Buddhism, Power and Political OrderIan Harris Weber's claim that Buddhism is an otherworldly religion is only partially true. Early sources indicate that the Buddha was sometimes diverted from supramundane interests to dwell on a variety of politically-related matters. The significance of Asoka Maurya as a paradigm for later traditions of Buddhist kingship is also well-attested. However, there has been little scholarly effort to integrate findings on the extent to which Buddhism interacted with the political order in the classical and modern states of Theravada Asia into a wider, comparative study. Buddhism, Power and Political Order offers new insights for scholars of Buddhism, and it will stimulate new debates. |
Contents
1 INTRODUCTION BUDDHISM POWER AND POLITICS IN THERAVADA BUDDHIST LANDS | 1 |
A dilemma in the current monastic education systems of Burma and Thailand | 10 |
Burmese political theory in the 1870s | 26 |
4 COLONIAL KNOWLEDGE AND BUDDHIST EDUCATION IN BURMA | 52 |
Buddhism kingship and the quest for legitimacy | 71 |
6 THE CAMBODIAN HOSPITAL FOR MONKS | 104 |
7 BUDDHISM POWER AND POLITICAL ORDER IN PRETWENTIETH CENTURY LAOS | 121 |
8 PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE IN BUDDHIST PROPHETIC LITERATURE OF THE LAO | 143 |
The cult of Nang Thoranee in northeast Thailand | 168 |
Ideology ritual and power in premodern Siam | 182 |
216 | |
235 | |