Buddhism is the second largest religion in Malaysia, after
Islam, with 19.2% of Malaysia's population being Buddhist.
Buddhism in Malaysia is mainly practised by the ethnic
Chinese Malaysians.
History
Buddhism was introduced to the
Malays and also to the people of the
Malay Archipelago as early as 200 BCE.
Chinese written sources indicated that some 30 small Indianised states rose and fell in the
Malay Peninsula. Malay-Buddhism began when
Indian traders and priests traveling the
maritime routes and brought with them Indian concepts of religion, government, and the arts. For many centuries the peoples of the region, especially the royal courts, synthesised Indian and indigenous ideas including
Hinduism and
Mahayana Buddhism and that shaped their political and cultural patterns. However, the Malay
Kedah Kingdom denounced Indian religion after the king of
Chola from
Tamil attack them in the early 11th century, the king of
Kedah, Phra Ong Mahawangsa was the first Malay ruler to denounce the traditional Indian religion, he converted to
Islam, and in the 1400s, during the golden age of
Malacca Sultanate, majority of the Malays converted to Islam. The last of the pre-Islamic-Malay king move to what is now
Bali. Today, the Malays living in
Malaysia are obligated to profess Islam, and the number of Malays denouncing Islam is almost nil.
Status
According the Malaysian constitution, the majority ethnic group, the
Malays, are legally defined as Muslim. They constitute 60% of the population, with the remainder consisting mostly of
Chinese, who are generally Buddhists or Christians, and to the lesser extent
Indians, who are generally Hindus. There are also smaller numbers of other indigenous and immigrants; among the latter are Malaysians of
Sinhalese,
Thai, and
Eurasian origin. Many of these immigrant peoples also profess the Christian faith, but there are also Buddhists among the Sinhalese and Thai. Nearly all of the Buddhists in Malaysia live in urban areas, since they are mostly engaged in business or employed in various professions.
The general climate of religious freedom in Malaysia indicates that Buddhism may have the opportunity to expand in the future. However, Buddhism has often been described as a gentle religion which does not carry out an active program to seek converts.
Recently, a number of Malaysian Buddhist leaders have responded to the decline in religious participation by the children of Buddhist families, have attempted to reformulate their message to address modern life more directly. Groups involved in these education efforts include such as the
Buddhist Missionary Society. Missionary Society leaders have argued that, while many educated youths seek an intellectual approach to Buddhism, an equally large number of people prefer to approach the religion through the tradition of ceremony and symbolism. In response to these needs, religious practices are carried out, but in a way that is simple and dignified, removing what can be seen as superstition. Efforts are made to explain why sutras are chanted, lamps lit, flowers offered, and so on.
As a religion without a supreme head to direct its development, Buddhism is practised in various forms, which, although rarely in open conflict, can sometimes lead to confusion among Buddhists. In Malaysia, some ecumenical moves have been made to coordinate the activities of different types of Buddhists. One example is the formation of the Joint Wesak Celebrations Committee of the temples in
Kuala Lumpur and
Selangor, which coordinates the celebration of
Wesak, a holiday commemorating the birth of the
Buddha. An initiative has also begun to form a Malaysian Buddhist Council, representing the various sects of Buddhism in the country to extend the work of the development of Buddhism, especially in giving contemporary relevance to the practise of the religion, as well as to promote solidarity among Buddhists in general.
Specific Buddhist traditions
See also
- Bujang Valley, an ancient Hindu-Buddhist civilisation centred around Kedah.
