The Development of Chinese Nikaya Mahayana Buddhism in Thailand

Abstract

In Thailand, the nation of Buddhism, Buddhism has been inherited as a tradition through out generations. The population of Thailand is about 65.9 million, and 94% of it believed in Hinayana Buddhism, and 1.5% of it believed in Mahayana Buddhism, and Muslim and Christians are 4% and 0.5% respectively. There are about 34,000 temples and 4,000 monks in Thailand. Besides, Bangkok, the capital city, is formerly called as the “City of Angel”.
In the ancient times, when the Buddhism was transported in Thailand, it was divided into Hinayana and Mahayana. Originally, there was no difference in Hinayana Buddhism, until the Bangkok dynasty King Rama IV became a monk. At that time, Hinayana Buddhism was divided into mahanikai and thammayut. Meanwhile, Mahayana Buddhism was divided into two parts, the Chinese style and Vietnamese style. Hinayana Buddhism has become the main religion in Thailand. Temples and monks of it are important in Thai religion, which have influenced several areas of the society.
This thesis is mainly about the Chinese style Mahayana Buddhism. Although there are less temples than which of Hinayana Buddhism, there are numerous temples are famous and interesting. This thesis also aims to discuss the influence of Chinese style Mahayana Buddhism in the Thai society.