In terms of engaged Buddhism, whenever we mention problems regarding interpretation and dissemination in Thailand, Buddhist scholars here might have different opinions: some point out that engaged Buddhism in Thailand is not a new concept. It is, indeed, in early Buddhism which we have failed to apply to the present world which is changing all the time. Others, however, argue that Buddhism has no social engagement, meaning there was no engaged Buddhism in early Buddhism: Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana. Rather, it is a pattern of modern Buddhism in order to solve new problems all around the world.
Here, while social, economic and politics are changing continuously, my question is that is it possible that we re-interpret the Buddha’s teaching to approach new problems which occur every day? And these problems challenge if and how Buddhism is able to solve contemporary problems. Yes, Buddhism first developed in the agricultural society in India; but contemporary issues might offer a good opportunity for us to re-interpret the Buddha’s teaching in the light of new problems and situations.
Modern-day problems have forced some monks to form a new movement in Thailand in an attempt to re-interpret the Buddha’s teaching to find appropriate solutions to the situation. Therefore, the question in this article is that in terms of interpretation and dissemination the Buddhadhamma, what is the difference between monks in the Sukhothai, the Ayutthaya, the Thonburi and the early part of the Rattanakosin era and the monks of new movement in Thailand. Also why monks of a new movement have to reinterpret Buddhadhamma? In order to confine my studies, I would like to select some group of monks of a new movement in Thailand. They consist of Phra Paisarn Visalo, Phra Kittisuk Kittisophano and Phra Dusadee Methankaro.
2. Interpretation and Dissemination of the Buddhadhamma from Sukhothai to Rattanakosin Era
The results of the study indicate that various interesting aspects especially the way of life and on economic, politic, social, culture, custom, and environment in each period affect directly and indirectly they the interpretation and dissemination of Buddhadhamma is undertaken. For example, in the Sukhothai era the political, social and economical context was generally helpful to the disseminatition, thus increased the religious beliefs of Buddhism positively, which could be seen today in a large number of monks, temples and religion ceremonies. With that the interpretation of Buddhism grew in the same direction as well which was manifest in the ethical and moral standard maintained by lay Buddhists. This kind of society has been known as “Tribhumi Society”. People at that time were afraid of sinful things. They instead put effort to do merit and assist each others according to the concept of ocompassion as taught by the Buddha. That brought happiness to the Thai people at that time; there was harmony between layman and religion or world view and dhamma.
During the Ayutthaya period, the political, social and economic way of life affected the interpretation and dissemination too. Thai Kingdom was influenced by Brahmins who brought the cosmological concept from India to govern people under the king. Hence the king acted as the center of the universe. The king’s role changed from Parentism in the Sukhothai period to Dadaism in this time.
From the change had resulted in the way the monks interprete and disseminate to suit the kingdom’s then contemporary rule and society. Obviously some monks interpreted Buddhism to popularize and sustain the practice of magic, creating amulets or tiny Buddha images for people to carry with them as a means of protecting from danger or bringing confidence to the soldier during the war. When we look closely, we can see that the monks acted as the spiritual leaders offering wisdom and confidance to soldiers fighting the Burmese troops.
It could be said that the interpretation and dissemination in Ayutthaya period used the symbols of Buddhism and Brahmins. Not only the belief interpreted by the mentioned symbols but it also added by mystic Thana (แบบฌาน) in order to encourage the faith among the Buddhists to the Order.
Although it did not stand on the real knowledge of Buddhism directly, it was a fruitful methodology to hold people mind as the dissemination. This method was quite different from Sukhothai period which emphasized to interpret ethical precepts and the original canonical texts
3. Interpretation and Dissemination of Buddhadhamma in contemporary Thailand
When modern sciences and technology from the west started coming and influencing the Thai society from the middle of the Rattanakosin period, the Rationale interpretation in Buddhism began and it was initiated especially by King Rama IV (King Mongkut: 1852-68) who was in the monhood for a quarter of a century when he studied the canonical texts as well as some sciences. After he became king, he changed lots of doctrinal interpretation and discipline. For his role introducing and popularizing science, the king was later honored as Father of the Modern Science of Siam. Since then the interpretation and dissemination have stood on the basic which has to be explained and proven to the public. Fortunately, at that time there was a monk called Somdet Phramaha Samanachao Kromprayavachirayanavaroros (1840-1921)7, the son of King Rama IV, who had taken an important role as the leader of monkshood to defend the Buddhism from the magic or superstition and mystery. He was the monk who tried to protect the Buddhism in the original and right way.
The progress and his rational radition have been continued by Buddhist scholar-monks such as Bhikkhu Buddhadasa8 and Phra Promkunapronb (P.A. Payutto). They use the rationale as an important tool to explain the Pali canon in order that it will create the ethics to fit the original teaching.
However when they critically studied political, economical, social, environmental and science issues, they found the contemporary issues are more complicated than those same subjects in the past. Because in the past Thais mostly lived in the agriculture society so their world view and life view did not complicate like the industrised society.
The problems of capitalism, politic and social are filled with conflicts and have caused severe violence through the whole country of Thailand. That affects the progress monks to do the interpretation and dissemination. The monks of new movement: Phra Paisarn Visalo, Phra Kittisak Kittisophano and Phra Duthsadee Methangkuro, have tried to explain and analyze the Buddhism in the social and political dimensions. Thus their interpretation and dissemination have reflected the truth that Buddhism has never been separated from the social and political dimensions since the Buddha time. Hence the progress monks’ interpretation and dissemination will cover in three dimensions that are namely focusing on this study:
(1) the practice to link the internal and external dimensions
(2) the participation of the layman in the society and
(3) the participation of the monkshood in all dimensions.
4. Conclusion and analysis
The comparison of the interpretation and dissemination between the progressive monks and the conservative one are different in some points. They are as follow: the first point the progress monk will focus on pragmatism to join the spiritual and social dimension in society. However the conservative monk would emphasize on only the spiritual dimension rather than social dimension. The last point is that the progress monk would like to participate with the large group of people as it can show by the horizontal line but another participate with a limited group as in the vertical line.
However the world view and life view of progress monk fit the present situation which the modernization is rapidly and continuously changing. The needed monks belong to the horizontal group rather than the vertical. This concerns to complicated problems nowadays and needs the participation from people. The participation in the activities of the progress monks is noted suitable and fitting whit the doctrine and discipline (Dhamma and Vinaya).
When analyzing the role and the principle of the doctrine and discipline of the progressive monks, the conclusion was found that they fit the Buddha teaching and the way the early Buddhist Order had behaved and performed. It was the valued clue that the Buddha had a good relationship with the Buddhists and also other competitors such as Brahmanism, Jhanas and so on. The Buddha’s activities were a parallel dimension of spiritual and social. It showed in the Buddha’s teaching “you all should go in order to help, to convey happiness to the people.
Finally the progressive monks have to realize or must realize about the participation to the world view and life view of layman. It is necessary that monks must concentrate on or are conscious all the time of non-monastic
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