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Gerontocracy of the Buddhist Monastic Administration in Thailand

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Gerontocracy of the Buddhist Monastic Administration in Thailand Simulacra | ISSN: 2622-6952 (Print), 2656-8721 (Online) https://journal.trunojoyo.ac.id/simulacra Volume 4, Issue 1, June 2021 Page 43–56 Gerontocracy of the Buddhist monastic administration in Thailand Jesada Buaban1* 1 Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia * Corresponding author E-mail address: [email protected] DOI: https://doi.org/10.21107/sml.v4i1.9880 Article Info Abstract Keywords: This paper examines the monastic administration in Thai Buddhism, dhamma studies which is ruled by the senior monks and supported by the government. It aims to answer two questions; (1) why the Sangha’s administration has gerontocracy been designed to serve the bureaucratic system that monks abandon social Sangha Council and political justices, and (2) how the monastic education curriculum are secularism designed to support such a conservative system. Ethnographic methodology Thai Buddhism was conducted and collected data were analyzed through the concept of gerontocracy. It found that (1) Thai Buddhism gains supports from the government much more than other religions. Parallel with the state’s bureaucratic system, the hierarchical conservative council contains the elderly monks. Those committee members choose to respond to the government policy in order to maintain supports rather than to raise social issues; (2) gerontocracy is also facilitated by the idea of Theravada itself. In both theory and practice, the charismatic leader should be the old one, implying the condition of being less sexual feeling, hatred, and ignorance. Based on this criterion, the moral leader is more desirable than the intelligent. The concept of “merits from previous lives” is reinterpreted and reproduced to pave the way for the non-democratic system. Citation suggestion: Buaban, J. (2021). Gerontocracy of the Buddhist monastic administration in Thailand. Simulacra, 4(1), 43–56. https://doi.org/10.21107/sml.v4i1.9880 Received 8 February 2021; Received in revised form 3 April 2021; Accepted 9 April 2021; Published online 25 June 2021. Jesada Buaban Introduction instrumentalized to assimilate different groups of people into Thai state’s power, Buddhism is the mainstream religion in namely, Nicholas (1999), Tiyavanich (1997), Thailand, which is followed by more than and Taylor (1993). However, reinterpretations 90% of the total population, and around of Buddhism also serve ordinary people in 300,000 men decided to live the monastic daily activities as discussed by Reynolds lives as monks and novices (Rabassó & (2016, 2015), McDaniel (2011), Kitiarsa (2007), Rabassó, 2018). However, a total number Tambiah (1984) and Kirsch (1977). Moreover, of monks and novices in both Mahanikaya some studies explore the ways that religions and Dhammayutta Orders is dynamic adapted to local contexts (including cultural, because the rituals of ordination and disrobe social, and political environments), due to are arranged every day. That is because the stream of modernity and intellectual ordination is Thailand is considered as a critiques. Winichakul (2015), Scott (2009), and duty that all men should practice even for Eaiwsriwong (2003) proposed that Buddhist a short term. Buddhism used to play a vital value in Thailand had been changing from role in nation-building, creating identity, and the charismatic leaders who are experts in legitimizing the Thai elites especially during meditation to those whose reputation is to the regime of absolute monarchy (McCargo, support people’s business purposes. This 2004). However, though Thailand has been changing value is motivated by capitalism as changed to a democratic country in 1932, the well. monastic administration still maintains the In general, various works seem to hierarchical organization and centralizes its perceive Thai Buddhism as a tool for political power. Monks who become the leaders of objectives, on the contrary, it should also temples, sub-districts, districts, provinces, be mentioned that Buddhist institutions regions, and the committee of the Sangha instrumentalize political power to serve Council (Mahatherasamakhom: in Thai) are their aims as well. The empirical examples totally from appointments, not from elections from Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand (Tuan, 2018). As a result, it is not surprising were studied by Helbardt et al, (2013). The to find that most of those leaders are very old researcher, in this paper, proposes that because they are more famous and respected Thai monastic institutions, which are ruled than the younger monks. In technical term, by the old monks, always require supports ruled by the old man was called gerontocracy. from the government and do not want to This paper questions (1) why the Sangha be free from the state’s control. Secularism administration has been designed to serve and humanist issues are therefore not raised the bureaucratic system ultimately monks because of several reasons. In consequence, abandon social and political justices, and relationships among the old administrative (2) how the monastic education curriculum monks, the hierarchical style of organization, are designed to support such a conservative and the semi-democratic government of system. Thailand should be systematically studied. Many scholarly works focus on Theravada Buddhism and Thai society. According to Kulabkaew (2012), Swearer (2010), and Method Jory (2002), Buddhism in Thailand has been Ethnographic methodology was adopted reinterpreted to support social status and in this research paper. The author had been elites’ legitimacy. Meanwhile some scholars joining the monastic life as a monk for asserted that the Sangha institution was almost two decades (2000-2018) in Southern 44 ©2021 Simulacra, Volume 4, No. 1, June 2021 and Central Thailand. Therefore, some data and practical ways of life of Thai Buddhists were written as a self-reflection. However, are analyzed to reveal why Thai Buddhism in order to write this project, the author is fit to gerontocracy. (3) Thai Buddhism for conducted fieldwork again in Nakhon Sri Secular State and Welfare State: demonstrates Thammarat, Suratthani, and Bangkok, for relationships between religion and the Thai five months in 2018. Participant-observations state. Islamophobia is also stated here as one were conducted by staying with monks of the main causes that encourages monks and novices in various temples, while in- struggle for the state’s support and deny dept interviews with five monks who secularism. While some groups of young worked under the Sangha Administration, monks protested to demand secularism, and five monks, as well as ex-monks, who they were accused and punished by the tended to criticize that particular system. Sangha Act of insulting the old monks and However, in order to protect informants, systems. Welfare State and Thai Buddhism pseudonyms were used here. Then, collected are additionally discussed to analyze why data were analyzed through the concept of Thai Buddhism does not respond to social gerontocracy, which has been paid attention issues. by various scholars in social sciences. In terms of Buddhist texts, this research employed both primary sources namely the Results and Discussion Pali Tipitaka and secondary sources such as Ruled by the old monks religious textbooks and explanations by Thai monks in order to provide some differences Literally, monks are people who renounce and discuss how the Thai curriculum have the worldly life and follow the monastic been interpreted to preserve gerontocracy codes (Bhikkhu: in Pali language). However, and promote absolute monarchy. monks in many traditions especially Thai This paper is organized into three parts; Theravada, according to Bunnag (2007), are (1) Ruled by the Old Monks: elucidates the not separated from their family members, governance of old representatives who because the aim of ordination is not only really have no power and creative ideas to to practice meditation and gain Nirvana as run their organization. In this section, it finds mentioned in the scripture, but in practice, that the main role of Sangha administration, the monkhood can help candidates to elevate which is supported and approved by the their social status. Many poor families tend government, is to respond to the state policy. to send their children to join the monastic The case of Dhammakaya is exemplified life for education purpose and many of to show the dictatorial aspects of the Thai them choose to disrobe after graduated. Sangha Council and the state’s authorities, This kind of ordination becomes one of the which always reject the diversity of religions Thai cultures, which is still widely practiced and cultures. Besides, while those old monks nowadays. When the monkhood in the Holy are weak in working, the real workers are Scripture is different from the practical norm, their secretary monks. However, it does not it is not odd to find that livelihood of those mean that those secretaries can freely run men after ordination cannot be free from organizations, because they are chosen to worldly issues. Many of them are interested work for the old system. (2) Theravada Way in learning religion and teaching laypeople, of Governance: explains the perspective of while many of them try to join the monastic governance in Theravada tradition. Both administration, in which monks work as theoretical ideas depicted from the scriptures state’s bureaucrats and earn salaries from 45 Jesada Buaban the national budget. Notably, becoming to the next generation is possible in order to a monk
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