Diversity without Alienation: Multicultural Nationalism and the Growth of Thai-Style Modern Buddhism in Indonesia

Abstract

Buddhism that has grown widely in Indonesia since the twentieth century is a “new” Buddhism introduced from abroad. One strategy used by Buddhists to reduce a sense of alienation was to invoke the histories of the Srivijaya and Majapahit periods—believed to be eras when Buddhism flourished—so that newly introduced forms of Buddhism, such as Theravada, could be presented as fitting within the region’s indigenous cultural heritage. This new form of Buddhism has been informally called “Nusantara Buddhism” or “Indonesian Buddhism,” referring to a Buddhism that is neither Indian, Thai, Burmese, nor Chinese, but rather one that can adapt to Javanese and other local cultures. In other words, it is a form of Buddhism that is not overly strict and is able to respond to the nationalist and multicultural policies of modern Indonesia.This article also argues that efforts to present Buddhism as a religion of peace compatible with multicultural ideals have led Buddhists to conceal internal diversity and conflicts among themselves. Thus, on the one hand, Nusantara Buddhism refers to a Buddhism that adapts to Indonesian culture. On the other hand, the term has also become a label used to obscure internal diversity and tensions, while simultaneously establishing a normative standard of what “good” Buddhism should be. Those who do not support this approach may then be stigmatized, for example, as promoting a more radical form of Buddhism.