The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXXI, Part 1-2, 1983 - Khamkoo

Rtt>EFINlNG THE SANGHA'S ROLE IN NORTHERN THAILAND
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. national· patterns·~~ religio~s education by northern Dhammayut cle~gy; Insofar as
Chao KJ:lun Rajavinayaporn is a~ ~on-northern s~nior e~clesiastic at both the Wat
BOvomives in Bangkok and at the Wat Chedi Luang~ he fulfils the traditional historical
role. But he has also transfo~~ed it i.n a most charismatic manner . by 'promoting
education& schemes which not only cater for' the needS 'of hill tribes in a remarkable
manner, but by d~ing it. more_· effectively than the B~gkok~based D~ammatuta and
Dhammajarik programmes. Far from imposing a centr~f pattern on Chiang Mai
province; he is ch;allenging the moribund presuppositions of the central bureaucracy
. . .
by shaping monks' ·educational and de:velopmental programmes more effectively.
. .
Much the same may be said of Phra Khru Mongkol's work-at.the Wat Bupparam
and surrounding Maha Nikai centres; ·· Unfortunately the Wat Phra Singh,
which like the Wat Chedi Luang exerted a major historical influence at the beginning
of this century, seems to have lost its progressiveness.
The_ historical dimension is crucially important in understanding the transformationS
which are currently taking place in the education and career structures of
many members of the Sangha. . The traditional educational role of the Sangha both
in relation to the laity and its owti members illuminates the_ manner in which novices
niove from vill~ge wat to provincial town and ultimately to the famous monastic
centres in the Capital. There have always been what Tambiah calls the "push" and
"pull'' factors in relation 'to monastic mobility and .recruitment-the former representing
the young novice's aspirations for educational . advancement, the latter reflecting the
desire of senior monks · in famous wats to recruit the most able and intelligent young
men in the land:
Both· sides · in this encounter have complementary interests
-and mutually benefit. each other, .. and the various patrons and inter­
. mediaries who assist young men along the monastic network make
possible the realization, of the interests of both parties, while themselves
gaining influence and prestige in the process.