The Interaction Mechanism Between the Spatial Structure of Theravāda Buddhism in China and Contemporary Religious Governance Institutions
Abstract
This paper traces the historical development of Theravada Buddhism in the Yunnan region, examining the evolution of its spatial structure since its introduction in the seventh century. By combining this with contemporary practices in the reform of monastic governance systems, it analyses the relationship between the two. Historically, Theravada Buddhism, drawing on cross-border cultural exchanges, local power structures and ethnic networks, gradually formed a multi-nodal spatial pattern centred on Xishuangbanna and extending to areas such as Dehong and Lincang. In the contemporary era, with the increase in the number of religious venues, the acceleration of monastic mobility, and the polycentric development of religious networks, the traditional governance model—based on village-level support and master-disciple transmission—has gradually revealed its inadequacy. The institutional framework established around the certification of monastic qualifications and the assessment of monastic ranks provides a relatively unified system for cross-regional religious activities and the hierarchical management of the monastic community. The author contends that the expansion of Theravada Buddhism's spatial structure is not entirely unrelated to the standardisation of its governance system; on the contrary, the two actually interact and adapt to one another, jointly constituting the key conditions for the stable operation of Theravada Buddhism within multi-ethnic regional societies.
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