Buddhism in Southeast Asia: a Catalyst for Civic Exchange
On 13 November, Buddhist leaders from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia met in Vientiane, the capital of Laos,to “strengthen co-operation between the three countries’ Buddhist organizations and promote and develop Lao Buddhism [both] in the region and internationally.” This meeting, attended by over 500 monastics, was called “The 1st Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Buddhist Leaders’ Conference.” This milestone conclave could well hold broader implications for managing the underlying similarities and differences shared by citizens of this diverse, high-stakes Buddhist region.
