Thailand's International Meditation Centers: Tourism And The Global Commodification Of Religious Practices (Routledge Religion In Contemporary Asia Series)

This book explores contemporary practices within the new institution of international meditation centres in Thailand. It discusses the development of Thai Buddhism, and the evolution of western views about Thai Buddhism, and relates Thai Buddhism to contemporary processes of commodification and globalisation. It examines how meditation centres are promoted internationally, and considers how Thai Buddhism is "translated" and taught to international tourists. Overall, it assesses why meditation practices appeal to non-Buddhists, and argues that the phenomenon demonstrates that religions do not travel as whole entities, but rather that partial elements resonate with different cultures, and are appropriated over time.

• | Author: Brooke Schedneck
• | Publisher: Routledge
• | Publication Date: Jun 04, 2015
• | Number of Pages: 198 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Hardcover
• | ISBN-10: 041581958X
• | ISBN-13: 9780415819589