A Comparsion of the Thai Forest Movement and the Chan/Zen School: A Social Movements View

• In Event: Transnational and Comparative Perspectives on Asian Buddhism and Popular Rituals in South China, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and the United States

Abstract

This paper compares the Theravada Thai Forest movement with the Mahayana Chan/Zen school of East Asia from a social movements perspective. Two propositions are argued. The first is that a social movements perspective brings into the foreground over-looked areas of lineage, personal experience, the dynamics of practice/action, charismatic authority and innovation. The second contention, is that Zen and the Forest movement are marked by significant shared traits despite separation by denomination, geography, and culture.
In support of this assertion the two movements are compared across four domains: Doctrine, Teaching Methods, Sources of Spiritual Authority, and Practices and Path. The Thai Forest movement has developed innovative doctrines which closely parallel core teachings of Chan/Zen: Tathagatagarba doctrine, Yogacara philosophy, and the teaching of original enlightenment. In the area of teaching methods, examination of instructional context, use of verbal and nonverbal strategies, interpersonal confrontation, and the utilization of the existential moment demonstrate marked similarities. Additionally, both social movements are noted to have shifted the locus of spiritual authority toward the charismatic and the experiential. Lastly, the domain of practice and path are organized around a cross-culturally recognized rite of passage pattern that shapes the practitioner’s quest and the hagiographies of both movements.
The research model entails a triangulation of the subject from three distinct sources; the written and audio recorded teachings of Thai Forest masters supplemented by secondary studies and commentary, participant observation by the researcher at forest monasteries and retreat centers, and open ended, in-depth interviews with forest abbotts and senior monks.

Author

• Alan Lopez, Mahachulalongkorn Buddhist University