ABSTRACT
The purposes of this study are :- to investigate the History of the Propagation of Buddhism; especially of Theravada Buddhism in Thailand and the Development of the Propagation by Thai Missionary Monks to India and to Nepal the fact of which can also be the Buddhist propagation in modern Thai period. This study showd the ideology, the principle, and the strategy of Buddhist Propagation in each era.
From the study, it is found that the Lord Buddha have 3 elements for His propagation:- (1) The objective to give the advantage; the happiness; and the peace to the human being (2) The principles which consist of the concept of Dhamma and Vinaya; the concept of propagation; the concept of propagator’s qualifications (3) The method of propagation which can be divided into the processes and the techniques.
Theravada Buddhism has been the state religion of the Thai nation continuously since Sukhothai and Lanna era until today. Every King of Thailand has been Buddhist. Though they give different kinds and degrees of supports, the main directions toward to keep and to carry on Dhamma-Vinaya with the Pali Sangayana ; to promote Pariyatti Study for monks; to arrange and to develop Sangha Organization ; to appoint the monks to be of the ranks suitable for each period. After Thailand changed the politic to the democracy, The Sangha affairs and the Buddhist propagation were handled by the Sangha Supreme Council of Thailand. The systems of the missionary monks have been developed for both local propagation and the oversea one, especially the oversea propagation is of the sharply view of the proactive propagation. The 1st Thai oversea missionary monks were formally set for the propagation in India in 2502 B.E., which continued and were developed for more than 50 years. From the study it is found that most of Thai Missionary Monk follow to the objective and the principle from the Lord Buddha’s ideology. However, the techniques and target groups of propagation are differently influenced by economics; politics; sociology; and perspective of the Thai Missionary Monk Chief. The original mission of sending Missionary Monk to India which was giving back Buddhism and set up Buddhist in India still can not be proved the result.
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