|
|
SanghaIn Thailand, the third of the Triple Gems in Buddhism, the Sangha, is the central religious institution in society, the community of Buddhist monks. They are, in Buddhist terms, a central "field of merit." Lay people, by providing basic goods to the monks and the temple, create good karma for themselves and thus ensure a better rebirth. The Sangha is governed by a Supreme Patriarch (sangharaja), since the rule of Rama V (Chulalongkorn), with a political structure that mirrors that of the secular government. The Supreme Patriarch rules over a Buddhist council (Maha Thera Samkhom) that is composed of elderly Buddhist monks (a gerontocracy) who have ascended through the monastic system by a series of appointments, approved ultimately by the king of Thailand. Such a structure mirrors the dictatorial structure of the governments who were in power when the Sangha Administration Act was promulgated (Klausner, 1997). Prior to the early 20th century, titles could be conferred by lay followers and new monks could be ordained into the system by any monk with at least ten years of ordination. After the reforms of the 20th century, only the king had this right to confer clerical roles, only the Sangharaja could ordain a new monk, and all monks had to be registered with the government, thus transforming the religion from a "popular" phenomenon to an "elite" one. More and more resentment began to grow toward the Thai Sangha authorities. Those who wish to reform Buddhism in Thailand, often point to the supreme council-- with its aging monks who seem more intent on blessing people's new businesses or cars than on working in concrete ways to eliminate the suffering of the poor--as one of the main problems to be addressed. Younger, well educated monks have no ability, under the current system, to be able to affect change at this high level, because they have no chance of entering into this elite community until they are quite elderly and most likely can only do so by supporting the current system, not by attempting to challenge it. In Thailand, it is customary for all males to enter into the monastic community for at least a period of three months, usually during the rainy season, often referred to as the Buddhist "Lent." Ordination as a novice monk, or even as a fully ordained monk, is not a life-long commitment. Buddhist monks can disrobe at any time. The numbers within the Sangha swell considerably during "Lent." Some monks undertake this three month period and remain for a lifetime, or for long enough to receive an education, but most take only the three months experience and then return to the society "ripe" for marriage. This voluntary nature of the Sangha means that Thai Buddhists have never had a shortage of monks. It also means that every Thai male has access to education, creating a more literate male society. But it also means that, at any given moment, there are monks within the monastic community who lack serious commitment. They are undertaking this action to make merit for their parents--especially their mothers or the king--to gain the cultural approval that comes with having undertaken this initiation into real manhood, or they become monks because they are poor and have no other access to education. Thai monks have the option to enter one of two major sects within Thai Buddhism: the Mahanikai and the Dhammayut sects. The Dhammayut sect was established under the reign of King Mongkut who ruled Siam for thirty years and introduced major reform of the Sangha system. The Dhammayut sect sought to purify Buddhism from its unnecessary accretions and return it to strict adherence to the Dhamma. The Mahanikai ("large") order was composed of those monks who continued in the traditional practices. Today, they are distinguished from one another, in part, by the wearing of differently colored robes. The Mahanikai monks wear a brighter orange, the Dhammayut monks wear a deeper gold. The son of Mongkut, Chulalongkorn, came to power after the death of his father and, in 1898, introduced a standard system of education that would center in the monastery. Later on, he denied monks the right to teach in the secular education system and created a standard curriculum for the education of monks and novices. This standard curriculum did not depend on any of the popular texts that were previously used by monks in local monasteries. Instead, the curriculum put the influence on scripture, commentaries, and accepted historical sources. In the eyes of many of the people, the monks were moving farther and farther away from their own lived realities. This was yet another step toward making Buddhism a religion of the elites instead of a religion of the people. The monk seeks religious (lukuttara) not worldy (lokiya) goals. Thus the Sangha is the mediator between the goals of the mundane world and the ideals of spiritual transformation (Swearer, 1995). Thai monks are further divided into two groups: village monks and forest monks. Village monks live in the city, are more education oriented, and take two meals per day. Forest monks, live in the forest, focus on meditation and ascetic practices, and take only one meal per day. Monks, particularly forest monks, have been used by the nation state, within the previous century, as tools for the subjugation and control of oppressed indigenous peoples in the northern regions of Thailand. According to J.D. Taylor, they were sent out to "domesticate the frontier and any uncontrolled idiosyncratic behavior" (Taylor, 1993). J.D. Taylor sketches the ways that forest monks have been transformed through four basic stages:
1) Small bands of forest ascetics wander to and from remote meditation sites
During our time in Thailand, we had the opportunity to meet with several monks who, in their own ways, are working to alleviate the suffering of Thai society. Click here to learn about these important monks:
|
|
|