“White is Sacred Purity”: When Buddhism as the Established Religion Clashing with the Religious Freedom and Equality in Thailand

Abstract

The development of the concept of Buddhism as the established religion of Thailand emerged during the Thonburi-Rattanakosin period of Siamese political history. The concept is part of the “Nation-Religion-Monarchy” ideology, established by King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) as the spirit of the modern Siamese nation-state. Although a few decades later, the Siamese revolution of 1932 would have abolished absolute monarchy, the old regime’s concept of Buddhism as the established religion passed on to the new regime. This article argues that the persistence of this concept inhibits religious freedom and equality from being fully ensured. As a result, it ultimately led to a proposal to separate the Thai state from Buddhism based on secularism.