This wide-ranging account of early Buddhism in Southeast Asia overthrows dominant theories among both Western and Asian scholars. Prapod argues that Pali-based Buddhism was brought from India and Sri Lanka by merchants, monks, and pilgrims by the fourth century. Several schools flourished alongside Brahmanism, Mahayanism, and local spirit beliefs—in coexistence rather than conflict. There was no ‘conversion’ to Theravada in the eleventh century as the school was already well established.

Prayudh Payutto
Dictionary of Buddhism. Bangkok: Mahachulalongkorn Buddhist University, 2528/1985. Web version available here.

Thai Buddhism in the Buddhist World. Bangkok: Amarin Printing Group, 1987.

Sammasati: An Exposition of Right Mindfulness. Translated by Dhamma-Vijaya. Bangkok: Amarin Printing, 1988.

Toward a Sustainable Science. Translated by B. G. Evans. Bangkok: Buddhadhamma Foundation, 1993.

Buddhadhamma: Natural Laws and Values for Life. Translated by Grant A. Olson. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1995.
A modern summary of Theravada Buddhist doctrine illustrated with passages from the Pali canon. Some scholars have deemed this the best book on Thai Theravada Buddhism written within the last two hundred years.

(Phra) Rajavaramuni [See also Prayudh Payutto]
“Thai Buddhism: A Trend (A Realistic or Pessimistic View).” Visakha Puja 2522 (1979), 68-72.

“Tradition and Change in Thai Buddhism.” Bulletin of the Center for the Study of World Religions. Harvard University, Fall 1981, 17-25.

Thai Buddhism in the Buddhist World. Bangkok: Mahachulalongkorn Alumni Association, 1984.

Looking to America to Solve Thailand’s Problems. Translated by Grant A. Olson. Bangkok: Sathirakoses-Nagapradipa Foundation, 1987.
After making a few sojourns to America, this monk compares Thai development with social development in the United States, and remains skeptical about using America as a fashionable example. In the final section of this volume, he relates how Buddhist principles can be applied towards meaningful and even moral development in Thailand.

Reynolds, Craig
“The Buddhist Monkhood in 19th Century Thailand.” Ph.D. dissertation. Cornell University, 1972.
An essential historical biography of one of Thailand’s earliest reformers, King Mongkut. Never published in book form.

“Buddhist Cosmography in Thai History with Special Reference to Nineteenth Century Culture Change.” Journal of Asian Studies 35 (1976), 203-220.

Autobiography: The Life of Prince-Patriarch Vajirañana, 1860-1921. Athens: Ohio University Press, 1979.
A portion of the autobiography of the royal monk who helped establish the Thammayut order and improve the education of monks.

Reynolds, Frank E.
“Buddhism and Sacral Kingship: A Study in the History of Thai Religion.” Ph.D. dissertation. University of Chicago, 1971.

“Four Modes of Theravada Action.” Journal of Religious Ethics, Spring 1979, 12-26.

Reynolds, Frank E. & Mani B.
The Three Worlds According to King Ruang: A Thai Cosmology. Berkeley: University of California, 1982.
A very good translation of the classic Thai cosmology incorporating notions of hierarchies of beings and worlds, related to leadership, ethics, heavens and hells.

Reynolds, Frank E. & Clifford, Regina T.
“Sangha Society and the Struggle for National Integration: Burma and Thailand,” in Transitions and Transformations in the History of Religions. Edited by Frank E. Reynolds and Theodore M. Ludwig. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1980, 56-88.

Ruth, Richard A.
In Buddha’s Company: Thai Soldiers in the Vietnam War. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2010.

Rhum, Michael R.
The Ancestral Lords: Gender, Descent, and Spirits in a Northern Thai Village. Special Report 29. DeKalb: Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Northern Illinois University, 1994.
This work addresses the question of how bilateral kinship co-exists with cults of matrilineal ancestral spirits throughout Northern Thailand. Includes ethnographic descriptions of the Northern Thai (Yuan) kinship system, a Northern Thai village, the institutions and rituals pertaining to the guardian spirits, and the structural relationship of the matrilineal cult complex to indigenous concepts of space and to local Buddhist institutions. Issues of gender and kinship are also addressed throughout the volume.

Saeng Chandrangaam & Narujohn Iddhichiracharas (editors)
Buddhism in Northern Thailand. Chiang Mai: Published to Commemorate the 13th General Conference of The World Fellowship of Buddhists at Chiang Mai, Thailand, 1980.

Saneh Chamarik
“Buddhism and Human Rights: A Perspective.” Visakha Puja 2522 (1979), 39-47.

Buddhism and Human Rights (with a Preamble by Phra Rajavaramuni [Prayudh Payutto]). Paper 12, Thai Khadi Research Institute. Bangkok: Thammasat University, 1982.

Santikaro Bhikkhu
“Buddhadasa Bhikkhu: A Remembrance.” Crossroads 8:1 (1993), 125-130.

Note: Santikaro Bhikkhu has also retranslated or supervised the translation of many of Buddhadasa Bhikkhu’s works. We will soon be adding these to this site.

Santikaro & (Phra) Paisal Visalo
“Goodness and Generosity Perverted: The Karma of Capitalist Buddhism in Thailand” in Jonathan Watts, editor, Rethinking Karma: The Dharma of Social Justice. Bangkok: Silkworm, 2009.

http://www.visalo.org/englishArticles/reThinkingKarma.htm

Sanitsuda Ekachai
Keeping the Faith: Thai Buddhism at the Crossroads. Bangkok: Post Books, 2001.
This astute reporter at the Bangkok Post offers many excellent insights into Thai Buddhism.
Book review here.

Saroj Buasri
A Philosophy of Education for Thailand: The Confluence of Buddhism and Democracy. Bangkok: Ministry of Education, 1970.

(Phra) Sasana Sobhana
“The Government of the Thai Sangha.” Visakha Puja 2510 (1967), 7-16.

Sathienpong Wannapok (translator)
The Buddha’s Words in the Dhammapada. Bangkok: Sængrung Printing, 1980.
With Pali in Thai characters and a Thai and English translation of this important text.

Satip Sukatipan
“Thailand: The Evolution of Legitimacy,” in Political Legitimacy in Southeast Asia: The Quest for Moral Authority, Muthiah Alagappa, ed., 193-223. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1995.

Schober, Juliana
Sacred Biography in the Buddhist Traditions of South and Southeast Asia. Honolulu, HI: University Press of Hawaii, 1997

Scott, Rachelle M.
Nirvana for Sale? Buddhism, Wealth, and the Dhammakaya Temple in Contemporary Thailand. Albany: SUNY Press, 2009.

Seeing the Way: Buddhist Reflections on the Spiritual Life. Bangkok: Amaravati Publications, 1969.
An anthology of teachings by English-speaking disciples of Achan Chah. This very accessible volume would be of special interest to Western Buddhists. This compilation of short biographies and teachings by phra farang influenced by Achan Chah reveals a depth and variety of approaches to Thai Buddhism. Published for free distribution.

Sensenig III, Barton
“The Psychological Symbolism of Thai Buddhist Cosmology.” Visakha Puja 2516 (1973), 72-79.

Siddhi Butr-Indr
The Social Philosophy of Buddhism. Bangkok: Mahamakut Buddhist University, 1973.

Skilling, Peter
“Geographies of Intertextuality: Buddhist Literature in Pre-modern Siam.” Aseanie 19 (June 2007).

Skinner, G. William & Kirsch, A. Thomas (editors)
Change and Persistence in Thai Society: Essays in Honor of Lauriston Sharp. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1975.

Smith, Bardwell L. (editor)
Religion and Legitimation of Power in Thailand, Laos, and Burma. Chambersburg, PA: ANIMA Books, 1978.
Contains several excellent articles on Buddhism and politics in Thailand by Donald Swearer, A. Thomas Kirsch, Stanley Tambiah, Frank Reynolds, and Charles Keyes. Reynolds’ article on Thailand’s civic religion and the Student Uprising of 1973 is especially noteworthy.

(Phra) Sobhon-ganabhorn (Maha Rabæp)
A Plot to Undermine Buddhism. Bangkok: Siva Phorn, 1984.

Somboon Suksamran
Political Buddhism in Southeast Asia. London: C. Hurst and Co., 1977.

Political Patronage and Control over the Sangha. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 1981.
This volume takes on the topic of the structural-functional relationships between the Sangha and the Thai state, from early times to the present (recent past).

Buddhism and Politics in Thailand. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 1982.
Somboon traces the history of the Sangha Acts and the parallel structures of the secular and ecclesiastical administrations. He traces various periods in Thailand during which some monks were more or less politicized.

Shimizu, Yohei
Bodhi Tree Worship in Theravada Buddhism. Studia Asiatica no. 9. Nagoya University
Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies, 2010.

Stratton, Carol
What's What in a Wat. Thai Buddhist Temples: Their Purpose and Design. Chiang Mai: Silkworm, 2010.

Strong, John S.
The Legend and Cult of Upagupta: Sanskrit Buddhism in North India and Southeast Asia. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1992.

Suchira Payulpitack
“Buddhadasa’s Movement: An Analysis of Its Origins, Development, and Social Inpact.” Ph.D. dissertation. Universität Bielefeld, 1991.
This dissertation is available on the web and contains excellent information on the life and rise of Buddhadasa Bhikkhu.

“Changing Provinces of Concern: A Case-Study of the Social Impact of the Buddhadasa Movement.” Sojourn 7:1 (February 1992), 39-68.

Sulak Sivaraksa
Conflict, Culture, Change: Engaged Buddhism in a Globalizing World. Wisdom Publications, 2005.

“Buddhism and Society: An Analysis.” Visakha Puja 2522 (1979), 48-53.

A Buddhist Vision for Renewing Society. Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich Co., Ltd., 1981.

Siamese Resurgence. Bangkok: Asian Cultural Forum on Development, 1985.

Religion and Development. Translated by Francis Seely and edited by Grant A. Olson. Bangkok: Thai Inter-Religious Commission for Development, 1987.

Seeds of Peace: A Buddhist Vision for Renewing Society. Berkeley: Parallax Press, 1992.
The Buddhist-influenced ideas, ideals, and teachings of a well-known Thai social critic.

Sulak Sivaraksa (editor)
Radical Conservatism: Buddhism in the Contemporary World. Articles in Honour of Bhikkhu Buddhadasa’s 84th Birthday Anniversary. Thai Inter-Religious Commission for Development and the International Network of Engaged Buddhists, 2533/1990.

Suntaree Komin
Psychology of the Thai People: Values and Behavioral Patterns. Bangkok: National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), 1990.

Sunthorn Na-rangsi (Translated by Bruce Evans)
“Administration of the Thai Sangha: Past, Present and Future.” The Chulalongkorn Journal of Buddhist Studies 1:2 (2002), 59-74. Access here.

Suwanna Satha-Anand
“Religious Movements in Contemporary Thailand: Buddhist Struggles for Modern Relevance.” Asian Survey 30:4 (April 1990), 395-408.
A succinct, but helpful summary that delineates some of the major movements and ideals in modern Thai Buddhism.

Swearer, Donald K.
Buddhism in Transition. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1970.

“New Directions in Thai Buddhism.” Solidarity 5:4 (April 1970), 50-53.

Toward the Truth. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1971.

“Thai Buddhism: Two Responses to Modernity.” Contributions to Asian Studies 4 (1973), 79-93.

“Fundamentalistic Movements in Theravada Buddhism,” in Fundamentalisms Observed, Martin E. Marty and R. Scott Appleby, eds., 628-690. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1991.

The Buddhist World in Southeast Asia. Albany: SUNY Press, 1995.
An update of his earlier text Buddhism and Society in Southeast Asia (Chambersburg, PA: Anima Publications, 1981).
This text presents a very general treatment of early Buddhist kingdoms, Buddhist festivals and rituals (popular traditions), and reform.

Swearer, Donald K. (editor)
Me and Mine: Selected Essays of Bhikkhu Buddhadasa. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1989.

Tambiah, Stanley J.
Spirit Cults in North-East Thailand. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1970.
A classic village study arguing for a more integrated, holistic view of “classical” and “popular” Thai religious traditions that fall under the realm of Buddhism.

“Buddhism and This-Worldly Activity.” Modern Asian Studies 7:1 (1973).

“The Persistence and Transformation of Tradition in Southeast Asia, with Special Reference to Thailand.” Daedalus 102:1 (Winter 1973).

World Conquerer and World Renouncer: A Study of Buddhism and Polity in Thailand Against a Historical Background. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1976.
The breadth of this book is difficult to easily summarize. It begins with a discussion sacred kingship and then moves to the notion of “galatic polity.” The Sangha Acts are discussed, as is Buddhism and national development and some early trends of reform.

The Buddhist Saints of the Forest and the Cult of Amulets: A Study in Charisma, Hagiography, Sectarianism and Millennial Buddhism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984.
More insightful reflections on the interactions between Buddhism and popular traditions in Thailand.

Tannenbaum, Nicola
Who Can Compete Against the World? Power-Protection and Buddhism in Shan Worldview. Association of Asian Studies Monograph Series 51. Ann Arbor: Association of Asian Studies, 1996.

Tavivat Puntarigvivat
“Toward a Buddhist Social Ethics: The Case of Thailand.” Cross Currents 48:3 (Fall 1998). Web version available here.

Taylor, J. L.
“Buddhist Revitalization, Modernization, and Social Change in Contemporary Thailand.” Sojourn 8:1 (1993), 62-91.

Forest Monks and the Nation-State: An Anthropological and Historical Study in Northeastern Thailand. Singapore: Institute of Asian Studies, 1993.
This very dense book traces the incorporation (or “domestication”) of forest monks into the nation-state.

Buddhism and Postmodern Imaginings in Thailand: The Religiosity of Urban Space. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing, 2008.

Terwiel, B. J.
Monks and Magic: An Analysis of Religious Ceremonies in Central Thailand. London: Curzon Press, 1979.

(Phrarachakhru) Thephawamuni
Yant 108 Phitsadan [A Compendium of (Sacred) Tatoos], ?.

Textor, Robert B.
“An Inventory of Non-Buddhist Supernatural Objects in a Central Thai Village.” Ph.D. dissertation. Cornell University, 1960.

(Somdet Phra Maha Samana Chao Krom Phraya) Vajarañanavarorasa [Wachirayanwarorot]
Buddhist Proverbs, Section 1 (Buddhasasanasubhasita). Romanized and translated by Phra Maha Prayong Kittidharo. Bangkok: The Buddhist University of Thailand, 2499/1956.

Navakovada: Instructions for the Newly-Ordained Bhikkhus and Samaneras. Bangkok: Maha Makuta Buddhist University (Mahamakutarajaviyalaya), 2514/1971.

Ordination Procedure (and the Preliminary Duties of a New Bhikkhu). Bangkok: Maha Makuta Buddhist University (Mahamakutarajaviyalaya), 2516/1973.
Still an excellent English-language source for farang considering ordination into the Thai Theravada order.

Entrance to the Vinaya (Vinayamukha). 3 Vols. Bangkok: Maha Makuta Buddhist University (Mahamakutarajaviyalaya), (Vol. 1 published in 2512/1969; Vol. 2 published in 2516/1973; Vol. 3 published in 2526/1983).

Van Esterik, Penny
“Rice and Milk in Thai Buddhism: Symbolism and Social Values of Basic Food Substances.” Crossroads 2:1 (1984), 46-58.

“Feeding Their Faith: Recipe Knowledge among Thai Buddhist Women.” Food and Foodways 1 (1986), 197–215.

Women of Southeast Asia. Center for Southeast Asian Studies Occasional Paper no. 9. DeKalb: Northern Illinois University, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, 1982. Reprinted in 1995.
Edited by Van Esterik. A variety of essays dealing with the relationship of women and Theravada Buddhism in Thailand.

Veidlinger, Daniel
Spreading the Dhamma: Writing, Orality, and Textual Transmission in Buddhist Northern Thailand. Honolulu, HI: University Press of Hawaii, 2006.

Vella, Walter F.
Chaiyo!: King Vajiravudh and the Development of Thai Nationalism. Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii, 1978.

Visakha Puja (journal)
This annual journal named after the Buddhist holiday was published by the Buddhist Association of Thailand between the years of 1960 to 1980. All of the issues of this magazine contain articles of interest to students of Thai religion. Some of Thailand’s most excellent thinkers and foreign residents of Thailand made contributions over its too-brief span.

Warren, Henry Clarke
Buddhism in Translations. New York: Atheneum, 1974.

Wat Bovornives Vihara. Bangkok: Siva Phorn, 2515/1972.

Wells, Kenneth E.
Thai Buddhism: Its Rites and Activities. New York: AMS Press, 1960 (reprint, Bangkok: Suriyaban Publishers, 1975; reprint, New York: AMS Press, 1982).
Descriptive overview of the distinctive aspects of ritual practice in Thailand.

Williams, Paul & Ladwig, Patrice (editors)
Buddhist Funeral Cultures of Southeast Asia and China. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2012.

Wyatt, David K.
The Politics of Reform in Thailand: Education in the Reign of King Chulalongkorn. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1969.

“The ‘Subtle Revolution’ of Rama I of Thailand,” in Moral Order and the Question of Change: Essays on Southeast Asian Thought, D. Wyatt and A. Woodside, eds., 9-54. Yale University Southeast Asia Studies, Monograph Series, no. 24. New Haven: Southeast Asia Studies, 1982.

Thailand: A Short History. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1984.

Young, Ernest
The Kingdom of the Yellow Robe: Being Sketches of the Domestic and Religious Rites and Ceremonies of the Siamese. New York: AMS Press, 1898 (reprint, New York: AMS Press, 1982).
An early, though still valuable, comprehensive work of ethnography.

Zack, Steven J.
“Buddhist Education Under Prince Wachirayan Warorot.” Ph.D. dissertation. Cornell University, 1977.

Zehner, Edwin
“Reform Symbolism of a Thai Middle-Class Sect: The Growth and Appeal of the Thammakai Movement.” Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 21:2 (September 1990), 402-426.
A background and class analysis of the popular Buddhist movement advocating the practice of visualization meditation.

Of course we’ve overlooked some things. Email us suggestions, corrections, clarifications and additions, please!