Buddhism, Monarchy and National Festivities

1
Buddhism, Monarchy and National Festivities

• Venerable Dr. Mettanando Bhikkhu
• B.Sc., M.D. (Chulalongkorn), B.A., M.A. (Oxford),
  
• Th.M. (Harvard), Ph.D. (Hamburg)
• Introduction to Thai Buddhism

2
Three National Institutions in Thailand,
expressed in the Trai Rong Flag (National Flag)

• Nation (chaat) represented by the red stripe in
  the Trai Rong Flag
• Religion (saasanaa) represented by the white
  stripe in the Trai Rong Flag
• Monarchy (Phra Mahaa Kasat) represented by the
  blue stripe in the Trai Rong Flag
• Trai Rong means three colors. The flag simply
  means the three colors flag.

3
An aspect of Thai culture

• Thai people are trained not to question
  authority, but to patronize and protect it.
• History of kings and members of the royal
  families are always blameless, almost infallible.
• Kings Ramkhamhaeng invented Thai alphabets, King
  Lithai wrote Triphumikatha (Buddhist Book on
  Cosmology), King Naresuan and King Taksin
  defended the country against the Burmese, King
  Chulalongkorn freed slaves, etc.

4
Chaat the first national institute among the
three

• There has not been any clear definition of what
  is chaat in text books of Thai history.
• Usually the word is identified with country or
  nation, but hardly the PEOPLE.
• In Sanskrit jati means birth, or caste

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Buddhism Monarchy inalienable from each other

• Although Buddhism was established outside of
  Indian society, the religion secures the ruling
  monarchy in every country it entered.
• The Buddha was born a prince, a member of the
  ruling class.
• Doctrine of Karma endorses the status quo of the
  monarchy.
• Historical evidence from India Asoka helped to
  purify Buddhism in the Second Council, around 200
  BCE, and defrocked 80,000 heretics. Buddhism
  could not solve its internal problem, and had to
  be dependent on monarchies. He restored Buddhism
  and dispatched missionaries to many countries.

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Buddha and his contemporary monarchs

• Socially, the Buddha was friendly to every king
  in India. Since Buddhism has to do with the
  salvation, it has nothing to do with society.
  Kings honored the Buddha as the head of a
  religion. The Buddha was welcome in every city,
  in spite of the conflict of doctrinal belief.
  Traditionally, Buddhism belonged to heterodox
  movement of Hinduism.
• In India, monks have special position in society,
  not higher than kings, but outsiders of the
  world. Kings have duties to protect religious
  people, regardless of their faith.

7
Logic of Karma endorses the status of the
powerful

• Doctrine of Karma is used for popular
  interpretation of an apparent situation. It
  offers the view that justice rules the world,
  there is always an explanation for every misery
  in life. The good are rewarded, while the evil
  ones are always punished.
• The logic of Karmic analysis is backward
  justifying a temporary situation with reasons of
  the situation in the past. Therefore, the mighty
  and successful people are good, and they deserve
  their fortune the poor are poor because of their
  sin in previous lies.
• Believers of Karma are generally conservatives.

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Great Buddhist Kings in Thai History

• King Lithai 1345 finished his book on Buddhist
  cosmology
• King Tilokarat of Chieng Mai 1477 Wat Cetyod,
  Buddhist Council, a major revision of Theravada
  canons, no monk was defrocked
• King Naray of Ayutthaya 1670 defrocked several
  monks to purify Buddhism.
• King Taksin deeply involved with Buddhist
  meditation, promoted Buddhism in his reign in
  several ways.
• King Rama I First Buddhist Council, many monks
  were defrocked to purify Buddhism.
• King Mongkut1827 establishing Thammayuttika
  Nikaya

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Relationship between the monarchy and Buddhism

• Monks are higher than a king who is on top of
  social hierarchy.
• Monastic life is a sanctuary for political
  threats many princes who were candidates for the
  thrones entered into monkshood unwillingly.
• Kings built monasteries and pagodas for the
  promotion of their power and popularity. Many
  kings declared themselves Bodhisattva, the
  Buddha-to-be or the future Buddha.
• Constitution mandates the King of Thailand has to
  be Buddhist, and sponsors of all faiths.

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A Thai monarch and his people in Thai language

• Formally, the king cannot be directly addressed.
  A citizen can call him the Pollen Under the
  Dust Under the Kings Feet.
• Ancient address to the King The Holy Feet of the
  Supreme Paramount Reverence and Holy Buddhist
  Lord Omnipotent
• The first personal pronoun I The Servant of
  the Holy Buddha Lord
• A citizen has to prostrate flatly on the ground
  in front of the king without looking up to his
  face

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Monarchy and the ruling of the Sangha

• Supreme Patriarch (Somdet Phra Sangha-raat) is
  appointed by the king together with the
  Patriarchs (Somdet)
• Somdet is a title, the Thai brought from
  Cambodian feudalism, for exaltation of an
  authority, can be given to an person.
• Chao-khun, a title given by the King to any monk
  who has done a royal favor.
• There are nine levels of Chao-khuns in the
  ecclesiastical hierarchy.

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Three sets of vocabularies used in Thai language

• Normal Thai language or the language of the
  peasant, which can be divided into spoken Thai
  and written Thai, influenced by Sanskrit, Pali
  and English.
• The court language, restricted for the speaking
  in the Royal Palaces, or speaking to a member of
  the Royal Family. The sequence of the words are
  similar to the normal Thai, but its vocabulary
  are different. Nouns and adjectives are replaced
  by Cambodian terms.
• Monastic vocabulary used in monastery, ancient
  Khmer/Mon.

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Vocabularies for high ranking monks

• In English I remains the same, but Thais are
  sensitive to use of pronouns
• Change of pronouns I and You have to be adjusted
  according to relative position of the addresser
  and the addressed, the wording is complicated and
  lengthy.
• Speaking to the Supreme Patriarch, the second
  personal pronoun is that of a Duke, lower than a
  king. In English Your Holiness.
• His Holiness, as the third personal pronoun.

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Buddhist countries monks are social leaders

• City governors did not like forest monks. They
  wandered from one village to another without
  paper or identity document.
• Monks are behind social changes. Even in times of
  war, monks joined the defense and fight against
  Burmese invasions.
• Monks conduct every ceremony, no matter it is a
  state, Buddhist, or popular.

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State Ceremonies

• New Year Ceremony
• Cakri Day, Beginning of the Dynasty, April 6
• Chat Mongkol Day, Day of Accession to the Throne
  of Rama IX
• Peuch Mongkol Day, Blessing the Rice Seeds, May
  16
• King Chulalongkorn Day, October 23
• Queens Birthday, August 12 (National Mother Day)
• King Phumiphols Birthday, December 5

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Buddhist Holidays

• Wan Magha Puja Assembly of 1,250 Buddhist
  saints, February
• Wan Asalaha Puja First Sermon, the Triple Gems
  were complete
• Wan Khao Phansa Beginning of the Buddhist Lent,
  June-July
• Wan Ok Phansa Ending of the Lent,
  September-October
• Wan Thod Krathin varies from one temple to the
  other, within 30 days after Wan Ok Phansa
• Wan Visakha Puja Birth, Enlightenment, Death of
  the Buddha
• Wan Atthame Puja cremation of the Buddha

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Popular Holidays

• Wan Songkran also known as Water Festival.
  Historically, South Indian festivity, New Year
  Cerebration with water festival, called
  Sangkranti, celebrated in South-east Asia,
  Thailand, Laos, Myanmar,Cambodia. It is a
  family-gathering week-long festival.
• Wan Loi Kra Thong historically, originated in
  the north of Thailand, Chieng Mai, Yii Peng
  Festival, marking the beginning of the Lunar New
  Year, also called Lantern Festival.