The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXIV, Part 1-2, 1976 - Khamkoo

116 John P. Ferguson and Shalardchai Ramitanondh
is one way that the King promotes and honors monastic learning per se.
Thus, at royal functions, it happens that bright young Pali scholars who
have surpassed their elders educationally sit above their teachers, holding
their fans that symbolize their higher status. One well educated monk
said it felt odd indeed to sit ahead of his revered and ancient teacher at
a royal function, yet such is the emphasis placed upon success in the
Pali exams by the honorary system, Interestingly, once a monk accepts
a title at the Saman level or higher, he is expected to sit no longer for
Pali exams, almost as though further promotion must come from other
accomplishments. Pali can take one only so far.
Another principle which seems to play a significant part in the
theory of arranging an ecclesiastical hierarchy is that a deputy to an
official ranks higher in the honorary system than tbe full-grade officer
below. Thus a Deputy Province bead (Rang-Chao Khana Changwat)
ranks higher than a District Head (Chao Khana Amphur), and not only
the honorary system follows this pattern: monks interviewed in the
province feel that there is a line of succession ideally that descends from
the Province Head to his tfl Deputy, then to #2 Deputy, and then to
the most important District Head (Chao Khana Amphur) in the province­
Chiengmai Muang or the city itself. Secretaries to such officials and
personal staff do not apparently count in such succession lines. Historically,
after the first Provincial Head was appointed (at Wat Fai I-lin)
around the turn of this century, he was succeeded by his Deputy. This
pattern, however, is more of an idealized scheme than any rule that has
to be followed in every case. Thus, we find at the Saman level two
principles at work- promotion of Pali scholarship and the recognition of
a chain of power through Deputies-both patterqs evident throughout all
the levels of the hierarchy.
A close inspection of the honorary system detailed in Table 2 also
shows that royal rec;:ognition is given at the Saman and Phra Khru level
for meditational achievement as well as for more general accomplishments
(See ranks :j:j:8 and :j:j: 10 in Table 2). Of the four kinds of Sa man