Buddhism and Politics in Thailand

Despite the often-repeated assertion that Buddhism and politics are, or at least must be, separate matters, Buddhism has been closely intertwined with politics one way or another since the Buddha’s time. In Thailand, Buddhism has been used since the end of the 19th century as a tool to legitimate st...

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Prif Awdur: Arnaud Dubus
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Cyhoeddwyd: Institut de recherche sur l’Asie du Sud-Est contemporaine 2021
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Mynediad Ar-lein:40234
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author Arnaud Dubus
author_browse Arnaud Dubus
author_facet Arnaud Dubus
author_sort Arnaud Dubus
collection Directory of Open Access Books
description Despite the often-repeated assertion that Buddhism and politics are, or at least must be, separate matters, Buddhism has been closely intertwined with politics one way or another since the Buddha’s time. In Thailand, Buddhism has been used since the end of the 19th century as a tool to legitimate state power. In the following decades, it has been progressively centralized under a national hierarchy, which is still existing today. This scheme was not altered after the change of the country’s political framework in 1932 and political tensions with the sangha came to the fore during the political troubles of the 1970s. The emergence of an increasing political divide in Thailand since the mid-2000s, around two broad groups which have been dubbed the Yellow Shirts and the Red Shirts, has engulfed the monastic community, leading to a growing activism by some Buddhist groups, some temples and some monks. Numerous monks mingled with Red Shirts demonstrators in April-May 2010, and some were on the front-line when the military gave the assault on the Red Shirts’ camp in downtown Bangkok. In the most recent years, these tensions have coalesced around the controversial Dhammakaya temple and have impacted the choice of the leader of the Thai monastic community. Although, tensions within the sangha are nothing new, they have weakened the ability of Buddhism – one of the national pillars of the Thai national ideology – to be a focal point as the country is going through a difficult transition with the end of seven-decades prestigious reign and political uncertainties clouding the horizon.
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language eng
publishDate 2021
publishDateRange 2021
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publisher Institut de recherche sur l’Asie du Sud-Est contemporaine
publisherStr Institut de recherche sur l’Asie du Sud-Est contemporaine
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spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-425072023-12-20T15:54:34Z Buddhism and Politics in Thailand Arnaud Dubus JA1-92 monks politics populism abbot Red monks Mongkut Phra Buddha Isara Prayuth Chan-ocha networks Thailand Sangha somdet phra racha khana proselytism Bhumibol Adulyadej Ma Ba Tha Suthep Thaugsuban Somdet Chuang Thai South nibbana Wat Phra Dhammakaya Thammayut Ashin Wirathu Phra Dhammachayo Buddhadasa Bhikkhu Mahanikai Nyanasamvara Phra crisis Prawase Wasi civil society Supreme Patriarch Chulalongkorn buddhism Phra Paisal Visalo Maha Vajiralongkorn Yingluck Shinawatra reform Santi Asoke political transition Somdet Theravada Buddhism red shirts Vinaya Abhisit Vejjajiva Rohingya Pattani Khruba Srivichai bic Book Industry Communication::G Reference, information & interdisciplinary subjects::GT Interdisciplinary studies::GTJ Peace studies & conflict resolution Despite the often-repeated assertion that Buddhism and politics are, or at least must be, separate matters, Buddhism has been closely intertwined with politics one way or another since the Buddha’s time. In Thailand, Buddhism has been used since the end of the 19th century as a tool to legitimate state power. In the following decades, it has been progressively centralized under a national hierarchy, which is still existing today. This scheme was not altered after the change of the country’s political framework in 1932 and political tensions with the sangha came to the fore during the political troubles of the 1970s. The emergence of an increasing political divide in Thailand since the mid-2000s, around two broad groups which have been dubbed the Yellow Shirts and the Red Shirts, has engulfed the monastic community, leading to a growing activism by some Buddhist groups, some temples and some monks. Numerous monks mingled with Red Shirts demonstrators in April-May 2010, and some were on the front-line when the military gave the assault on the Red Shirts’ camp in downtown Bangkok. In the most recent years, these tensions have coalesced around the controversial Dhammakaya temple and have impacted the choice of the leader of the Thai monastic community. Although, tensions within the sangha are nothing new, they have weakened the ability of Buddhism – one of the national pillars of the Thai national ideology – to be a focal point as the country is going through a difficult transition with the end of seven-decades prestigious reign and political uncertainties clouding the horizon. 2021-02-11T09:21:07Z 2021-02-11T09:21:07Z 2019-12-06 13:15:36 2018 book 40234 9782355960468 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/42507 eng image/png http://books.openedition.org/irasec/2951 Institut de recherche sur l’Asie du Sud-Est contemporaine 10.4000/books.irasec.2951 10.4000/books.irasec.2951 f2b6cbc3-75bd-4a16-b681-d37aef4c9df3 9782355960468 open access
spellingShingle JA1-92
monks
politics
populism
abbot
Red monks
Mongkut
Phra Buddha Isara
Prayuth Chan-ocha
networks
Thailand
Sangha
somdet phra racha khana
proselytism
Bhumibol Adulyadej
Ma Ba Tha
Suthep Thaugsuban
Somdet Chuang
Thai South
nibbana
Wat Phra Dhammakaya
Thammayut
Ashin Wirathu
Phra Dhammachayo
Buddhadasa Bhikkhu
Mahanikai
Nyanasamvara
Phra
crisis
Prawase Wasi
civil society
Supreme Patriarch
Chulalongkorn
buddhism
Phra Paisal Visalo
Maha Vajiralongkorn
Yingluck Shinawatra
reform
Santi Asoke
political transition
Somdet
Theravada Buddhism
red shirts
Vinaya
Abhisit Vejjajiva
Rohingya
Pattani
Khruba Srivichai
bic Book Industry Communication::G Reference, information & interdisciplinary subjects::GT Interdisciplinary studies::GTJ Peace studies & conflict resolution
Arnaud Dubus
Buddhism and Politics in Thailand
title Buddhism and Politics in Thailand
title_full Buddhism and Politics in Thailand
title_fullStr Buddhism and Politics in Thailand
title_full_unstemmed Buddhism and Politics in Thailand
title_short Buddhism and Politics in Thailand
title_sort buddhism and politics in thailand
topic JA1-92
monks
politics
populism
abbot
Red monks
Mongkut
Phra Buddha Isara
Prayuth Chan-ocha
networks
Thailand
Sangha
somdet phra racha khana
proselytism
Bhumibol Adulyadej
Ma Ba Tha
Suthep Thaugsuban
Somdet Chuang
Thai South
nibbana
Wat Phra Dhammakaya
Thammayut
Ashin Wirathu
Phra Dhammachayo
Buddhadasa Bhikkhu
Mahanikai
Nyanasamvara
Phra
crisis
Prawase Wasi
civil society
Supreme Patriarch
Chulalongkorn
buddhism
Phra Paisal Visalo
Maha Vajiralongkorn
Yingluck Shinawatra
reform
Santi Asoke
political transition
Somdet
Theravada Buddhism
red shirts
Vinaya
Abhisit Vejjajiva
Rohingya
Pattani
Khruba Srivichai
bic Book Industry Communication::G Reference, information & interdisciplinary subjects::GT Interdisciplinary studies::GTJ Peace studies & conflict resolution
topic_facet JA1-92
monks
politics
populism
abbot
Red monks
Mongkut
Phra Buddha Isara
Prayuth Chan-ocha
networks
Thailand
Sangha
somdet phra racha khana
proselytism
Bhumibol Adulyadej
Ma Ba Tha
Suthep Thaugsuban
Somdet Chuang
Thai South
nibbana
Wat Phra Dhammakaya
Thammayut
Ashin Wirathu
Phra Dhammachayo
Buddhadasa Bhikkhu
Mahanikai
Nyanasamvara
Phra
crisis
Prawase Wasi
civil society
Supreme Patriarch
Chulalongkorn
buddhism
Phra Paisal Visalo
Maha Vajiralongkorn
Yingluck Shinawatra
reform
Santi Asoke
political transition
Somdet
Theravada Buddhism
red shirts
Vinaya
Abhisit Vejjajiva
Rohingya
Pattani
Khruba Srivichai
bic Book Industry Communication::G Reference, information & interdisciplinary subjects::GT Interdisciplinary studies::GTJ Peace studies & conflict resolution
url 40234
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