The life and work of Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu, one of the most prolific, influential, and well-known Thai Buddhist thinkers of the last century, has recently been a relatively popular subject in Euro-American academic circles. Gabaude, Jackson, Santikaro, and Swearer—to name a few—have contributed to our understanding of Buddhadāsa's life and his interpretation of Buddhist doctrine. Tomomi Ito's Modern Thai Buddhism and Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu: A Social History offers an important contribution toward a more expansive understanding and appreciation of Buddhadāsa, his role in the development of modern Thai Buddhist thought, and the controversies in which he was enveloped. Ito's book adeptly charts the formation of key elements of Buddhadāsa's reformist ideas through the Cold War period and beyond, and places much emphasis on the debates Buddhadāsa had with such notables as Kukrit Pramoj and Kittivuddho Bhikkhu. She recapitulates the content of these disputes and offers effective explanations for the motivating factors that fueled Buddhadasa's critics.

Ito's book connects Buddhadāsa's story with the broader intellectual history of early twentieth-century Buddhism. During this time, it became increasingly popular to study and prioritize the earliest recorded teachings of the Buddha. Buddhadāsa, in following this trend, focused on understanding and promoting the Buddha's teachings on the transcendent path to nibbāna known in Pali as lokuttara dhamma. Ito highlights Buddhadāsa's study and advocacy of this particular doctrinal element as being one of his most important contributions to the modern intellectual development of Thai Buddhism (p. 16). Buddhadāsa's primary focus on lokuttara dhamma, Ito suggests, was motivated by the potential the teaching has to eradicate suffering. She explains that “the most important criterion for Buddhadāsa in distinguishing the authenticity of a certain teaching was whether or not it was related to the purpose of overcoming suffering” (p. 151). Focus on this supreme Buddhist aim was also the source of much discussion and controversy. Placing the soteriological goal of nibbāna at the heart of his message, Buddhadāsa challenged some of the more popular approaches to Buddhist interpretation and expression, such as focus on the abhidhamma and other practices.

Ito's work is important in part because she clarifies some of the more controversial aspects of Buddhadasa's history, such as the tendency of some followers to compose summaries and explanations of Buddhadāsa's sermons, which, at times, distorted his message. These misrepresentations would lead to charges of radicalism and other accusations leveled against the popular monk. In addition to a chapter devoted to abhidhamma-related disputations, Ito provides an in-depth look at the controversy surrounding accusations that Buddhadāsa was involved with communism. While Buddhadāsa was friends with prominent Marxist-inspired intellectuals, such as Pridi Phanomyong, Ito argues that his teachings were not seriously influenced by their political persuasions.

The text also offers important, albeit concise insights into Buddhadāsa's foundational role in the socially engaged Buddhist movement—a theme that deserves more scholarly attention. Ito writes that “Buddhadāsa has often been regarded as one of the most prominent Buddhist thinkers who led contemporary Buddhists to engage in social works” (p. 217). Inspired by Buddhadāsa's teachings on Buddhism's role in society and its potential for promoting social justice, the early group of Thai engaged Buddhists developed and concretized these teachings in the form of development organizations and projects, as well as other activities. With the help of Sulak Sivaraksa, one of Buddhadāsa's most well-known students, and other important individuals, the movement eventually would develop into a global network of socially engaged Buddhist supporters.

The author concludes her book with a needed look into one of Buddhadāsa's lesser-known initiatives of promoting female-centered Buddhist practice, an endeavor that further highlights his visionary approach to Buddhism. Through this undertaking, Buddhadāsa sought to support women interested in serious dhammic commitment and practice and expand opportunities for them. Part of this vision was manifested in the establishment of a center for women, which remains to this day, on the grounds of Buddhadāsa's Suan Mokkh International in Surat Thani.

Ito's extensive research is commendable; she spent appreciable time in libraries, archives, and second-hand bookstores in search of Buddhadāsa-related publications, and she interviewed a substantial number of his followers and critics. Compiling the vast array of material, she successfully situates her subject in the twentieth century's historical and political context while reconstructing an image of Buddhadāsa as other Thai Buddhists likely saw him. Overall, this book provides a perceptive account of the profound impact Buddhadāsa has had on many aspects of Thai Buddhism. It fills some important gaps in Buddhadāsa-related scholarship and therefore deserves to be read by those interested in Theravada and Thai Buddhist studies as well as by scholars of Thai and Southeast Asian history.