How did Buddhism arrive in Thailand?

~ Answer by Ajahn Jayasaro ~

Two hundred years or so after the Buddha’s passing away, the great Buddhist emperor Asoka arranged for small groups of monastics to travel throughout the world, sharing the Dhamma with those interested in learning about it. One of these groups was sent to the region of Southeast Asia known as Suvannabhumi, an area that included what is now central Thailand. It is believed that a monastery was established on the site of the modern Thai city of Nakhon Pathom (later commemorated by a large stupa). This is the first report of Buddhism in Thailand, although historical evidence is scanty. There is however, a great deal of archaeological evidence pointing to the prominence of Buddhism some time later, in the Dvāravati period (6-11th century). Eventually the Dvāravati civilisation succumbed to the Angkor Empire and Theravāda Buddhism was largely supplanted, first by Brahmanism and later by Mahāyāna Buddhism. The Theravāda tradition re-established itself with the emergence of the independent Thai kingdom of Sukhothai in the 13th century. The first king of Sukhothai built a monastery for a community of forest-dwelling monks trained in Sri Lanka, who at that time had been living in the south of the country in Nakhon Si Thammarat. This signaled the beginning of the close relationship between the Thai nation and Theravāda Buddhism, which has continued until the present day.

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To read the ebook, please visit ‘Without and Within', by Ajahn Jayasaro:

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For other teachings by Ven. Ajahn Jayasāro, please visit the Panyaprateep Foundation website.