ABSTRACT
In the last chapter I used the terms conversion and conversionism in order to illuminate the religious motivation of the early Buddhists and their relationship to the early Sam ≥gha. Of course, it is always problematic to use terms and concepts that have very specific meanings in one historical context to describe the state of affairs in a very different setting. A critical discussion of the very idea of conversion and its applicability in a Buddhist context seems to be required in a study of the religious motivation of Buddhists and the social psychology of the relationship between Sam ≥gha and laity.
