Buddhist-catholic relations in Thailand : 'Dialogue of life' of Bangkok Catholics towards Buddhists

Abstract

This research was done to study attitudes of Bangkok Catholics toward Buddhists and how dialogue of life is manifested in the bigger context of Buddhist-Catholic relations in Thailand. The theoretical background and framework looked into some modern theories of dialogue, then examined Christian attitudes toward people of other religions through theology of religions. Various Vatican II and post-Vatican II documents were studied to help understand the official Church position, and the history of Buddhist-Catholic relations in Thailand were looked into to better appreciate the present situation of the relations. In-depth interviews were carried out with 29 subjects, 25 of whom were Catholics, to examine the Catholics' attitudes, positions, and views toward Buddhism and Thai Buddhists. It was found that the majority of the Catholics had an attitude of pluralism, and they adhered to official Church directives regarding evangelization and dialogue whenever these were practical and conducive for maintaining societal peace and harmony. Also, it was found that the Catholics had largely appropriated popular Thai Buddhist religious terminology and concepts, though not necessarily imbibing their full Buddhist meanings. Furthermore, it was also revealed that the friendship factor and avoidance of controversies were important aspects in the Catholics' relations with Buddhists, and the main aspect of dialoguing with Buddhists was ordinary living together, or dialogue of life. This study showed the significance of how a tiny minority Asian Church has adapted and assimilated to a dominant Buddhist majority sociocultural, politically, and even theologically.