Cultivating religious moderation in the life of the Buddhist community of Sodong Village (Indonesia): an ethnographic study

This study aims to describe the process of cultivating religious moderation in Sodong Buddhist Village. This study uses an ethnographic approach. Informants are determined by purposive sampling. Data collection techniques include interviews, observations, and documentation. Data are analyzed using qualitative interactive model techniques. The results of the study indicate that the seeds of religious moderation have begun to grow in the early generations of the Sodong Buddhist Village community. The values of religious moderation are passed down from generation to generation and have developed to this day. The residents of this village live peacefully, respect each other, help each other, and are tolerant. The residents believe that this situation is the fruit of religious moderation. The process of cultivating is carried out on residents from an early age through the family environment, playgroups, schools, and social groups. Cultivating is carried out by enculturating, internalizing, and socializing the values of religious moderation to residents using a dialogical approach. In addition, an organization called ‘Religious Moderation Village’ was also formed to coordinate efforts to maintain and strengthen religious moderation.