Buddhadasa and doctrinal modernisation in contemporary Thai Buddhism : a social and philosophical analysis

Abstract

Phra Buddhadasa Bhikkhu is without doubt the most controversial and the most innovative interpreter of Buddhist doctrine and teachings in contemporary Thailand. Buddhadasa has devoted his life to a systematic and thorough reinterpretation of the entire body of Theravada Buddhist teachings, with the explicit goal of revealing the relevance of the Buddha’s message to men and women living in the modern world. However, a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of his total re-interpretative system requires more than simply a philosophical study of Buddhist doctrines and theoretical teachings. Because of the social and political role of institutional Buddhism in Thailand, and because of the importance of his work to educated and progressive Thai laypeople, the sources, motivations and aims of Buddhadasa’s ideas can only be fully detailed when their extra-religious social and political influences are also considered. That is, Buddhadasa’s systematic re-interpretation of Buddhist teachings should firstly be understood in terms of its relation to the history of doctrinal interpretation and Buddhist studies in Thailand. But this theoretical analysis should at the same time be complemented by an appreciation of the social context of Buddhadasa’s reforms, and the critical as well as supportive responses to his work from the various sections of Thai society. Only when Buddhadasa’s doctrinal reformation of Theravada Buddhism is appreciated as being both a theoretical and a sociological phenomenon can its significance in contemporary Thailand be fully appreciated.