ABSTRACT
The tradition of karmic Buddhism is a conservative one that lends to justification of the status quo and existing social structures. The traditional conceptions of the old karmic Buddhism have come increasingly under attack as both secular and religious conceptions shape political changes. The religious orthodoxy is being pushed from the political center in a secularized political arena; old karma loses its leverage as a legitimizing basis for political power. This shift in the relation between religion and politics has occurred during the period of the most significant democratic reforms in modern Thailand. Many Thai scholars and reformers have seen the traditional hierarchies with their patron-client relations as the major obstacle to democratization and genuine political participation. The secular and religiously pluralistic attitudes of the public reflect this mood toward a rejection of traditional justifications in the concurrent political reforms. Reforms have begun to erode the authority of the traditional sources of political legitimacy.
