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95. Beyond the Mainland: Buddhism and Mobility in Maritime Southeast Asia

Fri, March 17, 12:45 to 2:45pm, Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, Floor: 4th Floor, Forest Hill

Session Submission Type: Organized Panel

Abstract

Mention “Southeast Asian Buddhism” and what comes to mind is often Theravāda Buddhism, the dominant religion in the mainland Southeast Asian states of Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, and the Mahāyāna Buddhism in Vietnam. Recent scholarship has started to pay more attention to the presence of Buddhism in the Islamic Malay world, Catholic Philippines, and the Chinese-majority Singapore. This panel aims to contribute to the ongoing conversation by analyzing the varied forms of Buddhism in maritime Southeast Asia. Whereas most studies of Buddhism in Southeast Asia have focused on the mainland, the papers in this panel place emphasis on Buddhism in maritime Southeast Asia, and its transnational connections with mainland Southeast Asia, China, Taiwan, and beyond. Wenxue Zhang uses the case of Zhuandao to analyze the Buddhist networks and brotherhood ties between China and Singapore in the first half of twentieth century. Jack Meng-Tat Chia discusses Ashin Jinarakkhita’s Buddhayāna movement in postcolonial Indonesia, and argues that the monk’s reform of Buddhist teachings was a calculated strategy to ensure the survival of Buddhism in Muslim-majority Indonesia. Yu-Chen Li examines the transnational religious career of Malaysian Chinese monk, Chi Chern, who is a significant figure in the globalization of Taiwanese Buddhism. Manuel Sapitula investigates the appropriation of Buddhist-inspired meditation practices, and accounts for the emergence of religious pluralism in present-day Philippines. Justin McDaniel will comment on these papers in the light of his research on Buddhism in Southeast Asian societies.

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