Open AccessThe Spread of Buddhism and Peace in Southeast Asia
Author(s) -
Rajneesh Kumar Gupta,
Alok Kumar Verma
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
heritage of nusantara
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2442-9031
pISSN - 2303-243X
DOI - 10.31291/hn.v10i2.627
Subject(s) - buddhism , civilization , scrutiny , faith , subject (documents) , history , southeast asia , colonialism , religious studies , ancient history , geography , philosophy , epistemology , theology , archaeology , library science , computer science
Buddhism is among the oldest religious traditions of the world. It is based on the life and teachings of Siddharta Gautama. The message of world peace is the greatest contribution of Buddhism to the human civilization. This paper aims to study the spread of Buddhism in the Southeast Asian region and its relations with the ideals of peace in contemporary period. Theoretically paper relies on the post-colonial history writing tradition. It adopts descriptive and analytical method to study the subject matter. Conclusions of the paper are drawn after scrutiny of primary and secondary literatures. A thorough study reveals that Buddhism has a glorious past in the Southeast Asia. The practice of Buddhism in the region was popular even prior to the beginning of recorded history. Different monuments provide tangible evidence, and deep-rooted essence of Buddhism in the socio-cultural practices of the region are intangible testimony to this. Paper argues that inter-religious issues in the region and especially current situation of conflict between people of different faith can be resolved by following philosophy of Buddhism in true sense.