Discourse is the typical modus operandi for persuasive practices, but silence also has an important role to play in many religious contexts. In this essay, I examine how silence works as a mechanism of persuasion in Thailand, where Buddhist logics of meditation permeate social life. Through a close analysis of a meditative retreat at Wat Pradhatu Sri Chom Thong Voravihan in Northern Thailand, I suggest three ways that silence comes to create its persuasive effects: it works in contrastive relation to speech; it is symbolic of moral personhood; and it points to interpersonal corporeal attunement. Attention to the corporeal aspect of silence is especially significant, I argue, because it is through the body that the practice in Thailand acts to alter intersubjective space. Such an approach to silence as disciplinary practice, rather than attention just to its supposed effects, allows us to see how religious forms of silent persuasion can be seen as a particularly powerful force for personal and political change.

中文翻译：

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无声劝说：泰式冥想中的人际调解

话语是说服实践的典型作案方式，但沉默在许多宗教背景下也发挥着重要作用。在这篇文章中，我研究了在泰国，沉默如何作为一种说服机制发挥作用，佛教冥想的逻辑渗透到社会生活中。通过对泰国北部 Wat Pradhatu Sri Chom Thong Voravihan 的冥想静修的仔细分析，我提出了沉默产生说服效果的三种方式：它与言语形成对比关系；它是道德人格的象征；它指向人与人之间的肉体协调。我认为，对沉默的身体方面的关注尤其重要，因为泰国的实践正是通过身体来改变主体间空间。这种将沉默作为纪律实践的方法，而不是仅仅关注其假定的效果，使我们能够看到宗教形式的沉默劝说如何被视为个人和政治变革的特别强大的力量。