Buddhist Communication Theory

Implicit in all great religions of the world are distinct models of communication. In this regard, Buddhism is no exception. Buddhism refers to a body of doctrines and religious practices expounded by the Buddha—literally, the Enlightened One. The Buddha was born in India in 563 BCE and died 85 years later. There are two main schools of [Page 84]Buddhism—the Tberavada and Mahayana. The Theravada form of Buddhism, which is the earlier school, is practiced in countries such as Thailand, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, while the Mahayana form is practiced in countries such as Japan, South Korea, and Tibet. There are a number of differences between the two, although both have much in common, and both offer important implications for communication theory.

The Buddha himself was a supremely persuasive communicator. He preached to the people in an idiom and vocabulary that were readily understandable. He paid close attention to the psychological makeup of his interlocutors and listeners. He designed his messages in a way that would appeal to ordinary people. In terms of models of communication, he placed the receiver at the center of his communication model—unlike most Western models, which, until recently, focused on the sender. Furthermore, the Buddha always conceptualized communication in terms of a specific context; the act of communication constituted an event, and the context was an integral part of the meaning. Finally, he placed great emphasis on the rhetorical strategies deployed by the communicator. The distinct ways in which he pressed into service allegories, parables, tropes, and stories bear testimony to this fact. Communication, then, is central to Buddhist thought.