KEPEMIMPINAN BHIKKHU SEBAGAI ĀCARIYA DALAM INTERNALISASI MODERASI BERAGAMA DI PASASTRIAN BUDDHA KUSALAMITRA

Religious moderation has become one of the key strategies for fostering social harmony and strengthening social cohesion within Indonesia's multicultural society. The successful internalization of religious moderation is determined not only by government policies but also by the leadership of religious figures as agents of value formation. In Pasastrian Buddha Kusalamitra, Bhikkhus play a strategic role as ācariyas (spiritual teachers) who guide sastris through Dhamma education, moral cultivation, and exemplary conduct. This study aims to analyze the construction of Bhikkhu leadership in the internalization of religious moderation at Pasastrian Buddha Kusalamitra, Gunungkidul. A qualitative approach employing a case study design was adopted. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis involving Bhikkhus, pasastrian administrators, sastris. Data were analyzed through the stages of data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification. The findings reveal that the construction of Bhikkhu leadership is founded upon the integration of Buddhist values derived from the Tipiṭaka, particularly mettā (loving-kindness), karuṇā (compassion), upekkhā (equanimity), and the Dasa Raja Dhamma (Ten Royal Virtues), which are manifested through service-oriented leadership, exemplary conduct, moral habituation, dialogue, and spiritual mentoring. The internalization of religious moderation takes place through the processes of value transformation, value transaction, and value transinternalization, implemented through Dhamma learning, residential life, social interaction, and the pasastrian culture. The novelty of this study lies in the formulation of a Bhikkhu leadership construction model that integrates spiritual exemplarity, the internalization of Dhamma values, residential habituation, dialogical mentoring, and the strengthening of community culture as mechanisms for cultivating religious moderation. This model enriches the discourse on Buddhist leadership while contributing to the advancement of religious moderation in Indonesia.