Received Feb 14, 2018; Revised Apr 1, 2019; Accepted Feb 14, 2019 Religious Movement of Buddhadāsa: Reformation and Development of Thai Buddhism Pranab Barua Department of Linguistics, Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University pranabbarua70@gmail.com Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu (1909-1993) both nationally and internationally is the most famous Thai monk. His movement is one of the most prominent religious movements in contemporary Thailand. This movement played a prominent role in the development of Thai Buddhism throughout the mid part of the 19 th and the end part of the 20 th century. The central feature of the movement lies in the reinterpretation of Pāli Canon by Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu. Buddhadāsa interprets the Theravada doctrine intellectually and critically. His interpretation of Buddhism refects not only the potential of traditional religious culture to accommodate to modern life but also impels Buddhism toward modernization. Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu is considered one of the prominent reformist fgures in modern Thai society. He has established “Suan Mokkhabalārām (Garden of Liberation)” 1 as a center of the real Dhamma practice. This religious movement played an important role to understand the original doctrines of the Buddha and to reform ABSTRACT 1 Vivekananda, A Glimpse of the Life and Teaching of Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu, p.35.