Buddhist Social Engagement in Contemporary Myanmar: An Anthropological Interpretation of the Humanitarian Work of Sitagu Sayadaw

Ven. Suriya

doi:10.65680/89381722026

Authors

Ven. Suriya College of Religious Studies, Mahidol University, Thailand https://orcid.org/0009-0005-1648-493X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.65680/89381722026

Keywords:

social engagement , Sitagu Sayadaw, Social Action Theory, Buddhist anthropology, karuṇā

Abstract

Sitagu Sayadaw is one of the most influential monastic leaders in contemporary Myanmar. The large-scale humanitarian work he has led represents a significant development in contemporary Buddhist social engagement. While existing scholarship on Burmese Buddhism tends to focus on historical developments, meditation lineages, political dynamics, and nationalist movements, the motivational dimensions of monastic social action and their theoretical interpretation remain comparatively understudied. This article addresses this gap by applying Max Weber’s concept of social action to the humanitarian work of Sitagu Sayadaw. Adopting a qualitative case study approach, the study employs documentary and thematic analysis of Dhamma talks, interviews, and institutional publications of the Sitagu International Buddhist Academies, together with relevant scholarship on Burmese Buddhism. The findings show that his humanitarian engagement reflects Weber’s four ideal types of social action: purposive-rational, value-rational, affective, and traditional, alongside traditional legitimacy and charismatic authority. Compassion (karuṇā) and merit-making (kusala) provide key ethical and cultural motivations for social engagement. These motivations are reinforced by monastic authority and institutionalized through modern organizational rationality, enabling compassion-driven initiatives to develop into sustained, large-scale humanitarian activities. The study demonstrates how Buddhist ethical values and monastic authority interact with organizational rationality in the contemporary transformation of Buddhist social engagement in Myanmar.

Author Biography

Ven. Suriya, College of Religious Studies, Mahidol University, Thailand

Name: Ven. Suriya Date of Birth: September 29, 1978 Place of Birth: Ganggaw, Magwaw Division, Myanmar Institutions of Attended: 1) Inn Sein Ywarma Pariyatti Sar Thin Deike (Pariyatti Institution), Inn Sein Township, Yangon, from 1995 to 2002, he received “Sāsanadhaja-Dhmmācariya” (Pāli Studies) degree, 2) Sitagu International Buddhist Academy, Sagaing, Myanmar, from 2005 to 2008, he received Bachelor of Arts (Buddhist Studies), 3) Graduate School of Philosophy and Religion, Assumption University, Bangkok, from 2010 to 2013, he received Master of Arts (Religious Studies) and 4) College of Religious Studies, Mahidol University, Salaya, Thailand, from 2015 to 2021 for this Doctor of Philosophy (Religious Studies).

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