Abstract:
Missionization continues to be a dynamic force shaping modern Thai Buddhism. Buddhists continue to missionize in distinct ways by building on historical models, such as a concern with bringing knowledge and spreading teachings as opposed to formal conversion and renunciation of previous religious beliefs. Buddhists in Thailand have recently introduced new strategies, such as creating opportunities for non-Buddhists to join a meditation retreat or become part of a Buddhist community. Instead of distinguishing between Buddhism abroad and Buddhism at home, my research looks at the convergences of these two. From this unique context, we can understand both the ways the tradition creatively adapts and, more broadly, how Thai Buddhist missionizing attempts serve as an avenue for recognizing the dynamic interplay of religion and globalization.
Short bio:
Brooke Schedneck is Lecturer in Buddhist Studies at the Institute of Southeast Asian Affairs at Chiangmai University, Thailand. She holds a Ph.D. in Asian Religions from Arizona State University. Her main scholarly interests include the intersection of Buddhism and modernity as well as the emerging global Buddhist landscape. The title of her monograph through Routledge’s series Contemporary Asian Religions is Thailand’s International Meditation Centers: Tourism and the Global Commodification of Religious Practices. She has been published in Contemporary Buddhism, The Buddhist Studies Review, The Pacific World Journal, and The Journal of Contemporary Religion.
Dr. Schedneck looked at the convergences of Buddhism abroad and Buddhism in Thailand. She argued that missionization continues to be a dynamic force shaping modern Thai Buddhism. The modern Buddhist missionaries have become teachers of meditation.
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