A Preliminary Study of the Chinese Lay Buddhist Societies in Thailand: Religious Practice Specializationsand Trans-regional Networks

In the Theravada-dominated Thailand,there have existed a number oflayBuddhist societiesself-organized by Chinese migrants since the early decades of 20th century.TheseChinese lay Buddhist societies not just feature particular specializations in Mahayanapractice but also have built up various trans-regional religious networks with China and Buddhist communities elsewherein South-east Asia.So far, a dearth of attention has been paid toward these groupsamong scholars of Buddhism in Southeast Asia. Consequently, this paper aims to investigate the history and current state of Chinese lay Buddhist societies in Thailand. It will specifically refer to threesuch societiesin Bangkok, which arethe Thai-Chinese Buddhist Research Society, the Siam Dragon-flower Buddhist Society, and the Lotus-flower Buddhist Society.