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91-554: The order began in Thailand as a reform movement led by a prince who would later become King Mongkut of Siam , before also spreading to Cambodia and Burma. Initially, King Mongkut was frustrated because he could not find monks who understood the original teachings of the Buddha and truly adhered to the rules of the monks . This happened because of the syncretism of Buddhism with Thai folk religion . Consequently, King Mongkut emphasized

182-413: A Buddhist monk ( ordination name Vajirayan ; Pali Vajirañāṇo ), following a Siamese tradition that men aged 20 should become monks for a time. The same year, his father died. By tradition, Mongkut should have been crowned the next king, but the nobility instead chose the older, more influential and experienced Prince Chetsadabodin (Nangklao), son of a royal concubine rather than a queen. Perceiving

273-473: A "defeated bhikkhu " as preceptor. Despite this, Mongkut was concerned that the area's lineages of regional traditions were broken. He made every effort to commission a phalanx of bhikkhus in Thailand with the highest probability of an unbroken lineage traceable back to the Buddha. Mongkut eventually found a lineage among the Mon people in Thailand who had a stronger practice. He reordained in this group and began

364-461: A British delegate, even praised him as "our own king", and showed his support of him as a new king of Siam. Having been celibate for 27 years, he now set about building the biggest royal family of the Chakri dynasty . Inside the palace there was a large number of women—reports say three thousand or more. They were mostly servants, guards, officials, maids and so on, but Mongkut acquired 32 wives, and by

455-498: A day (not two) and the meal was to be gathered during a traditional alms round. In 1836, Mongkut became the first abbot of the new Wat Bowonniwet Vihara , and it would become the administrative center of the Thammayut order to the present day. Soon after, Mongkut had other bhikkhus who were close to him reordain in this lineage of Mon bhikkhus . Among these were Mongkut's son Vajirañāṇavarorasa and Somdet Phra Wannarat "Thap",

546-556: A different lineage of bhikkhus with practice that is more in line with the vinaya . There are several rules in the Theravada monastic code by which a bhikkhu is "defeated" - he is no longer a bhikkhu even if he continues to wear robes and is treated as one. Every ordination ceremony in Theravada Buddhism is performed by ten bhikkhus to guard against the possibility of the ordination being rendered invalid by having

637-527: A distinct camp within the Thammayut order which was at odds with Vajirañāṇavarorasa's reforms. While the Dhammayuttika Nikaya originally started as a Buddhist reform movement in Thailand , later leading to the development of the Thai forest tradition , the order has played a significant political role in Thailand as well. Since its origins, the Dhammayuttika Nikaya has historically been

728-518: A grade nine Pali scholar. According to anthropologist Jim Taylor, Vajirañāṇavarorasa's autobiography tells how "Thap had differences with the somewhat more "worldly" bhikkhus at Wat Bowornniwet, which led to dissension and the movement's eventual division into four primary competing factions (monastic lines or "stems")." In the mid-19th century these branches became so estranged that each one developed its own style of chanting, interpretation, and translation of Pali texts, and differed on issues related to

819-720: A herd of war elephants to the US president Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War for use against the Confederacy . He did, however, offer to send some domesticated elephants to US president James Buchanan , to use as beasts of burden and means of transportation. The royal letter of 14 February 1861, which was written before the Civil War had even started, took some time to arrive in Washington DC, and by

910-664: A new temple erected by the king specifically for Dhammayuttika bhikkhus . The Cambodian order benefited from royal patronage but was also sometimes regarded with suspicion due to its ties to the Thai monarchy. The Dhammayuttika order in Cambodia suffered greatly under the Khmer Rouge , being particularly targeted because of its perceived ties to monarchy and a foreign nation, in addition to the Khmer Rouge's general repression of

1001-639: A recommendation by Tan Kim Ching in Singapore , the court hired an English woman named Anna Leonowens, whose influence was later the subject of great Thai controversy. It is still debated how much this affected the worldview of one of his sons, Prince Chulalongkorn , who succeeded to the throne. Around 1870, Leonowens wrote a memoir of her time as teacher, “ The English Governess at the Siamese Court .” Author Margaret Langdon took this work, and interviews with Leonowens' descendants, to fill out and create

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1092-469: A reform movement that would become the Thammayut order. In founding the Thammayut order, Mongkut made an effort to remove all non-Buddhist, folk religious, and superstitious elements which over the years had become part of Thai Buddhism. He emphasized the use of the Pali Canon as the primary authority as the basis for monastic practices. Additionally, Thammayut bhikkhus are expected to eat only one meal

1183-488: A reform movement until passage of the Sangha Act of 1902, which formally recognized it as the lesser of Thailand's two Theravada denominations, the other being Maha Nikaya . Prince Mongkut was a bhikkhu ( religious name : Vajirañāṇo) for 27 years (1824–1851) before becoming King of Thailand (1851–1868). The then 20 year-old prince entered monastic life in 1824. Over the course of his early meditation training, Mongkut

1274-522: A result, the administrative power of Siam rested largely in the hands of the two Bunnags, Dit and Tat. Upon his coronation , Mongkut married his first wife, Queen Somanass . However, Queen Somanass died in the same year. He then married his half-grandniece, Mom Chao Rampoei Siriwongse, later Queen Debsirindra . In 1849, there were upheavals in the Shan State of Kengtung and Chiang Hung kingdom in response to weakened Burmese influence. However,

1365-745: A very small minority. On issues such as the role of bhikkhu in HIV/AIDS treatment and education, the current Sangharaja, Bour Kry has adopted a more liberal position than the Mohanikay head Tep Vong , but is less radical than that of certain Engaged Buddhist elements of the Mohanikay order. The Dhammayutti Mahayin Gaing ( Burmese : ဓမ္မယုတ္တိနိကာယမဟာရင်ဂိုဏ်း ; from Pali : gaṇa "group, association") has its origins as "a late nineteenth-century Mon reform tradition [that] traces its lineage to

1456-647: Is Thanlyin Mingyaung Sayadaw . In Sri Lanka, from the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa (13th century) the title of Sangharaja has been created by the king Parakramabahu the great . In the beginning, this title of Sangharaja was also known as Mahasami , the head of the Sangha community of the whole country. The first Sri Lankan Buddhist monk to hold this title was Dimbulagala Maha Kassapa Maha Thero. However some sources suggests that Thotagamuwe Sri Rahula Thera , who

1547-549: Is currently defunct in Sri Lanka , as no Buddhist monk was appointed to this position in the last two centuries. Mahanayaka theros who act as the chief prelates of three main sects Siyam Nikaya , Amarapura Nikaya and Ramanna Nikaya are considered to be the highest ranked Buddhist monks in the country. In pre-colonial Burma, the office of Sangharaja was known as the Thathanabaing ( သာသနာပိုင် , literally 'Keeper of

1638-541: Is named after the King. King Mongkut is one of the people with the most children in Thai history; he had 32 wives and concubines during his lifetime who produced at least 82 children, one of whom was Chulalongkorn , who married four of his half sisters. Chakri dynasty Kings Viceroys Deputy Viceroy Crown Prince Hereditary Prince Royalty Sangharaja Sangharaja ( Pāli : sangha religious community + raja ruler, king, or prince)

1729-450: Is not bound to follow the orders or recommendations of another monk - even a senior monk. While in practice, the respect accorded to a senior monk and the standards of the local community often provide a significant impetus for requests from senior monks to be obeyed, there is no traditional or scriptural demand for such attitudes. Most monasteries – even in areas where a sangharaja has been appointed – remain primarily self-governing or, at

1820-487: Is said that his younger brother, Viceroy Pinklao , could speak it even better. Mongkut's first son and heir, Chulalongkorn , granted the Thammayut sect royal recognition in 1902 through the Ecclesiastical Polity Act; it became one of the two major Buddhist denominations in modern Thailand. Chulalongkorn also persuaded his father's 47th child, Vajirañana , to enter the order and he rose to become

1911-593: Is the center of the Dhammayuttika order. In addition, there is also the Sangha Theravāda Dhammayut Indonesia that shelters native Thai monks of the Dhammayuttika ordination line. [REDACTED] Cambodia portal Mongkut Mongkut ( Thai : มงกุฏ ; 18 October 1804 – 1 October 1868) was the fourth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty , titled Rama IV . He ruled from 1851 to 1868. His full title in Thai

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2002-509: Is the title given in many Theravada Buddhist countries to a senior monk who is the titular head either of a monastic fraternity ( nikaya ), or of the Sangha throughout the country. This term is often rendered in English as 'Patriarch' or 'Supreme Patriarch'. The position of sangharaja has been assigned according to various methods in different countries and time periods. In some cases,

2093-426: Is traditionally appointed by the king, Rama I having appointed the first of modern times in 1782. Since passage of the Sangha Act of 1902 in the reign of Rama V , the office has tended to alternate between ordained monks of the majority order of Maha Nikaya , and of the minority order of Dhammayuttika Nikaya . The latter began as a reform movement within the larger order, established by Prince Mongkut , while he

2184-538: The Qing dynasty court, as the mission symbolised Siam's subjection to the Qing emperors and because the Qing dynasty was then not so powerful as it had once been, as it was itself threatened by Western powers. In 1854, John Bowring , the governor of Hong Kong in the name of Queen Victoria , came to Siam to negotiate a treaty. For the first time Siam had to deal seriously with international laws. Prayurawongse negotiated on

2275-617: The Sangha Supreme Council . Taylor argues that this was done in order to ensure that the next supreme patriarch is also from the Dhammayuttika Nikaya, pointing to the junta's previous interference with the position in 2017 and that the suspects were all high-ranking non-royalist bhikkhus . In fact, in July 2018, the junta passed a law giving the Thai King the ability to select members of the Sangha Supreme Council instead of

2366-581: The Sāsana ') or formally Mahāsaṅgharājā ( မဟာသံဃာရာဇာ ), typically rendered into English as 'Primate', 'Archbishop' or 'Supreme Patriarch.' The Thathanabaing of Burma served as the head of the Buddhist order of monks ( bhikkhu ) in pre-colonial Burma , until its abolishment in 1938 by the British authorities in colonial Burma . When Started Supreme Patriarchy at 1980. Currently Fifth Supreme Patriarch of Myanmar

2457-512: The 10th Supreme Patriarch of Thailand from 1910 to 1921. Accounts vary about Nangklao's intentions regarding the succession. It is recorded that Nangklao verbally dismissed the royal princes from succession for various reasons; Prince Mongkut was dismissed for encouraging monks to dress in the Mon style. Prince Mongkut was supported by the pro-British Dit Bunnag who was the Samuha Kalahom , or Armed Force Department's president, and

2548-624: The British governor of the Straits Settlements from Singapore , was among those who were invited. King Mongkut predicted the solar eclipse, at (in his own words) "East Greenwich longitude 99 degrees 42' and latitude North 11 degrees 39'." King Mongkut's calculations proved accurate. When he made calculations on the Wakor solar eclipse that was to occur, he used the Thai system of measuring time ("mong" and "baht"), but he implemented

2639-524: The Buddhist hierarchy in Cambodia. Between 1981 and 1991, the Dhammayuttika Nikaya was combined with the Cambodian Mohanikay in a unified sangha system established under Vietnamese domination. In 1991, King Norodom Sihanouk returned from exile and appointed the first new Dhammayuttika Sangharaja in ten years, effectively ending the policy of official unification. The Dhammayuttika continues to exist in Cambodia, though its bhikkhus constitute

2730-622: The Dhammayuttika order, returning Cambodia to the two-patriarch system. As the monarchy no longer has government status in Cambodia, the two fraternities are now officially equals. The full official title of the Supreme Patriarch of the Maha Nikaya is Samdech Preah Sumedhādhipati , while the full official title of the Supreme Patriarch of the Dhammayuttika Nikaya is Samdech Preah Sugandhādhipati . The Sangharaja ( Thai : พระสังฆราช ; RTGS :  Sangkharat ) of Thailand

2821-424: The Dhammayuttika order. The preference by the Thai government and palace for Dhammayuttika has even led to the persecution of some high ranking Maha Nikaya bhikkhus who were seen as a threat to the Dhammayuttika hierarchy or the Thai government. The most famous case was the case of Phra Phimontham , a high ranking Maha Nikaya bhikkhu known for his pro-democracy views and opposition to Dhammayuttika elitism, who

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2912-540: The King that the American climate might not be suitable for elephants and that American steam engines could also be used as beasts of burden and means of transportation. A century later, during his state visit to the US, King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, who was Mongkut's great-grandson, referred to this event in his address before the US Congress on 29 June 1960. He said, "my great-grandfather offered to send

3003-536: The President and Congress elephants to be turned loose in the uncultivated land of America for breeding purposes. That offer was made with no other objective than to provide a friend with what he lacks, in the same spirit in which the American aid program is likewise offered." The asteroid 151834 Mongkut is named in honour of the King and his contributions to astronomy and the modernization of Siam. The main hospital of Phetchaburi province, Phrachomklao Hospital ,

3094-624: The Thai Thammayut ( sic ) order." It is one of 9 legally sanctioned monastic orders (nikaya) in Myanmar (Burma), under the 1990 Law Concerning Sangha Organizations. Ordained Buddhist monks by monastic order in Myanmar (2016). According to 2016 statistics published by the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee , 823 monks belonged to this monastic order, representing 0.15% of all monks in the country, making it

3185-560: The Thai government and monarchy, with the order holding the majority of all royal monastic titles in Thailand and most of the Supreme Patriarchs (the head of the Thai monastic community) since its founding having come from the Dhammayuttika Nikaya, despite the order making up less than ten percent of all bhikkhus in Thailand. Dhammayuttika Nikaya (Thai: Thammayut ) began in 1833 as a reform movement led by Mongkut (later King Rama IV), son of King Rama II of Siam . It remained

3276-475: The Thai government and people considered them to be lèse majesté . To clarify the historical record, well-known Thai intellectuals Seni and Kukrit Pramoj in 1948 wrote The King of Siam Speaks . The Pramoj brothers sent their manuscript to the American politician and diplomat Abbot Low Moffat (1901–1996), who drew on it for his 1961 biography, Mongkut the King of Siam . Moffat donated the Pramoj manuscript to

3367-469: The Thammayut sect as a rightful branch of Theravada. Mongkut also improved women's rights in Siam. He released a large number of royal concubines to find their own husbands, in contrast to how his story has been dramatized. He banned forced marriages of all kinds and the selling of one's wife to pay off a debt. In contrast to the previous king, Nangklao, Mongkut didn't see the importance of sending envoys to

3458-614: The United States Library of Congress in 1961. Anna claimed that her conversations with Prince Chulalongkorn about human freedom, and her relating to him the story of Uncle Tom's Cabin , became the inspiration for his abolition of slavery almost 40 years later. Slavery in Thailand was sometimes a voluntary alternative for individuals to be rid of social and financial obligations. One could be punished for torturing slaves in Siam, and some slaves could buy their freedom. Some western scholars and observers have expressed

3549-535: The Western method of longitude and latitude when he determined where on Earth the eclipse would best be viewed. Upon returning from his journey to Wakor, he condemned the court astrologers "for their...stupid statements because of their negligence of his detailed prediction and their inattention to measurement and calculation by modern instruments." During the expedition, King Mongkut and Prince Chulalongkorn were infected with malaria . The king died six weeks later in

3640-479: The arrival of American missionaries, but the debate about Earth's shape remained an issue for Siamese intellectuals throughout the 1800s. During his reign, Mongkut urged his royal relatives to have "a European-style education." The missionaries, as teachers, taught modern geography and astronomy, among other subjects. Six years after Mongkut's death, the first Thai-language geography book was published in 1874, called Phumanithet by J.W. Van Dyke. However, geography

3731-586: The behalf of the Siamese. The result was the Bowring Treaty between the two nations. The main principle of the treaty was to abolish the Royal Storage (พระคลังสินค้า), which since Ayutthaya 's times held the monopoly on foreign trade. The Royal Storage had been the source of Ayutthaya's prosperity as it collected immense taxation on foreign traders, including the taxation according to the width of

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3822-566: The capital, and was succeeded by his son, who survived malaria. It has been argued that the assimilation of Western geography and astronomy into 19th-century Siam "proved that Siam equalled the West in terms of knowledge, and therefore the imperialists ' claim that Siam was uncivilized and had to be colonized was unreasonable." This suggests that the Western form of these sciences may have saved Siam from actually being colonized by Western powers. Contrary to popular belief, King Mongkut did not offer

3913-440: The civil government. The central religious hierarchy is responsible for issues of national and regional importance- such as the curriculum of monastic schools, the creation of authoritative forms for scriptures and rituals, and reform issues of nationwide importance – leaving most local decisions to the discretion of individual temples and abbots (such as the ordination and disciplining of individual monks). The position of Sangharaja

4004-702: The competition eventually resulted in the lands ending up in the hands of nobility. The Bowring Treaty also had a legal impact. Due to the horror of the Nakorn Bala methods of torture in judicial proceedings, the British requested not to be tried under the Siamese system, securing a grant of extraterritoriality ; British subjects in Siam were therefore subject only to British law, while the Siamese in Britain enjoyed no reciprocal privilege. More treaties were then made with other powers, further undermining national revenue and legal rights. The Bowring treaty proved to be

4095-470: The countries monastic fraternities. From the period between 1855 and the beginning of the Khmer Rouge era, one sangharaja existed for the Cambodian branch of the Dhammayuttika Nikaya, and another for the Maha Nikaya. Because the Dhammayuttika order enjoyed closer ties to the throne, it officially had primacy in Cambodia despite constituting a small majority of Khmer monks. During the Khmer Rouge period,

4186-406: The economic and social revolution of Siam. Mongkut's reign saw immense commercial activities in Siam for the first time, which led to the introduction of coinage in 1860. The first industries in Siam were rice milling and sugar production. Infrastructure was improved; there was a great deal of paving of roads and canal digging—for transport and water reservoirs for plantations. In 1862, following

4277-535: The galleon and the tithe. Western products had to go through a series of tax barriers to reach Siamese people. The Europeans had been attempting to undo this monopoly for a long time but no serious measures had been taken. For Siamese people, trading with foreigners subjected them to severe punishment by the government. The taxation was partially reduced in the Burney Treaty . However, in the world of nineteenth-century liberalism , government control over trade

4368-465: The junta to withdraw his nomination. Wat Paknam was later cleared of all charges two days after Somdet Chuang's nomination was officially withdrawn. On 7 February 2017, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha confirmed the appointment of Somdet Phra Maha Muniwong as the 20th Supreme Patriarch of Thailand in a televised address. He was the abbott of Wat Ratchabophit and a leading member of the Dhammayuttika Nikaya order. The prime minister stated: "I submitted

4459-399: The laity (similar to the election of an abbot in some Theravada communities). The authority and responsibility assigned to the sangharaja can also vary significantly. Traditionally, Buddhist monasticism has not imposed any particular obligation of obedience on Buddhist monks . Any monk can offer criticism of any other monk with regards to violations of disciplinary rules , and a monk

4550-405: The monastic code. It wasn't until Vajirañāṇavarorasa took control of a new phase of sangha reforms in 1892 that the administrative Thammayut hierarchy would begin to form a cohesive vision. Officially Pusso Saa was the sangharaja ; however, he was only a figurehead. Thanissaro, a Thai-ordained forest bhikkhu , notes though that in the early-20th century, Ajahn Mun's kammaṭṭhāna lineage formed

4641-646: The monastic rules of discipline, the vinaya . Vajirayan admired Buddhawangso for his obedience to the vinaya, and was inspired to pursue religious reforms. In 1835, he began a reform movement reinforcing the vinaya law that evolved into the Dhammayuttika Nikaya , or Dhammayut sect. A strong theme in Mongkut's movement was that, "…true Buddhism was supposed to refrain from worldly matters and confine itself to spiritual and moral affairs". Mongkut eventually came to power in 1851, as did his colleagues who had

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4732-425: The monks. The alleged corruption within the Sangha from these investigations were cited as the reason for the change. In 1855, King Norodom of Cambodia invited Preah Saukonn Pan, also referred to as Maha Pan, a Khmer bhikkhu educated in the Dhammayuttika Nikaya, to establish a branch of the Dhammayuttika order in Cambodia. Maha Pan became the first Sangharaja of the Dhammayuttika lineage, residing at Wat Botum ,

4823-605: The more fictionalized account, Anna and the King of Siam , in 1944, which was adapted for films and a musical. Her story would become the inspiration for the Hollywood movies Anna and the King of Siam and Anna and the King as well as the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I and its subsequent film adaptation , which, because of their fictionalized historical references and perceived disrespectful treatment of King Mongkut, were initially banned in Thailand as

4914-432: The most powerful noble during the reign of Rama III. He also had the support of British merchants who feared the growing anti-Western sentiment of the previous monarch and saw the 'prince monk' Mongkut as the 'champion' of European influence among the royal elite. Bunnag, with the supporting promise of British agents, sent his men to the leaving-from-monk-status ceremony for Prince Mongkut even before Nangklao's death. With

5005-525: The most, dependent on a single larger temple in the same region. As such, in some cases the sangharaja is primarily a figurehead, a focal point and spokesman for Buddhist piety, but not endowed with any particular authority. Even without any clearly designated authority or responsibilities, a sangharaja can often effect significant changes in a Theravada country by employing the respect accorded to him and his office to mobilize monks and laymen for social or religious change. Preah Maha Ghosananda of Cambodia

5096-440: The names of five qualified monks for His Majesty to consider. On Monday night, I was informed His Majesty chose Somdet Phra Maha Muniwong." During the 2017–18 Thai temple fraud investigations , Anthropologist Jim Taylor described the arrests made during the investigations as the "ruling palace regime" trying to consolidate traditional, central royalist power by eliminating several high-ranking Maha Nikaya bhikkhus and members of

5187-401: The opinion that Siamese slaves were treated better than English servants. During his monkhood, Mongkut studied both indigenous astrology and English texts on Western astronomy and mathematics, hence developing his skills in astronomical measurement. One way that he honed his mastery of astronomy, aside from the accurate prediction of the solar eclipse of 18 August 1868 (Wakor solar eclipse),

5278-516: The politics of these two Nikayas. From 2013-2017 the bhikkhu who was next in line for Supreme Patriarch was the Maha Nikaya bhikkhu Somdet Chuang Varapuñño of Wat Paknam Bhasicheroen. However, lawsuits involving Somdet Chuang and the affiliated Wat Phra Dhammakaya caused his appointment to be postponed and eventually withdrawn, with another candidate from the Dhammayuttika fraternity appointed instead. The lawsuits against Wat Phra Dhammakaya and Somdet Chuang were, in fact, eventually used as reasons by

5369-489: The power of the House of Bunnag reached its zenith: It became the most powerful noble family of Siam. Mongkut is known in the West primarily through the lens of the 1951 musical The King and I and its 1956 film adaptation . Mongkut ( มงกุฎ , literal meaning: crown ) was the second son of Prince Itsarasunthon , son of Phutthayotfa Chulalok , the first Chakri king of Siam (King Rama I ) and Princess Bunrot . Mongkut

5460-416: The preferred choice of the Thai government and the monarchy. Having been started by a Thai prince, the order has always had close ties to the monarchy and has historically played a key role in ensuring public support for the palace. Journalist Paul Handley writes that: Although the doctrinal differences between the schools had become less significant, putting Thammayut [ sic ] on top ensured that

5551-564: The pressure of Western expansionism during Mongkut's reign. Mongkut embraced Western innovations and initiated the modernization of his country, both in technology and culture—earning him the nickname "The Father of Science and Technology" in Siam. Mongkut was also known for appointing his younger brother, Prince Chutamani, as Second King , crowned in 1851 as King Pinklao . Mongkut told the country that Pinklao should be respected with equal honor to himself (as King Naresuan had done with his brother Ekathotsarot in 1583). During Mongkut's reign,

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5642-485: The printing system and then resumed the publishing of Siam's first newspaper, the Bangkok Recorder . However, the missionaries were not as successful when it came to making religious conversions. In 1852, he ordered the nobles of the court to wear upper garments. Previously, Siamese nobles were forbidden to wear any shirts to prevent them from hiding any weapons in it and met the king bare-chested. The practice

5733-458: The resources of the Siamese army ran out and the army had to retreat. Accompanying the influx of Western visitors to Siam was the notion of a round earth. By many Siamese, this was difficult to accept, particularly by religious standards, because Buddhist scripture described the earth as being flat . The Traiphum , which was a geo-astrological map created before the arrival of Westerners, described "…a path between two mountain ranges through which

5824-476: The role of sangharaja essentially vanished, as Buddhism was officially suppressed first by the Khmer Rouge. The Vietnam-backed People's Republic of Kampuchea began to reverse its stance in order to gain wider popular support for its rule, and the venerable Tep Vong was appointed the new sangharaja by the government in 1981, with both nikayas combined into a single unified order. Upon his return from exile in 1991, King Sihanouk appointed Bour Kry sangharaja of

5915-554: The same progressive mission. From that point on, Siam more quickly embraced modernization. Vajirayan initiated two major revolutionary changes. Firstly, he embraced modern geography, among other sciences considered "Western". Secondly, he sought reform in Buddhism and, as a result, a new sect was created in Siamese Theravada Buddhism. Both revolutions challenged the purity and validity of the Buddhist order as it

6006-438: The sangha remained closely allied with the palace. This favoritism by Thai elites for the Dhammayuttika order is most apparent in the proportion of monastic titles given to senior bhikkhus . While taking up only about six percent of the bhikkhus in Thailand, over half of Thailand's monastic titles and privileges have gone to Dhammayuttika bhikkhus , and nine of the past thirteen Supreme Patriarchs of Thailand have belonged to

6097-512: The sangharaja is determined by absolute monastic seniority; the sangharaja is the monk who has spent the most rains retreats ( vassa ) as a monk. In other cases, royal appointment may play a role--the sangharaja may be appointed by the king, particularly in Southeast Asian countries where the monarchy is closely associated with Buddhism ( Thailand , for example). Alternatively, the sangharaja may be chosen semi-democratically by monks or

6188-592: The second smallest legally-sanctioned monastic order. With respect to geographic representation, the majority of Mahayin monks are based in Mon State (76.91%), followed by neighboring Kayin State (13.61%). On October 23, 1976, Saṅgha Theravāda Indonesia ( Indonesian Theravāda Saṅgha ) was formed at the Mahā Dhammaloka Vihāra (now Tanah Putih Vihāra), Semarang , Central Java. The Indonesian Theravāda Saṅgha

6279-465: The stars, planets, moon and sun pass." Religious scholars usually concluded that Buddhist scriptures "…were meant to be taken literally only when it came to matters of spiritual truth; details of natural science are revealed figuratively and allegorically." Mongkut claimed to have abandoned the Traiphum cosmology before 1836. He claimed that he already knew of the round state of earth 15 years before

6370-428: The support of powerful nobility and Britain, Mongkut's ascension to the throne was ensured. After his twenty-seven years of monastic life, King Mongkut voluntarily defrocked and ascended the throne in 1851, aged 47. He took the name Phra Chom Klao , although foreigners continued to call him King Mongkut. The king was well known among the foreigners, particularly some British officers, as pro-British. Sir James Brooke ,

6461-443: The throne was irredeemable and to avoid political intrigues, Mongkut retained his monastic status. Vajirayan became one of the few members of the royal family who devoted his life to religion. He travelled around the country as a monk and saw the relaxation of the rules of the Pali Canon among the Siamese monks he met, which he considered inappropriate. In 1829, at Phetchaburi , he met a monk named Buddhawangso, who strictly followed

6552-474: The time he died, aged 64, he had 82 children. His awareness of possibility of an outbreak of war with the European powers led him to institute many innovative activities. He ordered the nobility to wear shirts while attending his court; this was to show that Siam was a "modern" nation from the Western point of view. However, Mongkut's own astrological calculations pointed out that his brother, Prince Isaret,

6643-520: The time it reached its destination, President Buchanan was no longer in office. Lincoln, who succeeded Buchanan, is said to have been asked what the elephants could be used for, and in reply he said that he did not know, unless "they were used to stamp out the rebellion." However, in his reply dated 3 February 1862, Lincoln did not mention anything about the Civil War. The President merely politely declined to accept King Mongkut's proposal, explaining to

6734-476: The two became close friends, and Vajirayan invited Pallegoix to preach Christian sermons in the wat. Vajirayan admired Christian morals and achievements as presented by the vicar, but could make nothing of Christian doctrine. It was then that he made the comment later attributed to him as king: "What you teach people to do is admirable, but what you teach them to believe is foolish." King Mongkut would later be noted for his excellent command of English, although it

6825-492: The two states then fought each other and Chiang Hung sought Siamese support. Nangklao saw this as an opportunity to gain control over Shan states but he died in 1851 before this plan was realized. In 1852, Chiang Hung submitted the request again. Mongkut sent Siamese troops northwards but the armies were turned aside by the mountainous highlands. In 1855 the Siamese marched again and reached Kengtung—though with even greater difficulty. They laid siege on Kengtung for 21 days. However,

6916-516: The use of the Pali Canon as the primary authority for monastic practices, and sought to eliminate all of the syncretic elements. The movement became formally recognized as its own monastic order by the Thai government in 1902, with any Thai Theravada bhikkhus not within the order being referred to as part of the Maha Nikaya order. The Dhammayuttika Nikaya plays a significant political role in Thailand. The order has historically been favored by

7007-495: The various criminal charges against Phra Phimontham were later determined to have been false all along. In reality, the military junta persecuted Phra Phimontham for his political views and disseminated the false charges in the media in order to arrest him and limit his influence, and to consolidate its power over the Sangha. More recently, news analysts have described the actions of the 2014 military junta against Wat Phra Dhammakaya and Wat Paknam Bhasichareon as also being about

7098-457: Was Phra Poramenthra Ramathibodhi Srisindra Maha Mongkut Phra Chomklao Chao Yu Hua Phra Sayam Thewa Maha Makut Witthaya Maharat (พระบาทสมเด็จพระปรเมนทรรามาธิบดีศรีสินทรมหามงกุฎ พระจอมเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว พระสยามเทวมหามกุฏวิทยมหาราช). The reign of Mongkut was marked by significant modernization initiatives and diplomatic engagements, which played pivotal roles in shaping Thailand's trajectory towards progress and international relations. Siam first felt

7189-476: Was an abbot with the ordination name of Vajirañāṇo, before renouncing the monastic life to ascend the throne as Rama IV. The Sangharaja of Laos was traditionally appointed by the King of Laos (the monarchy of Luang Phrabang) In 1988, Maha Ghosananda was elected Supreme Patriarch by a group of exiled monks in Paris, however this status was not officially recognized in Cambodia. During this same period, Tep Vong held

7280-413: Was an example of this type of sangharaja – one whose influence over the local religious community far exceeded any ecclesiastic authority that he may have wielded. In other cases, the sangharaja may be part of a national or regional hierarchy that is responsible for settling issues of wider importance to the national sangha . The Supreme Patriarch of Thailand operates in this mold, in association with

7371-604: Was as well-favored as himself to be the monarch. So, Mongkut then crowned his brother as King Pinklao, the second king. As a prince, Pinklao was known for his abilities in foreign languages and relations. Mongkut also raised his supporter Dit Bunnag to Somdet Chao Phraya Borom Maha Prayurawongse ( Somdet Chao Phraya was the highest rank of nobility on a par with royalty) and made him his regent kingdom-wide. Mongkut also appointed Dit Bunnag's brother, Tat Bunnag, as Somdet Chao Phraya Borom Maha Pichaiyat, as his regent in Bangkok. As

7462-624: Was born in the Old (Thonburi) Palace in 1804, where the first son had died shortly after birth in 1801. He was followed by Prince Chutamani ( เจ้าฟ้าจุฑามณี ) in 1808. In 1809, Prince Itsarasunthon was crowned as Phutthaloetla Naphalai (later styled King Rama II.) The royal family then moved to the Grand Palace . Thenceforth, until their own accessions as kings, the brothers ( เจ้าฟ้า chaofa ) were called Chao Fa Yai ( เจ้าฟ้าใหญ่ ) and Chao Fa Noi ( เจ้าฟ้าน้อย ). In 1824, Mongkut became

7553-486: Was changing the official Buddhist calendar, "which was seriously miscalculated and the times for auspicious moments were incorrect." In 1868, he invited high-ranking European and Siamese officials to accompany him to Wakor village in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province , south of Hua Hin , where the solar eclipse that was to occur on 18 August could be best viewed as a total eclipse. Sir Harry Ord ,

7644-404: Was conferred with Sangharaja position by King Parakramabahu VI as the first Sangharaja of Sri Lanka. Welivita Sri Saranankara Thero who was appointed to this position by king Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe in 1753, was the last Sangharaja of Sri Lanka. In Cambodia and the former Khmer kingdoms, the sangharaja ( Khmer : សង្ឃរាជ sangkhareach ) was a senior monk appointed by the king who headed one of

7735-524: Was criticized by Westerners and so Mongkut ended it. However, Mongkut did not abandon the traditional culture of Siam. For Buddhism, Mongkut pioneered the rehabilitation of various temples. He also began the Magha Puja (มาฆบูชา) festival in the full moon of the third lunar month, to celebrate Buddha's announcement of his main principles. He instigated the recompilation of Tripitaka in Siam according to Theravada traditions. He also formally established

7826-674: Was formed by monks who were not members of the Sangha that already existed in Indonesia at that time. The sangha organization was founded by five Indonesian monks who came from the ordination line of the Thai Dhammayuttika Nikāya order, Bhikkhu Aggabalo, Bhikkhu Khemasarano, Bhikkhu Sudhammo, Bhikkhu Khemiyo, and Bhikkhu Ñaṇavutto. The historic event was also witnessed by two Thai Dhammadutas, namely Bhante Suvirayan (now Phra Dhamchetiyachan) and Bhante Sombat Pavitto (now Phra Vidhurdhammabhorn) who were ordained at Wat Bowonniwet , that

7917-400: Was frustrated that his teachers could not relate the meditation techniques they were teaching to the original teachings of the Buddha. Also, he described what he saw as serious discrepancies between the vinaya (monastic rules) and the actual practices of Thai bhikkhus . Mongkut, concerned that the ordination lines in Thailand were broken by a lack of adherence to this monastic code, sought out

8008-480: Was likely to become the next Supreme Patriarch of Thailand at the time. In 1962, Phra Phimontham was imprisoned and defrocked by Thailand's then military junta and widely defamed in the Thai media over several criminal charges. The scandal allowed the military junta to pass a Sangha reform act that further centralized the Thai Sangha's administration under Dhammayuttika control. Following a change in government,

8099-597: Was only taught in select schools, mainly those that were run by American missionaries with English programs for upper secondary students. Thongchai Winichakul argues that Mongkut's efforts to popularize Western geography helped bring reform to education in Siam. 1852 saw an influx of English and American missionaries into Siam as Mongkut hired them to teach the English language to the princes. He also hired Western mercenaries to train Siamese troops in Western style. In Bangkok, American Dan Beach Bradley had already reformed

8190-490: Was practiced in Siam at the time. In 1836, Vajirayan arrived at Wat Bowonniwet in what is now Bangkok's central district , but was then the city proper, and became the wat's first abbot ( เจ้าอาวาส ). During this time, he pursued a Western education, studying Latin, English, and astronomy with missionaries and sailors. Vicar Pallegoix of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bangkok lived nearby;

8281-417: Was swiftly disappearing. The abolition of such trade barriers replaced the previous system of Siamese commerce with free trade . Import taxation was reduced to 3% and could only be collected once. This was a blow to national revenue. However, this led to dramatic growth of commercial sectors as common people gained access to foreign trade. People rushed to acquire vast, previously empty fields to grow rice and

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