1. Do you know how and why Buddhist temple or Sangha or Wats actually come
to life? How was the idea of monkhood developed ?
Answer:
King Bimbisara, the ruler of both Magadha and Anga states was the first one
who presented the bamboo grove as a monastery to the Lord Buddha not more than
a year after the Exalted One's Enlightenment. The idea of monkhood when seeing
some ascetics during His road tour as a crown prince was also that which made
Him decide to renounce the worldly life and to become a monk.
2. Buddhism is said to have started in India. Do you know if Thai Buddhists
have any special connection to the land of origin?
Answer:
Buddhism came into existence in India and had been spread to various countries
after the Third Council of Buddhism during the reign of King Asoka about the
third century of Buddhist era or B.C. 258.
For the time being it has been recorded in some documents such as the World
Buddhist Directory saying that there are Buddhist organizations, monasteries
or institutions in 50 countries all over the world.
In Thailand Buddhism is the state religion, because more than 90 percent of
Thai population are Buddhists. His Majesty the King of Thailand, according to
the Constitution of the Kingdom, is to be a Buddhist.
Besides this Thailand has been voted by members of the World Fellowship of Buddhists
to be the country of permanent Headquarters of this international organization.
Buddhists from various countries including Thailand still go to visit Buddhist
sacred places in India, though five or six millions of the Indian Buddhists
are not even one percent of the whole population of that country.
3. Do you know in what way the Buddhist order (temple etc.) have changed in
the last 10-20 years? Is the life in the Wat still very strict or have many
rules been dropped and the situation is more liberal nowadays?
Answer:
There is no any rule or regulation being dropped during the last 10-20 years.
Thai monks still study and practice the whole disciplinary and doctrinal principles.
4. Can you say something about a nun situation in Thailand? Why are they so
few?
Answer:
Bhikkhuni or female Buddhist monks came to an end according to the rule that
the female monks have to be ordained in both sides of male and female Buddhist
monks. The female preceptor can do her duty in introducing only one candidate
for female ordination once a year and has to wait during the next year. She
can do again as the female preceptor when the third year comes.
In the history of Thailand there is no Bhikkhuni or female monk mentioned about,
but there is a way appropriate for the women to imitate Bhikkhuni, that is to
shave their heads and wear the white robes and vow to practice the eight precepts
which lay stress more than five precepts on chastity, refraining from taking
food after noon to dawn, refraining from dancing, singing, listening to or playing
music, seeing the play, refraining from using garlands, scent, unguents, wearing
finery and using high beds and large beds. Though they are still lay women but
they are honoured as higher than general lay men for their formal uniforms,
precepts and practice, in other words though Bhikkhunis or female monks came
to an end through disciplinary rules they are reborn as eight-precepts-upasaka
who are honoured. There is the Institute of Mae Chee or nuns in Thailand under
patronage of Her Majesty the Queen.
5. What are the different Buddhist school and sect for example Dharmayut in
Thailand? Do they fight each other or have conflict?
Answer:
Both sects, Dharmayut and Mahanikaya, belong to the same school, that is Theravada
which follows the conservative way of the study and practice of the disciplinary
and doctrinal tenets. Both sects in Thailand pay respect to each other and have
the same Supreme Council of Ecclesiastical Administration presided over by His
Holiness the Supreme Patriarch who may be appointed by His Majesty the King
of Thailand. The Supreme Patriarch may belong to any sect as the case may be.
6. What is the reaction of the monks to the strong western influence (T.V. etc.)?
Do monks see the western philosophy negative or positive?
Answer:
There is not much reaction of Buddhist monks in Thailand to the western influence
because Thailand has been from the ancient time a free country, through contact
with many western countries Thailand became acquainted with various forms of
western material progress or prosperity. The Thais have their own stand points
on old and modern culture. They are free to consider and accept only what they
think appropriate to be adopted. With regard to western philosophy the Thai
people including monks look on it as some thing to be learned about or studied
but not necessary to be accepted or denied immediately.
7. What are the different between monks in the country side and in the city?
Answer:
Monks both in the country side and in the city live under the same discipline
and way of life. The difference may be that monks in the city have more advantageous
instruments than those in the country side.
8. Do you know monk still celebrate the Uposatha recitation of Patimokkha?
Answer:
In Thailand monks still observe the Patimokkha recitation on Uposatha day twice
a month. This is according to the disciplinary rules. Thailand is the country
which tries to preserve monks' rules and regulations as much as possible.
9. How famous is Buddhadasa? What are his ideas?
Answer:
Buddhadasa Bhikkhu is famous for his talent, initiative idea in the study of
Buddhism. He tried to study the highest Buddhist doctrine including its aim
and goal. He tried hard in the way of reasoning, analysis and investigation.
He did not entirely follow the explanation of the commentators who explained
Tripitaka on some portions through their own personal points of view. His ideas
lay a stress on practice, consideration and thorough investigation.