Esoteric Theravada Buddhism in Burma/Myanmar
Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis January 16, 2019 Niklas Foxeus
After Burma's independence in 1948, a Buddhist revival emerged alongside nation-building and modernization, contrary to expectations that religion would decline. Two lay meditation movements arose: insight meditation and concentration meditation, the latter including esoteric congregations with fundamentalist tendencies. The supermundane dimension of Buddhism became increasingly influential, reshaping the religious field. This article discusses how this supermundane dimension reshaped Burma's religious field, focusing on esoteric congregations, presenting Burmese esoteric Theravāda Buddhism, and situating fundamentalist trends within these contexts.