Buddhist Disaster Relief: Monks, Networks, and the Politics of Religion

Sri Lankan Buddhist (Theravada) temples in Malaysia have only recently begun actively engaging in international disaster relief. This article explores the reasons for this emerging example of religious relief by examining the diasporic history of social welfare engagements by these temples and their...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Asian folklore studies 2016-01, Vol.75 (1), p.53
Main Author: Samuels, Jeffrey
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Buddhism
Chinese
Diaspora
Disaster relief
Monks
Mosques & temples
Multiculturalism & pluralism
Politics
Religion
Religious organizations
Social work
Space
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Summary:Sri Lankan Buddhist (Theravada) temples in Malaysia have only recently begun actively engaging in international disaster relief. This article explores the reasons for this emerging example of religious relief by examining the diasporic history of social welfare engagements by these temples and their interactions with initiatives by Chinese organizations and other religious aid providers in Malaysia. In doing so, it investigates the politics of religion both within Buddhist relief practices and within wider contexts in which the relief work is located. The discussion focuses on a case study of Mahindarama Temple in Penang and its remarkable mobilization in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. I argue that the temple's relief work is one element of a wider flourishing involvement in social welfare activities. Previous domestically-oriented practices gave doctrinal and administrative precedent for transnational disaster relief work following the tsunami. Mahindarama's relief activities were linked to a transnational web of religious and ethnic networks in which monks played decisive roles. Both the monks' doctrinal work and their interventions in practical tasks were crucial in facilitating and brokering the relief efforts. While Mahindarama's disaster relief work drew on Buddhist practices, values, and principles, it was also informed by a particular constellation of political, social, and economic concerns that reflect the location of Buddhist patrons in multicultural Malaysia. ./[WEB URL: http://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/nfile/4484]
ISSN:1882-6865