Communication for the Buddhism Propagation of the Young Buddhists Association of Thailand under the Royal (YBAT)

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to study the Buddhism propagation by the Young Buddhists Association of Thailand under the Royal Patronage (YBAT) in terms of 1) the communication process; 2) communication management; and 3) approaches for developing better communication.

This was a qualitative research using interviews, focus group discussion and observation. The key informants, chosen through purposive sampling, were 31 people with at least 5 years experience in Buddhism propagation, comprising 7 meditation instructors, 14 yogis, 7 administrators of YBAT, and 3 qualified experts. The research instruments were an in-depth interview form, a focus group discussion guideline and an observation form. Data were analyzed by drawing conclusions.  

The results showed that 1) the communication process: the message senders had the objective of letting the message receivers see and understand the path to extinguishing suffering. They had a good attitude about the content of their message (Dharma or Buddhist sermon) and they were credible. They had good overall knowledge and deep knowledge of the subject matter. They had media usage skills and experience in communicating to a wide audience. The messages communicated were about Vipassana (insight) meditation following the Four Foundations of Mindfulness according to the Theravada Tripitaka and other practical Dharma applications for everyday life. The messages were communicated in informal language rather than using the ancient Bali and Sanskrit languages. The content was presented in an orderly and organized manner with examples, and the teachers tried to create inspiration. The main media used for communication consisted of personal media and activities. The message receivers already had some knowledge of basic Buddhist principles, the meditation instructors and the meditation center. 2) Communication management: YBAT had a mission of teaching about Buddhism and helping people see the path to end suffering. The organization had to manage its finances to reduce costs and increase income. The organizational structure was based on functions with a hierarchal line of command and the priority was on communication activities. Workers were recruited based on expertise and faith. Incentives were both financial and spiritual rewards. Work evaluations were done of individuals and divisions. 3) Approaches for developing better communication: meditation instructors could receive more training on oratory skills and how to deal with criticism. The organization could use more new media such as Youtube and smartphone applications. YBAT could continue network building and teach more to related organizations in Thailand and other countries. Lay people could be developed to be Dharma teachers as adjuncts to the monks. Continuous training could be provided for Buddhism teachers. A new evaluation system should be designed to specifically evaluate the results of Buddhist teaching. Management could be made more efficient.