Past and Contemporary Trends
The paper focuses on Theravada Buddhism, which is believed to have originally spread from Chiang Mai, the capital of the Lanna Kingdom, during the thirteenth to fourteenth centuries, via Muang Yong, Chiang Tung (Jengtung) and Muang Yang in Sipsong Panna, southwest China. The recovery of Theravada Buddhism in Sipsong Panna during the 1980s, as well as how Buddhism in Sipsong Panna has been influenced by modern/reformed Thai Buddhism since the 1990s, are both investigated in this paper. It is argued that Theravada Buddhism in Sipsong Panna, which spread from northern Thailand, has been well preserved in the area while, paradoxically, in Thailand it has changed greatly. Nowadays, Buddhism in Sipsong Panna is trying to learn from contemporary, reformed Thai Buddhism, in order to adapt its traditions to current social trends in the region.
Publication date : December 2009
Price : 180 Baht / 7 US$
- THEME
- Ethnic Politics