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<<This wide-ranging account of early Buddhism in Southeast Asia
overthrows dominant theories among both Western and Asian scholars.
Prapod Assavavirulhakarn argues that Pāli-based Buddhism was brought
from India and Sri Lanka by mer¬chants, monks, and pilgrims by the
fourth century. Several schools flourished alongside Brahmanism,
Mahāyānism, and local spirit beliefs—in coexistence rather than
conflict. There was no "conversion" to Theravāda in the eleventh
century as the school was already well established. Prapod draws on a
broad range of source material including inscriptions, texts,
archaeology, iconography, architecture, and anthropology from India,
Sri Lanka, China, and the region itself. He highlights the lived
tradition of religious practice rather than scriptural sources.

"Prapod Assavavirulhakarn strips away methodologies and assumptions
imported from the study of Western religions in order to provide a
distinctively Southeast Asian account of how Buddhism became
ascendant."—Chris Baker, co-author of Thailand's Crisis, Thailand's
Boom and Bust, and Thaksin, and co-translator of The Tale of Khun
Chang Khun Phaen

"The Ascendancy of Theravāda Buddhism is a welcome advance in the
study of the neglected field of early Buddhism in Southeast Asia,
especially in Thailand. The author presents new ideas about the
ancient cultural geography of South and Southeast Asia, bringing fresh
insights to the perennial problem of "Indianization"—the translation
of ideas, ideals, and technologies from India to societies across the
Bay of Bengal. His presentation of the early Buddhist period
challenges established opinions and offers alternative views of the
complexities and uncertainties that uniquely shaped Buddhism."—Peter
Skilling, École Française d'Extrême-Orient, Bangkok, and Honorary
Associate, Department of Indian Sub-Continental Studies, University of
Sydney.>>

Prapod Assavavirulhakarn is dean of the Faculty of Arts at
Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, where he is also
assistant professor and head of the Department of Eastern Languages.
He is co-author of _Past Lives of the Buddha: Wat Si Chum—Art,
Architecture and Inscriptions_.

Regards,

Artur Karp