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49-799: After the founding of the Dhammayuttika Nikāya by the then-monk Prince Mongkut in 1833, decades later all recognized monks not ordained in the Dhammayuttika order were considered to be part of the maha nikāya , the "great collection" of those outside the new Dhammayuttika fraternity. As such, most monks in Thailand belong to the Maha Nikāya more or less by default; the order itself did not originally establish any particular practices or views that characterized those adhering to its creed. There were in reality hundreds of different Nikayas throughout

98-514: 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 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

147-681: A Siamese vassal, gave Penang off to the British without consulting Siam in 1786, followed by the British acquisition of Seberang Perai . Soon the British replaced the Dutch as the dominating naval power south of Siam. The mission of the Portuguese governor of Macau in 1818 was the first formal Western contact in Siam since the Ayutthaya times. The British founded Singapore in 1819 and Jaslis ,

196-520: A cultural renaissance after the massive wars that plagued the First Reign; particularly in the fields of arts and literature. Poets employed by Rama II included Sunthorn Phu the drunken writer ( Phra Aphai Mani ) and Narin Dhibet ( Nirat Narin ). His sons, Jessadabodindra and Paramanuchitchinorot , were encouraged to excel in poetry. Poramanuchit later became a Sangharaj (Buddhist hierophant) and

245-435: A missionary from Yangon , introduced the printing press in the same year. The Portuguese established the first western consulate in 1820. The first renewed formal British visit was made by John Crawfurd in 1822. In July 1824, he died "very suddenly". It was said to be caused by strangury , but rumours were not without strong suspicions of his being poisoned. According to the succession rule then theoretically in force,

294-566: 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

343-610: 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 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

392-801: A secret affair with his own cousin, Princess Bunrot . In 1801, Rama I then found out that Princess Bunrod had been pregnant for four months and banished her out of the palace to live with her brother. Itsarasunthon, however begged his father to forgive him and the princess was reinstated and became his consort through the negotiation by concubine Khamwaen . Unfortunately, the baby died just after its birth. With Princess Bunrot, Itsarasunthon also fathered Mongkut (1804) and Pinklao (1808). His another concubine namely Prang Yai, gave birth to Prince Nuam in 1808. He also married his agnatic half sister, Princess Kunthon Thipphayawadi . They had three sons: Prince Abhorn (1816), Prince Klang (1819), and Prince Piu (1822). Later, Prince Klang would be known as Prince Mahamala. He

441-746: 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

490-534: 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 Rama II of Siam Phra Bat Somdet Phra Phutthaloetla Naphalai ( Thai : พระบาทสมเด็จพระพุทธเลิศหล้านภาลัย , 24 February 1767 or 1768 – 21 July 1824), personal name Chim ( Thai : ฉิม ), also styled as Rama II ,

539-482: The Rama convention , called Rama II . His consort, Princess Bunrod, was raised to Queen Sri Suriyendra . As soon as Loetlanaphalai ascended the throne, Prince Kshatranichit, the surviving son of Taksin, rebelled as pretender to the throne. Loetlanaphalai's son, Prince Thap , effectively crushed the rebellion, proving himself to be competent, thus gaining his father's favor. Prince Tub was raised to Kromma Muen , given

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588-690: 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

637-526: The Sanskrit -derived name Chetsadabodin , and made Minister of Foreign Affairs . The Konbaung king Bodawpaya , seeing that Rama I was dead, marched an army into Chumphon and conquered Thalang ( Phuket City ) in the same year. Loetlanaphalai sent his brother Maha Senanurak the Front Palace to recapture Thalang, which had been razed to the ground. This " Thalang campaign " was the last invasion by

686-981: The Vesak festival was restored. In 1810, the first Rattanakosin-to-China mission was sent to the Jiaqing Emperor . Since the Siamese revolution of 1688 , Western presence had been reduced to a small scale as the Thai Kings ceased to encourage foreign influence. This, coupled with the Napoleonic Wars , meant there was little contact between Thailand and foreigners. However, the wars caused many subsequent changes, which were observed in Southeast Asia . The British interest in Malaya increased as their trade with China increased. The Sultan of Kedah ,

735-461: The Western world . Its name is derived from Pali dhamma ("teachings of the Buddha") + yutti (in accordance with) + ka (group). 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

784-529: 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

833-510: 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 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

882-487: 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 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

931-454: The Burmese into Thai territory. In 1820, fearing an imminent attack by the Burmese on Siam, Rama II ordered his staff to collect all information in regards to potential Burmese invading routes into Siam. It was said that during Rama II's reign, if one could write a refined piece of poetry, then one would be able to become a royal favorite, as Loetlanaphalai himself was a poet. The reign was

980-484: 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 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

1029-470: 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 a reform movement until passage of the Sangha Act of 1902, which formally recognized it as the lesser of Thailand's two Theravada denominations,

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1078-683: The Khmer Rouge's general repression of 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

1127-868: The King himself was a renowned poet and artist. The most notable poet in his employ was the illustrious Sunthorn Phu , the author of Phra Aphai Mani . The rapid growth of the number of his descendants was outstanding: he is believed to have had over 240 grandchildren. Chim was born in 1767 during the Ayutthaya Kingdom in Amphawa District , Samut Songkram. He was a son of Luang Yokkrabat of Ratchaburi and Nak of Samut Sakorn, as his father and mother were then known. They would later become King Rama I and Queen Amarindra , respectively. In 1767, Ayutthaya fell to Konbaung Burmese invaders. His father, Phraya Ratchaburi, joined Taksin 's forces to recapture

1176-627: 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

1225-530: The Thai areas that were lumped together as the "Maha Nikāya". In Cambodia , a similar situation exists. The Dhammayuttika Nikāya was supposedly imported from Thailand in 1855, and those monks remaining outside the Dhammayuttika order were recognized as being members of the Maha Nikāya ( Khmer : មហានិកាយ Mohanikay ). A separate supreme patriarch for the Dhammayuttika Nikāya was appointed by King Norodom . The previous national supreme patriarch then became

1274-463: 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", 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

1323-404: 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 a distinct camp within the Thammayut order which was at odds with Vajirañāṇavarorasa's reforms. While

1372-506: The city. Under King Taksin, Chim's father rose rapidly to high rank as a military leader and was assigned with the campaigns to subjugate Laos and Cambodia . In 1782, his father crowned himself King of Siam (later named Rama I) and Chim himself was raised to the title of Prince Itsarasunthon of Siam. Itsarasunthon with his concubine Riam (later elevated to Princess Mother Sri Sulalai by her own son), fathered Prince Tub ( ทับ – later Rama III ) in 1787. Prince Itsarasunthon then had

1421-471: 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

1470-484: 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 the politics of these two Nikayas. From 2013-2017

1519-411: 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 the sangha remained closely allied with the palace. This favoritism by Thai elites for the Dhammayuttika order is most apparent in

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1568-580: The monks in Thailand. [REDACTED] Cambodia portal This Thailand -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Dhammayuttika Nik%C4%81ya Dhammayuttika Nikāya ( Pali ; Thai : ธรรมยุติกนิกาย ; RTGS :  Thammayuttika Nikai ; Khmer : ធម្មយុត្តិកនិកាយ , Thômmôyŭttĕkâ Nĭkay ), or Dhammayut Order ( Thai : คณะธรรมยุต ), is an order of Theravada Buddhist bhikkhus (monks) in Thailand , Cambodia , and Burma , with significant branches in

1617-428: 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 ,

1666-407: 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 the monastic code. It wasn't until Vajirañāṇavarorasa took control of a new phase of sangha reforms in 1892 that

1715-441: 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

1764-534: 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 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

1813-409: 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 was frustrated that his teachers could not relate the meditation techniques they were teaching to the original teachings of

1862-413: 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 was likely to become the next Supreme Patriarch of Thailand at the time. In 1962, Phra Phimontham

1911-416: 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 the Dhammayuttika order. The preference by the Thai government and palace for Dhammayuttika has even led to

1960-594: 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

2009-542: The throne would go to the son of Queen Sri Suriyendra , Prince Mongkut ; however, his elder half-brother Chetsadabodin succeeded the same day. Though only the son of a concubine, he had served their father in putting down a revolt and then as Kromma Tha (Ministry of Trade and Foreign Relations.) The elder brother's experience counted for more than the theoretical claim of the much younger and inexperienced brother, who nevertheless did succeed his elder brother much later, and sired many sons but raised none of their mothers to

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2058-539: The titular head of the Cambodian Maha Nikāya. In Thailand, a single supreme patriarch is recognized as having authority over both the Maha Nikāya and the Dhammayuttika Nikāya. In recent years some Maha Nikāya monks have campaigned for the creation of a separate Maha Nikāya patriarch, as almost all recent Thai supreme patriarchs have invariably been drawn from the royalty-supported Dhammayuttika Nikāya, despite Dhammayuttika Nikāya monks making up only six percent of

2107-425: 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 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

2156-469: Was Prince Wongsa Dhiraj Snid (born Prince Nuam), who was a royal physician for many years as well as a field commander and diplomat. As the eldest surviving legitimate son of Rama I, Prince Itsarasunthon succeeded to the throne when Buddha Yotfa Chulaloke died in 1809. No royal naming system was established at the time Rama II was crowned. He was later named by his son Nangklao as Loetlasulalai but changed to Loetlanaphalai by his other son Mongkut and by

2205-675: 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

2254-529: Was granted the title of Krom Khun Bumraap Porapuksa, the 4th level of Krom ranks by Mongkut then elevated to Krom Phraya by Chulalongkorn . Prince Itsarasunthon was appointed to the Front Palace as Lord of the Front Palace or Uparaja in 1807 to succeed his uncle Maha Sura Singhanat who had died in 1803, though he continued to stay at the Thonburi Palace. Among his many other children

2303-499: 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, the various criminal charges against Phra Phimontham were later determined to have been false all along. In reality,

2352-567: Was the second King of Siam from the Chakri dynasty , ruling from 1809 to 1824. In 1809, Itsarasunthon succeeded his father Rama I , the founder of the Chakri dynasty, as Loetlanaphalai the King of Siam. His reign was largely peaceful , devoid of major conflicts. His reign was known as the "Golden Age of Rattanakosin Literature" as Loetlanaphalai was patron to a number of poets in his court, and

2401-496: Was well known for his religious works. Rama II's reign saw the reconstruction of Thai culture and royal traditions. In 1811, the grand royal funeral was held for King Rama I. In the same year, a cholera epidemic broke out in Bangkok. Loetlanaphalai ordered Apat Pinat or sickness-repelling ceremonies to be performed. He also established the education and the examination system of Buddhism by dividing it into nine levels. In 1817,

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