ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with the assumption that regardless of the age of the practices, lineages and texts that Theravada Buddhists use, what we call "Theravada Buddhism" is intimately tied up with the processes of modernity. While the chapter focuses on making sense of modern forms of (Theravada) Buddhism in Sipsongpanna, it is necessary to situate this place and the people here. The chapter discusses the opportunities that Chinese and Asian modernities have opened up for Dai-lue monks, but it is just as important to remember that modern social and state forms constrain as well as open possibilities. It also highlights the incorporation of the Dai-lue into the Buddhist Association of China and the centralization of the Sangha in Sipsongpanna itself. The legitimacy of "normal religions" is generally recognized by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), as is the constitutional freedom of religious belief, though practice can be highly regulated.
