Buddhism, Power and Political Order

The book opens with Ian Harris’s introduction on Buddhism, power, and politics in Theravāda Buddhist lands, arguing that Buddhism has always possessed a political dimension and that Buddhist power must be understood across both natural and supernatural registers. Chapter 2, by Ven. Khammai Dhammasami, studies the tension between idealism and pragmatism in monastic education in Burma and Thailand, especially debates over whether monks should study only Dhamma-Vinaya or also modern secular subjects. Chapter 3, by Andrew Huxley, examines Burmese political theory in the 1870s through the writings of U Kyaw Htun and U Hpo Hlaing, focusing on law, monarchy, and constitutional ideas. Chapter 4, by Juliane Schober, analyzes colonial knowledge and Buddhist education in Burma, showing how colonial modernity reshaped the relationship between Buddhism, science, education, and state power. Chapter 5, by Peter Gyallay-Pap, discusses Cambodian Buddhism, kingship, and legitimacy after political rupture. Chapter 6, by John Marston, explores the Cambodian hospital for monks as a modern Buddhist, national, and civil-society project. Chapter 7, by Volker Grabowsky, studies Buddhism and political order in pre-twentieth-century Laos. Chapter 8, by Peter Koret, examines Lao Buddhist prophetic literature as a medium for political and moral critique. Chapter 9, by Elizabeth Guthrie, analyzes the cult of Nang Thoranee in northeast Thailand in relation to nationalism and protection. Chapter 10, by Peter Skilling, investigates king, saṅgha, brahmans, ideology, ritual, and power in pre-modern Siam. The volume closes with a bibliography and index.