| hird son of Phoh Khun Sriindraditya, Phoh Khun | | | | During the Ayudhya period, a Buddhist Council |
| Ramkamhaeng, succeeded to the throne of Thailand in | | | | generally known as the Tenth Council, the first to be |
| B.E. 1820 (1277 C.E.) and ruled as the third king of | | | | held in Thailand, was called by King ,Tilokaraj of |
| Sukhothai. In this reign Sukhothai was at its height of | | | | Chiengmai in B.E. 2020 (1477 C.E.). At that time the |
| power and prosperity. His kingdom extended in the | | | | Lanna monks were very famous in the study of Pali |
| north to Prae and Nan, in the east to Vientiane, in the | | | | and many scholarly works in Pali were produced in |
| south to the extreme end of the Malay Peninsula and | | | | Lanna. |
| in the west as far as Hongsavadi. It was he who | | | | In B.E. 2296, in the reign of King Boromkos, the king of |
| invented the Thai alphabet to replace the old Khmer | | | | Ceylon wished to revive Buddhism in his land and sent |
| alphabet and who introduced the present form of | | | | to Thailand for Bhikkhus who could re-establish the |
| Theravada Buddhism to the Thai people. | | | | higher ordination. A group of monks headed by Phra |
| By this time Buddhism had disappeared in India and the | | | | Upali was sent there and the Siamese ordination has |
| centre of the religion moved to Ceylon where, under | | | | been in use in Ceylon to the present time. There also |
| the patronage of King Parakramabahu the Great who | | | | developed a Buddhist sect called Syama Vamsa or |
| emulated King Asoka, the monks were united and the | | | | Upali Vamsa or Siyam Nikaya which is still the major |
| sacred texts were reestablished in their original purity. | | | | sect in that country. |
| A Council generally known as the Seventh Buddhist | | | | In B.E. 2310 (1767 C.E.) Ayudhya fell under the attacks |
| Council was held under the presidency of Kassapa | | | | of the Burmese. Though the Burmese were repelled, |
| Thera in about B.E. 1720 (1176 C.E.).1 | | | | the country was disorganized and Buddhism declined. |
| With the influence of this revival, Buddhist monks were | | | | King Taksin and King Rama I did very much to revive |
| sent from many countries to study the newly revised | | | | the religion. The second Buddhist Council of Thailand |
| Doctrine and Discipline there. These monks were | | | | was held in the reign of King Rama I. The Tripitaka and |
| reordained and took back home the revised ordination | | | | commentaries were collected, revised and established. |
| procedure (Upasampadavidhi) later known as | | | | The Emerald Buddha, the Buddha Sihing and many |
| Lankavamsa. Some of them even invited Ceylonese | | | | other priceless Buddha images were collected and |
| monks to accompany them to teach the pure form of | | | | enshrined as national treasures in various temples in |
| the Dharma in their countries. | | | | Bangkok. |
| In Thailand, the monks of the Lankavamsa sect settled | | | | King Mongkut was a monk for twenty-seven years |
| first in Nakorn Sridhammaraj and their fame soon | | | | and knew the doctrine well. Seeking to give monastic |
| reached Sukhothai. King Ramkamhaeng then invited a | | | | life its former strictness, he founded a new movement |
| dignitary called Phra Mahaswami to his capital and | | | | within the Order and called it the Dhammayuttika sect |
| gave him royal support in propagating the Doctrine. It is | | | | to distinguish it from the original Sangha, which was |
| said that the image of Phra Buddha Sihing was | | | | later called the Mahanikaya sect. Time went on and |
| transferred from Ceylon to Thailand at this time. | | | | there have been movements, changes and |
| After that the Theravada Buddhism of the | | | | improvements in both sects so that at present the two |
| Lankavamsa tradition became popular and was more | | | | sects do not differ substantially in any way from each |
| and more widely practised in Thailand. Some of the | | | | other. |
| Thai monarchs such as King Lithai of Sukhothai and | | | | The reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) marks the |
| King Borom Trailokanath of early Ayudhya even | | | | period of great changes and progress both in secular |
| entered the Order and lived for some time as | | | | and in religious affairs. The third Thai Buddhist Council |
| Bhikkhus. This later resulted in the custom of Thai | | | | was held in B.E. 2431, where the Thai alphabet was |
| youths entering the Order for at least a short period in | | | | used in making copies of the Tripitaka instead of the |
| their lives. Pali was studied and used as the | | | | modified Khmer script. By royal command the revised |
| fundamental language of the Scriptures instead of | | | | version of the Tripitaka was published for the first time |
| Sanskrit. The monks of the older sects gradually joined | | | | in modern book form. Two Buddhist universities were |
| those of the reformed tradition into one single sect. | | | | founded for the higher education of Buddhist monks, |
| The Mahayana Buddhism adopted under the Srivijaya | | | | Mahamakut, in memory of the Royal Father, and |
| and Khmer rule declined and finally disappeared. This | | | | Mahachulalongkorn, to perpetuate the memory of the |
| marks the period in which all Buddhists in Thailand | | | | Founder himself. In B.E. 2446 (1903 C.E.) the Sangha |
| were unified under the one single faith of the newly | | | | Administration Act of R.E. 121 was passed to provide |
| revised Theravada Buddhism. | | | | officially a separate government for the Order and to |
| In B.E. 1893 (1350 C.E.) another Thai kingdom called | | | | achieve perfect harmony between the Sangha and |
| Sriayudhya was founded in central Thailand by King | | | | the State. |
| Uthong of the Chiengrai dynasty. By the middle of the | | | | Thus has Buddhism prospered and become firmly |
| next century, the three Thai kingdoms had been unified | | | | established in Thailand. |
| under the rule of Ayudhya. | | | | |