Subhasita: Journal of Buddhist and Religious Studies

Religious Understanding and Buddhayana Values among Members of the Youth Secretariat of Buddhayana Vihara Associations (PMVBI) in Boyolali, Central Java

2026-01-04T15:44:31+00:00

This study examines how young members of the Youth Secretariat of Buddhayana Vihara Associations (PMVBI) in Boyolali, Central Java, understand Buddhayana as a nonsectarian Buddhist framework and why this understanding is relevant for shaping the religious character of contemporary Buddhist youth. This inquiry emerges from the limited empirical research on Buddhayana comprehension among young Buddhists in Indonesia, despite Buddhayana’s historical significance as an inclusive movement initiated by Ashin Jinarakkhita. The study employs a descriptive qualitative design, with data collected through interviews, document analysis, and limited observation. The findings reveal three main insights. First, the youth interpret Buddhayana primarily as an integrative framework that unites diverse expressions of Buddhism within their community, rather than as a distinct doctrinal school. Their interpretation emphasizes inclusivity and openness. Second, they understand Buddhayana values mainly in social-practical terms—such as tolerance, cooperation, and mutual respect—while doctrinal aspects receive limited attention. Third, the strengthening of Buddhayana understanding takes place through organizational activities, informal mentoring, and communal learning, although the absence of structured learning materials limits deeper conceptual development. This study carries important implications for Buddhist youth education, particularly in enhancing historical and doctrinal literacy on Buddhayana to reduce misconceptions and support the development of a more mature religious identity. Practically, the findings may serve as a foundation for developing youth learning modules and programs that introduce Buddhayana’s inclusive principles more systematically. The originality of this study lies in its empirical mapping of how contemporary Buddhist youth interpret Buddhayana—an aspect that remains understudied in Indonesian Buddhist scholarship.

Restructuring Sangha–Monarchy Relations in King Mongkut’s Buddhist Reforms: State Buddhism and the Nineteenth-Century Siamese State-Building Project

2026-01-04T15:44:31+00:00

This study examines the restructuring of relations between the Sangha and the monarchy during the Buddhist reforms of King Mongkut (Rama IV) and analyzes their implications for the formation of the Siamese state in the nineteenth century. This research is significant because Buddhist reform in Thailand often appears in scholarship as a purely religious renewal, detached from its broader political, ideological, and state-modernization contexts. Employing a qualitative historical approach based on library research, this study conducts a critical analysis of historical texts, religious policy documents, and academic works on Thai Buddhism, the Chakri monarchy, and Southeast Asian modernity. The findings demonstrate that Buddhist reform under Rama IV did not constitute a historical rupture but rather represented a logical continuation of long-standing Sangha–monarchy patronage patterns that had developed since the Ayutthaya period. These reforms produced three major transformations: the rationalization of Buddhist doctrine and practice, the bureaucratization of the Sangha as a state-regulated institution, and the consolidation of state Buddhism as a source of symbolic legitimacy and social cohesion. At the same time, this process generated several dysfunctions, including the erosion of Sangha autonomy, internal tensions between monastic orders, and ambiguities in religious identity. This study offers an original contribution by positioning King Mongkut’s Buddhist reforms as an integral component of Siam’s state-building project and political modernity. The findings enrich broader debates on religion–state relations by demonstrating how Buddhism functioned simultaneously as cultural capital, social infrastructure, and a technology of power within the Southeast Asian context.

Karunā and Caritas in Buddhist–Christian Traditions: Rereading the Ethics of Love as Self-Surrendering Love

2026-01-04T15:44:31+00:00

This study examines how karuṇā in Buddhism and caritas in Christianity shape an ethical framework of love characterized by self-surrendering love. The primary aim of this research is to demonstrate that, although these two virtues arise from distinct metaphysical and theological structures, they perform similar functions in forming moral dispositions and altruistic action. The study employs a qualitative approach through a text-based comparative analysis that draws on primary Buddhist and Christian sources as well as classical and contemporary academic literature. The findings show that karuṇā emerges from awareness of universal suffering, the principle of anattā, and the Bodhisattva ideal that centers on the liberation of all beings. Meanwhile, caritas is rooted in the conception of God as Love, human dignity as imago Dei, and the kenotic tradition that understands love as total self-giving. Despite their divergent metaphysical foundations, karuṇā and caritas converge in a shared ethical pattern: a form of love that prioritizes the well-being of the other through self-emptying. The figures of the Bodhisattva and the saints exemplify this convergence paradigmatically. The study concludes that the conceptual encounter between karuṇā and caritas opens a more equitable space for interreligious ethical dialogue and expands the horizon of solidarity across traditions. In terms of originality, this research proposes a three-dimensional analytical model—origin, goal, and demands—that contributes a new perspective to comparative studies of the virtue of love in religious studies and offers an interreligious ethical framework that can be operationalized within plural societies.

Social Environment and Spiritual Intelligence in Shaping Interest in Learning Dhamma among Buddhist Communities

2026-01-04T15:44:31+00:00

This study aims to examine the influence of the social environment and spiritual intelligence on interest in learning Dhamma among Buddhist communities in Gianyar Regency, Bali. This research is important because participation in religious learning activities—such as puja bakti, meditation, Dhamma talks, and introductory Buddhist courses—remains relatively low, posing challenges to the continuity and effectiveness of community-based Dhamma education. Identifying key factors that shape learning interest is therefore essential for strengthening Buddhist religious education at the local level. The study employs a quantitative approach using a survey design. Data were collected through structured questionnaires administered to 196 Buddhist respondents in Gianyar Regency. The data were analyzed using correlation analysis, simple linear regression, multiple linear regression, as well as partial and simultaneous significance tests to assess both individual and combined effects of the independent variables. The findings indicate that the social environment and spiritual intelligence simultaneously have a positive and significant effect on interest in learning Dhamma, explaining approximately 75% of the variance in learning interest. Partially, the social environment shows a very strong and dominant influence compared to spiritual intelligence. This highlights the importance of family support, temple-based communities, religious social interactions, and a supportive religious climate in encouraging participation in Dhamma learning. Spiritual intelligence also exerts a significant positive effect by fostering intrinsic motivation and deeper personal engagement with Dhamma practice. The study implies that strengthening communal religious environments while cultivating individual spiritual intelligence can effectively enhance interest in learning Dhamma. The originality of this research lies in its empirical demonstration of the interaction between social structures and personal spiritual dispositions within the context of Indonesian Buddhist education.

Holistic Assessment in Buddhist Religious Education under the Kurikulum Merdeka: A Case Study of SD Metta Maitreya, Pekanbaru

2026-01-04T15:44:31+00:00

This study examines changes in assessment practices in Buddhist Religious Education following the implementation of the Kurikulum Merdeka, with particular attention to the shift from test-based assessment toward a holistic approach that evaluates students’ cognitive, affective, and behavioral development. The study responds to recent national education policy reforms in Indonesia that emphasize character formation and moral values, especially within faith-based schools. Employing a qualitative approach through a case study at SD Metta Maitreya in Pekanbaru, the research draws on classroom observations, in-depth interviews with teachers and students, and document analysis. The findings show a significant diversification of assessment practices through the use of affective rubrics, observation notes, reflective journals, portfolios, and narrative reports oriented toward the internalization of the values of metta and karuṇā. These changes foster positive student responses, as reflected in increased prosocial behavior, self-reflection, and moral awareness in everyday school life. The study demonstrates that holistic assessment functions not only as a tool for measuring learning outcomes but also as a pedagogical mechanism for cultivating a Buddhist moral ethos. Conceptually, this research contributes to the field of religious education by showing how learning evaluation serves as a practical space for the internalization of religious values within the policy framework of the Kurikulum Merdeka, while also highlighting the importance of teachers’ assessment literacy and institutional support in ensuring the sustainability of holistic approaches.