Humanistic Buddhism in Thailand : practices, local patronage and challenges

english

2025

volume 30, issue 119/120

government role   humanistic Buddhism   modern challenges   social harmony   Thailand

Znanstveno-raziskovalno središče Koper
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

Humanistic Buddhism usually implements Buddhist ideas every day to ad-vance social harmony and personal satisfaction. With an emphasis on three main aspects—individual, universal, and transcendental—and six of its features, this paper investigates the beliefs and practices, local support, and obstacles that Hu-manistic Buddhism in Thailand encounters. Using a mixed-method approach, this study gathers quantitative data using questionnaires distributed to 400 re-spondents at two sites in Thailand: the Tzu Chi foundation in Bangkok and fo Guang Shan. in-depth interviews also involved thirty respondents—religious lead-ers, community members, Buddhist scholars engaged in Humanistic Buddhism, and so forth. The results revealed that the beliefs and practices of Humanistic Buddhism were consistent with the three dimensions of the tradition. Three pri-mary challenges in the practice of Humanistic Buddhism in Thailand involved: (1) the resolution of internal conflicts, (2) the promotion of compassion in social relations, and (3) the management of existential issues. This study recommends a multifaceted approach to policy development that promotes the sustainability of humanistic Buddhist practices in Thailand to amplify the roles of Buddhist or-ganizations in community welfare and promote collaboration among Buddhist, governmental, and civil society institutions.

04.03.2026