" (whatever "Western Buddhism" may be)?

Just from my own observations from visiting Theravada temples in Thailand, and then visiting a couple Buddhist organizations in the West, it seems that there is a strong level of "formalism" with visiting temples in Thailand, which I think is not just associated with temples, but an overall respect of "hierarchy" and "face" within Thai culture, something which I believe also preserves the tradition, at least to an extent .... I'm not sure exactly where Im going with this, but just something that's been floating around my head.

Thanks very much for your time and look forward to seeing your views.