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

MONKS AND HIERAHCHY IN NOHTHERN THAILAND 123
More indicative of the general attitude is the comment made by
one young Chiengmai abbot that he would gladly accept a position in
the hierarchy if they thought he were qualified. The reasons he gave
indicated a conviction that one could be a better abbot if part of the
hierarchy. He said that schools were often connected with tambon and
amphur monasteries and it would be easier to find pupils and funds, for
he was, like many monks, interested in education as the life blood of a
continuing monkbood. He also said that monastery discipline was better
because as a hierarchy official one's words carried more authority, and
young monks, novices, and temple boys (dek wat) paid more attention.
It also seemed to us quite obvious that the honor and excitement of the
position itself appealed to this young, bright monk; it opened up a world
beyond the confines of the monastery walls-- an outside world that
increasingly contrasts sharply with the timeless nothingness of a tiny
monastery, ignored in a forgotten neighborhood in a modern city.
Of course, there are other monasteries in Chiengmai that are so
important that being abbot of one of their kind really overshadows a
position held in the hierarchy. For example, the abbot of Wat Prah Singh
in Chiengmai holds an administrative position at only the district
( amphur) level (the district of Cham Thong), but as abbot of this prestigious
royal monastery he is honored by the King's presence at formal
occasions (such as the funeral of the former abbot), and he controls over
a hundred monks and novices at the monastery itself, the largest monastic
population in any monastery in the province. As another example, the
abbot of Wat Suan Dok, is only a Commune Head (Chao Kha11a Tambon),
but his monastery with its rich historical connections with Cbiengmai
royalty, its associations with the charismatic northern monk, Kru Ba Sri
Wichai, and its strong and prestigious lay supporters remains a very
important monastery in Chiengmai. There is no doubt that duties as
an abbot of such monasteries take more time than do the administrative
responsibi'rities as a member of the hierarchy.
Our point is clear, therefore-that before one attempts to understand
the provicial hierarchy, one bas to realize that each official is first and
foremost an abbot. There are a number of prestigious monasteries in