THE BUDDHIST METHOD MODEL ON POLITICAL COMMUNICATION OF ASHIN WIRATHU, MANDALAY MYANMAR

Abstract

Objectives of this his research article were: 1. To study the political context of Myanmar during the period 2000-2020, 2. To study the political communication of Venerable Wirathu of Mandalay, Myanmar, and 3. To present the Buddhist political communication model of Venerable Wirathu of Mandalay, Myanmar, conducted by the mixed research methods. The qualitative research, data were collected from 18 key informants by in-depth interviews and analyzed data by descriptive interpretation. The quantitative research, data were collected by using questionnaires with a reliability of 0.965 from 400 samples in Mandalay, Myanmar. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation.

The research results were found that 1. During 2016-2020, Phra Wirathu faced the tense political context of Myanmar, especially the problem in Rakhine State. He firmly communicated his defense of Buddhism and nationalism, even after being arrested, and affirmed his ideology, which resulted in him being seen as an extremist monk who supported the military. 2. Phra Wirathu communicated politics with the image of a religious and nationalist defender, with persuasive skills, and was brave enough to speak directly. He used strong language to warn and attack his opponents through sermons, books, and social media, which resulted in his awareness and understanding of religion and politics. 3. Phra Wirathu bravely used Buddhist political communication methods based on the five proverbs: 1. words that were timely and have good intentions for the nation and religion; 2. words that were true and beneficial, promoting rights and voices; 3. Words that were gentle, equal, and emphasizing kindness; 4. words that were beneficial, communication that created morale; and 5. words that were spoken with kindness, with good intentions for religion and the country, and ready to sacrifice everything for stability and create peace.