It divided Thai Buddhism and its connection with the State

Every tourist brochure about Thailand shows a temple or a monk with a begging bowl and a text that praises Buddhism as a beautiful and peaceful religion. That may be (or not), but it does not affect how divided Buddhism is in Thailand at the moment. This article describes the different denominations in Thai Buddhism, and their connection with the State.

Thai Buddhism to the XNUMXs

It was King Mongkut, himself a monk for twenty-five years before he was called to kingship, who founded a new sect, the Thammayuth-nikai (literally, 'Struggle for the Dhamma' sect). Like Luther, Mongkut wanted to get rid of all kinds of traditional rituals and return to the original scriptures of Buddhism. The vinaya, the discipline of the monks, and the study of the scriptures had to be paramount. Although this sect would never comprise more than ten percent of all Thai monks, it became the leading group especially under Mongkut's son, King Chulalongkorn. The Sangharaja (literally 'the King of Monkdom') usually emerged from this section, cementing the bond with the state that the 1962 Sangha Law under the dictator Sarit made almost absolute.

But there were monks who did not like this course of action. From the 1932 revolution, there were monks who supported the new democracy by taking part in electoral campaigns, but this was then banned by a law that is still in force in 1941. Monks are still not allowed to vote. This does not prevent monks from participating in the yellow and red shirt demonstrations.

The still well-known example is the monk Phra Phimonlatham (literally 'The Beauty of the Dharma'). He came from Khon Kaen, already somewhat suspicious because of the communist movement then in the Isaan, which, incidentally, amounted to little. He was a member of that other sect, the Maha Nikai ('the 'Great Sect'), studied meditation practices in Burma (also suspected) and became one of the most popular monks (and abbot) at Wat Mahathat in Bangkok. He opposed the dictator Sarit in carefully chosen terms, was arrested. expelled from monasticism and accused of homosexual acts and unBuddhist practices. He was imprisoned from 1962 to 1966 but was rehabilitated in the 2009s. As the dictator Sarit remarked, 'In meditation one closes one's eyes and then one no longer sees the communists'. During the red shirt demonstrations in 2010 and XNUMX, his life was regularly recalled.

The changes in the XNUMXs and militant Buddhism

A student popular uprising on October 14, 1973 drove out the Three Tyrants, Thanom, Prapas and Narong. The three years that followed were of unprecedented freedom. There was fierce discussion, protests and strikes. The works of Chit Phumisak (a Thai Marxist) and Karl Marx were brought out again. Students went into the country to spread their democratic and socialist message.

A counter-movement was inevitable. Partly fueled by the communist victories in neighboring countries, a right-wing extremist movement arose that labeled everyone who was somewhat left-wing or alternative as 'communist', people dangerous to the state who undermined religion and monarchy, although the communist threat in Thailand was hardly allowed to have a name. Murders, of peasant leaders for example, and fights were the order of the day.

In this toxic atmosphere, we must see the rise of the right-wing extremist monk Phra Kittivuddho. He was abbot of a temple in Chonburi. There he gave his fiery anti-communist speeches. His statement that killing communists is not a sin 'because communists are not people, they are animals' is still notorious. He was the leader of the right-wing extremist movement 'Nawaphon'. The leadership of the Thai Sangha was asked to condemn his activities, but they remained silent.

These chaotic conditions eventually led to the mass slaughter at Thammasaat University where officially more than fifty but probably more than a hundred students were gruesomely murdered. The 'Nawaphon' movement played an important role in this.

The legitimacy of Nationalist Buddhism questioned

All these events meant that Buddhism's connection with the state was discussed and often questioned as a guarantee of a vibrant Buddhism that the population felt involved in. The many activists who had fled into the mountains after October 6, 1976 and joined the communist uprising, returned to society from 1980 after a general amnesty. Many of them remained active in society, went into politics, collaborated with NGOs and trade unions, or joined all kinds of other movements. Some became wealthy businessmen. They are called the 'October generation'.

The legacy of those 73-76 was greater diversity in many aspects of social life. As far as Buddhism is concerned, this manifested itself in a number of new directions that actually or only in terms of ideas broke away from official Buddhism. Let me name four.

The 'Dhamma Socialism', socially engaged Buddhism

The ideas behind it had been developed for a long time, but it went 'mainstream' in the eighties. The monk Buddhadasa (Phutthathat Phikhsu, "The Servant of the Buddha"), abbot of Suan Mohk ("The Garden of Liberation") temple in Chaiya, was the founder and intellectual heavyweight of this movement. He had a strong distaste for the official Buddhist hierarchy, which he considered corrupt and outdated. He wanted a new rational ethic that placed the believer at the center of the world, gave up greed, but at the same time strove for a more equal society where suffering could be reduced through a better distribution of wealth. His temple became a place of pilgrimage and his writings are still available in every bookstore today. Sulak Sivaraksa and Prawase Wasi are two famous adherents.

The 'Santi Asoke' movement

On May 23, 1989, the Supreme Council of Monks ordered Phra Potirak to be expelled from the monastic order for his "breaking with the discipline of the monastic order and rebellion against it."

Potirak founded his movement 'Santi Asoke' (literally 'Peace without Sorrow') in 1975 in a temple far outside of Bangkok and far from any other temple. The aforementioned monk Kittivuddho and the Dhammakaya movement to be discussed later did the same. The spatial separation goes hand in hand with a spiritual separation.

The movement was Puritan. Followers were urged to refrain from wearing jewellery, to dress simply, to eat a maximum of two vegetarian meals a day and to give up sexual activity after starting a family. In addition, Potirak claimed the authority to initiate monks and novices himself, a serious breach of the official Buddhist hierarchy.

General Chamlong Srinuang was a well-known and charismatic supporter of this movement. He was a very popular governor of Bangkok for several years. In 1992, he started the uprising against General Suchinda Kraprayoon, who appointed himself prime minister outside the democratic process, with a hunger strike on Sanaam Luang. The suppression of the subsequent uprising, 'Black May' (1992), in which dozens of people were killed by action by the army, eventually led to the removal of Suchinda and the beginning of a new democratic period.

The movement does not have a large following, but it does show that a challenge from the Buddhist establishment is possible.

The Buddhist Ecological Movement

Forerunners of this movement were the wandering monks, thudong called, who, outside the three lunar months of rain retreat, sought out the dangers of the still wild forests to meditate and free their minds from all worldly concerns. Ajarn Man, who was born in an Isan village in 1870 and died in 1949, was one of them and is still revered as arahant, a holy and near-buddha.

In 1961 Thailand was still covered with 53 percent forest, in 1985 it was 29 and now only a meager 20 percent. An important part in this deforestation, in addition to the population growth, was the state that claimed all authority over the forests and made large parts of the forests available for military operations and large agricultural companies for military and economic reasons. In addition, population growth and the absence of other means of subsistence in those years were also responsible for deforestation.

In the course of the XNUMXs, a movement emerged that advocated that the forests be managed by the local community and not by the state, which was seen as destroying the forests for the benefit of capital. Monks settled in the forests with the help of the farmers, often on or near one pracha, a cremation ground, to show the power of Buddhism over the spirit world, and to protect the forests.

In 1991, the monk Prachak settled in a forest area in Khorat province with the help of villagers. They felt that they were the real protectors of the forest. The state did not agree and armed police drove the monk and the villagers out of the forest and destroyed their housing. Prachak, disappointed in the lack of support from the Sangha authorities, left the monastic order and continued to be bullied by the authorities in the years that followed.

A similar movement has also started in the North, led by the monk Phra Pongsak Techadammo. He too was opposed and threatened by various state institutions. He was forced to leave the monastic order.

The frequent trees consecrated and wrapped with a saffron-colored cloth against felling is a legacy of this movement.

The Dhammakaya Movement, Evangelical Buddhism

The name Dhammakaya refers to their belief that the Buddha, the Dharma, is present in every human being ('kaya' is 'body') and can be evoked through a special form of meditation aided by a crystal ball. That provides such an understanding that the person can be 'in' this world but not 'of' this world and that they can act without the greed that only suffering brings.

The origin of this movement lies in Wat Paknam in the thirties of the last century. The nun Chan in particular became known for her great knowledge of Buddhism, her meditation practices and her charisma. She inspired others, of which the current abbot of the Dhammakaya temple in Nakhorn Pathom is the most famous. This abbot, Phra Dhammachayo, is regarded as one arahant, a holy and near-buddha. He possesses the gift of mind reading, has divinatory visions and radiates a bright light. Miracles from his childhood already hint at his later status. This sect gained a large following during the economic boom of the 1998s. Sanitsuda Ekachai (XNUMX) described the followers as follows:

The Dhammakaya movement became popular by integrating capitalism into the Buddhist belief system. This appealed to contemporary urban Thais who valued efficiency, order, neatness, elegance, spectacle, competition, convenience and instant gratification of desire'.

The movement is very active in spreading its message at home and abroad. She often focuses on universities and the better educated. Luang Phi Sander Khemadhammo is a very active Dutch follower.

Most mainstream Buddhist organizations oppose Dhammakaya's views and she is currently being prosecuted for dubious financial practices.

Conclusion

Although the above-mentioned new trends in Thai Buddhism reach a relatively small proportion of believers (one million members for Dhammakaya), they are still an indication that they want to be less dependent on the state and take on a more civic character. Slavishly following the official line has become less popular.

This may have to do with Prime Minister Prayut's recent establishment of a national commission under Article 44 to monitor the correctness of the teachings of all religious denominations in Thailand. 'Correctness' in this is Newspeak for obedience and submission to the state.

Main source

Charles F. Keyes, Buddhisme Fragmented, Thai Buddhisme and Political Order since the 1970's, Adress Thai Studies Conference, Amsterdam, 1999

– Reposted message –