Buddhist Monks and Monasteries in Thailand

The Buddhist brotherhood is composed of fourdependence for material and spiritual life, the monks
assemblies of Buddhists, namely, monks, nuns, laymenand the laymen have been in close relationship since
and laywomen. Monks and nuns form the monasticthe beginning, and the monasteries have been centres
section while laymen and laywomen form the layof spiritual and social life of the people throughout the
section. The two sections follow the path of thehistory of the Thai nation.
Buddha at different levels. The monks are moreToday social roles of the monks are more obvious in
devoted to spiritual development than the laymen. Tothe rural life of the villages than in the urban life of the
minimize personal cares and worries, they shave theircapital, towns and cities. It is usually the villagers
heads, wear only three robes and possess only a fewthemselves who build the monastery for their own
necessary requisites. They depend on the laymen forcommunity. They feel themselves belonging to the
material necessities such as food, clothing, lodging andmonastery and the monastery belonging to their
medicine, and give them spiritual advice and guidance incommunity. The village monastery serves as the
return.centre of social life and activities of the village, for
To maintain the moral standard of the people and tovillage social life follows the Buddhist holy days, temple
make their own life favourable to spiritual devotion, thefairs and merit-making ceremonies. The villagers also
monks keep strict discipline. Although the rules arefeel very close to monks in the local monastery as the
very strict, the monkhood is not separated from themonks are in daily contacts with them and are
lay world because the monasteries are always opencon-stantly drawn into their problems, both secular and
to anyone who wants to retire there, eitherspiritual.
permanently or temporarily. In Thailand it is even aWhen a villager is in distress, when he has a dispute
custom for every young man to stay for a time, longwith his neighbour, when he seeks counsel or when he
or short, in the monastery and acquire a religioussimply wants to learn, he turns to the monastery and
training. The present King himself entered thethe monks. Boys too difficult to handle at home are
monastery, had his head shaved and lived by alms liketaken in and orphans are cared for. The temple
the other monks. This tradition is a factor which leadsgrounds are usually the most natural location for a
to the stability of Thai Buddhism and the continuingmovie to be shown, for a lecture to be given and for
increase in monks and monasteries. Thailand's area ofpolling booths to be set up for a political election. Some
200,000 square miles is thus dotted with 28,196branches of learning have been preserved and
Buddhist monasteries where 339,648 monks andcontinued in the monastery, such as architecture,
novices live.1 Travellers from foreign countries havesculpture, painting, carving, carpentry, and tile, brick and
been so impressed by these large numbers of monkscement making. The monks may offer basic technical
and monasteries that they often call Thailand the Landadvice on these matters and offer help in organizing
of the Yellow Robe.building programs such as well, dam, road and bridge
Monks form the Sangha, the third principle of Buddhism;building. Many social problems would have been
the others being the Buddha, the Enlightened One, andpressing upon the people in the rural society due to the
the Dharma, his teachings. The monks follow the threelack of schools, medical facilities, a police and court
main virtues of the Buddha: wisdom, purity andsystem, social welfare and community services, if they
compassion. Compassion is interpreted as socialwere not checked by these social roles of the monks
responsibility. Through this virtue and through mutualand monasteries.