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Examines the role & history of Theravada Buddhism in Thailand & Sri Lanka, focusing on fundamentalist groups drawing on its traditions. A history of the development & ideas of the Theravada school is given, highlighting its involvement in cultural, social, economic, & political orders & the distinction between mundane (ordinary sense experience) & "transmundane" (a state attained through mystical knowledge or divine grace) realities. Differences in the histories of Sri Lanka & Thailand & the impact of modernization & Westernization are described. Links between fundamentalism & nationalism in Sri Lanka, as seen in the Tamil-Sinhalese conflict & emergence of militant Buddhist nationalism, & in Thailand with the Dhammakaya & Santi Asoka movements, are analyzed. Each movement, its leaders, ideology, organizational structure, & role in Thai society is assessed. The apolitical nature of Santi Asoka is contrasted with the assimilation & contact with economic interests of Dhammakaya. It is argued that fundamentalist groups in both countries reflect simplistic, dualistic, & absolutistic worldviews, & are anti-intellectual & antirational, except when it benefits them economically. Answers offered by these groups to the dilemma of postmodern identity could be perceived as more secular than exclusively religious, opening them to criticism. Bibliog. T. Arnold

"Examines ethical, religious, and aesthetic dimensions of the environment from several different disciplines related to the humanities including anthropology, literature, philosophy, religious studies, and history, with examples drawn from Confucianism, aboriginal Australia, Moby-Dick, liberal democracies, Ken Wilber, Joanna Macy, and Gary Snyder"--Provided by publisher

Swearer, Donald K.: Introduction. Issues and themes in international Buddhist studies. Promta, Somparn: Buddhist studies in Thailand. Tilakaratne, Asanga: Buddhist studies in Sri Lanka. Shim Jae-ryong: Buddhist studies in Korea. Kimura, Kiyotaka ; Iwagami, Kazutaka: Buddhist studies in Japan. Tang Yijie: Buddhist studies in China. Reynolds, Frank E.: Buddhist studies in the United States. Matthews, Bruce: Buddhist studies in Canada. Gombrich, Richard: Buddhist studies in Britain. Franco, Eli: Buddhist studies in Germany and Austria. Gabaude, Louis: Buddhist studies in France, Belgium, and Switzerland