Buddhadāsa: Theravada Buddhism and Modernist Reform in Thailand

The book begins by placing Buddhadāsa’s work within the social and theoretical contexts of Thai Buddhism, highlighting the historical conservatism of the Thai Sangha, the importance of correct practice, the secondary role of abstract philosophical speculation, and the close relationship between Buddhism and the Thai state. This background explains why Buddhadāsa’s reinterpretations were both influential and controversial. The central chapters examine the sources and structure of Buddhadāsa’s innovative views. Jackson analyzes Buddhadāsa’s method of scriptural interpretation, especially the distinction between ordinary language and Dhamma language, then applies this framework to his treatment of rebirth, dependent origination, liberation, and chit wang. The book shows how Buddhadāsa reframed traditional doctrine through psychological, ethical, and existential categories rather than purely cosmological or metaphysical ones. The later chapters discuss Buddhadāsa’s relationship with Zen and Mahāyāna thought, his interpretation of modernization and development, and his political writings. These sections show how Buddhadāsa attempted to make Buddhism responsive to modern social life while still presenting his project as a recovery of the Buddha’s original teaching. The conclusion evaluates Buddhadāsa as a reformer whose ideas were radical in implication but conservative in their appeal to canonical Theravada foundations.