Chapter 5: Buddhism, Cultural Democracy, and Multicultural Education

The focus of this chapter is on the relationship among Buddhism, cultural democracy, and multicultural education. The key research questions are: (1) Why should religion (in this case Buddhism) be an integral part of multicultural education? and (2) How can religion be used to enhance and strengthen multicultural education? The case study approach is particularly appropriate for studying why and how questions. In case study research, it is important to have guiding theories. For this study the key theoretical conceptual frameworks used are cultural democracy, multiple intelligences and the mismeasure of man, and Allport’s social contact theory. Five cases from the Kingdom of Thailand provide the major empirical data for the study. The cases are:

• Wat Suan Mokh and Buddhadāsa Bhikku

• Santhira–Dhammasathan and Mae Chee Sansanee Sthirasuta

• The Islamic College of Thailand

• Islam Lamsai Environmental School

• International Cooperative Learning Project

An analysis of these five cases indicate strong support for the validity of Allport’s social contact theory and how religion (in this case Buddhism and Islam) not only can enhance multicultural education, but is central to the development of authentic cultural democracy. Contact with other worldviews represents an important paradigm shift and represents a major revolution in the world. The authentic implementation of diverse religious ideals and the promotion through multicultural education of the deep understanding of other religions and value systems is central to fostering world peace and harmony. Contact with other world views can result in a shift of perspective, along with a concomitant appreciation for the diversity and richness of human beings. This paradigm shift is the kind that one writer has described as “the greatest revolution in the world…one which occurs with the head, within the mind” (Ferguson, 1980, pp. 17–20) (cited in Fantini, 1995, p. 152).