Theravada Buddhism (mainstream)
Mainstream Theravada Buddhism — the dominant tradition of Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos — is a low-CLCI reference point with voluntary lay practice and a self-disciplined monastic Sangha.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
+1 for monastic financial dependence on lay community; net CLCI very low.
Profile facts
In context
Mainstream Theravada Buddhism — the 'School of the Elders' surviving in Sri Lanka and mainland Southeast Asia — emphasises personal practice (sila, samadhi, panna), monastic discipline through the Vinaya, and lay support for the Sangha. Lay practice is voluntary, no shunning attaches to leaving, and outside religious or secular engagement is normal. Specific scandals involving particular monks are real but represent a small fraction of the tradition.
History
Theravada — the 'Way of the Elders' — is the oldest surviving Buddhist tradition, preserving the Pali Canon. Spread by Ashokan missions in the 3rd century BCE, it became the dominant tradition of Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.
Key control doctrines
- Voluntary individual practice of the Eightfold Path
- Vinaya discipline for monastics
- Lay support of the Sangha as merit-making
Recovery resources
- ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General referral and cult-aware therapist directory.
- INFORM (Information Network on Religious Movements) — LSE-founded UK research-based information service covering new religious movements.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation; BITE-model resources and family-side exit guidance.
See the full curated list at /resources.
Legal cases & controversies
- Wat Phra Dhammakaya temple financial scandals (Thailand, 2010s)
Timeline
- 5th c. BCEHistorical Buddha's teaching career
- 3rd c. BCEAshokan missions establish Buddhism in Sri Lanka
- 5th c. CEBuddhaghosa's Visuddhimagga systematises Theravada thought
- 19th c.Modernist reform movements across Burma, Sri Lanka, Thailand
Sources
- Walpola Rahula, 'What the Buddha Taught' (1959) search ↗
- Donald K. Swearer, 'The Buddhist World of Southeast Asia' (2010) search ↗
- Numerous Pali Canon translations search ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗ runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J: per-group recovery resources applied via programmatic palette (closest-fit by category + subCategory + score). Palette: Mainstream-comparator lighter.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Key terms in this profile
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
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