Buddhist Reform Movements and Monastic Contributions to Buddhist Social Thought in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century Myanmar

Abstract

The paper traces a number of developments in Burmese monastic thought in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries that were instrumental in the formation of Buddhist social movements. It argues that the redefinition of the notion of Buddhist canon as well as the debates on monastic discipline and proper relations between the monks and the laity provided a basis for the emergence of new Buddhist identities and social roles. The pivotal role of the sangha in these processes offers a new perspective on the reform movements in the nineteenth-century Theravada Buddhism, as so far these movements are more commonly interpreted as a product of lay activism.