The encounter between Christians and Buddhists in Thailand
Final Report Abstract
In terms of general academic progress, the research has contributed in two significant ways. The first is in providing new raw data about the interreligious encounter in Thailand and doing this from a variety of perspectives. It provides an overview of important, contemporary religious organisations and their encounter with the religious other, whilst setting this in a historical perspective. The second consists of the new insights and concepts the research provides for Thai studies, theology, and Buddhist-Christian studies. These include contributions in the area of Buddhism and sectarian violence, and the issue of religious identity, with its sources in political, cultural and national discourses. The research defines and provides an analysis of khwammankhong Buddhism (security orientated Buddhist nationalism), as well as discussing the Thai understanding of religion as sombun (perfect, complete). The study also identifies two areas in which the Thai context contributes towards wider debates in global Buddhist-Christian studies and interreligious dialogue, through the notions of a ‘discourse of avoidance’ or ‘conflict avoidance’ and through the Buddhist concept of kalyanamitta (friendship) as a basis for interreligious relations. The study of the village community, which was one of the case studies, provided important data from a source that has been neglected in Buddhist-Christian studies.
Publications
- 'The purification of the mind and the encounter with those who suffer. A Christian view of Buddhism and Human Rights’ in Buddhist Approaches to Human Rights: Dissonances and Resonances, ed. C. Meinert and H-B Zöllner. Bielefeld: Transcript, 2010
Michael Bergunder
- ‘Die zeitgenössische Begegnung zwischen Buddhisten und Christen in Thailand‘, Thailand-Rundschau 25 (2012): 35-38
Michael Bergunder
- 'A Treasure of Incalculable Value,’ in Spring of the Living Hope: Writings in Honour of Ngulh Za Thwang, ed. Ciingpikot Community. Yangon, Myanmar: MBC Press, 2013
Michael Bergunder
