Buddhism in Southeast Asia

The 9th century Borobudur Buddhist stupa in Central Java

Buddhism in Southeast Asia includes a variety of traditions of Buddhism including two main traditions: Mahāyāna Buddhism and Theravāda Buddhism. Historically, Mahāyāna had a prominent position in the region, but in modern times, most countries follow the Theravāda tradition. Southeast Asian countries with a Theravāda Buddhist majority are Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, all of them mainland countries.[1]

Vietnam continues to have a Mahāyān majority due to Chinese influence.[2] Indonesia was Theravāda Buddhist since the time of the Sailendra and Srivijaya empires,[3] but Mahāyāna Buddhism in Indonesia is now largely practiced by the Chinese diaspora, as in Singapore and Malaysia. Mahāyāna Buddhism is the predominant religion of Chinese communities in Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia.

  1. ^ Kitiarsa, Pattana (1 March 2009). "Beyond the Weberian Trails: An Essay on the Anthropology of Southeast Asian Buddhism". Religion Compass. 3 (2): 200–224. doi:10.1111/j.1749-8171.2009.00135.x. ISSN 1749-8171.
  2. ^ CPAmedia: Buddhist Temples of Vietnam Archived 8 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Singapore Philatelic Museum website: Southward Expansion of Mahayana Buddhism – Southeast Asia Archived 19 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine