Buddhism and postmodern imaginings in Thailand: The religiosity of urban space

摘要

James Taylor's recent book, Buddhism and postmodern imaginings in Thailand: The religiosity of urban space, is a frustrating read. On the one hand, Taylor is addressing phenomena in the Thai religious sphere that absolutely need to be addressed. For too long, there has been a tendency for scholars of contemporary Thai religiosity, and in particular Buddhism, to focus on just a few movements, such as Dhammakaya and Santi Asok (with the occasional detour to a figure such as Buddhadasa or Phra Payutto). While Taylor does look at Dhammakaya here as well as contemporary aspects of the forest monks movement, he also addresses a broader variety of materials, including the carnivalesque aspects of some contemporary Buddhist forms and the development of cyber-Buddhist communities in Thailand.