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Buddhists missionaries let prospective converts come to them | Aeon Essays

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Buddhist monks have mostly escaped the label of proselytisers, but they’ll still spread the word to those who seek them out

In the seminar room in Wat Suan Dok, I found one senior monk, Phra Kyo, standing alone amid a circle of about 15 foreigners from North America and Europe. As soon as he began to speak, Phra Kyo captured the audience’s attention for the next hour with the peaceful and universal nature of Buddhism and its contrast with Christianity. ‘Some of you have been here for a few weeks, a few months already. Have you ever seen a monk outside of the Buddhist temple waving people in with pamphlets talking about Buddhism? Have you ever seen a Buddhist monk knocking on doors telling the Buddha’s teaching?’…

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