Buddhism or "Buddha-Sasana" has been a state religion of Thailand more than 700 years since Sukhothai period. King Ramkhamhaeng the Great brought Buddhist monks from Nakhon Sri Thammarat in the south to propagate Ceylonese Buddhism in Sukhothai, the capital of Thailand in the north. Since then the Ceylonese Buddhism spead all over Thailand. Every king of Thailand is devout Buddhist and great patron of Buddhism. In the reign of King Taksin the Great of Thonburi, after his liberation the country from the yoke of Burma in B.E. 2310/1767, he gave the country for Buddha-puja or Buddha adoration. And King Phraphutthayotfa or King Rama I of Cakri Dynasty had also an intention to be the Great Patron of Buddhism.¹

Around B.E. 1800/1257, the Thai people recognized the seniority and authority of the Sinhalese or Ceylonese Buddhism by inviting an instructor to come from Ceylon.² King Ramkhamhaeng's great inscription paints a picture of a prosperous state governed with justice and magnanimity, and with Pali Buddhism of the Sinhalese orthodox pattern as its official or state religion. The king with his Court and all his magnates, practised the religion of the Buddha with devotion. King Mahadhamaraja Lithai, Ramkhamhaeng's grandson, who reigned Sukhothai during B.E. 1860-1890/1317-1347 was a great devout Buddhist scholar and he composed a large treatise on Buddhist cosmology called"Traibhu-mikatha" or "Traiphum Phra Ruang"³ which was the first literature book written in Thai language.

Later on Sukhothai was subdued by the new kingdom of Ayutthaya but did not cease to be a royal residence for some time. However Ayutthaya gradually become predominant and in the middle of the twentieth Buddhist century merited the title of capital of Thailand.⁴

During the Sukhothai and Ayutthaya periods, there were a number of Thai monks travelled to Ceylon for study Pali Buddhism. Those who were ordained and graduated in Ceylon were revered and honoured by the kings and the Thai people as the great scholars or the learned monks. Many of them were well versed in Pali language and wrote a great deal of books on Buddhism as well as on the history of Buddhism and Thai history. Many of these books were written in native script both in Pali language as well as in native one. The monks who well versed in Buddhism were honoured by the kings by giving them the title and ecclesiastical rank in the Order.

In the Rattanakosin period which began in B.E. 2325/1782, Buddhism is still the state religion of Thailand. Under the Constitution, the king, as a symbol of the nations, although protector of all religions, must be a Buddhist. Buddhism has had a deep influence in the Thai arts, traditions, learning and the character of the people. It has modelled their manner of thinking and acting. In short, it has become an integral part of Thai life. The charm that has caused Thailand to be called the "Land of Smiles" undoubtedly comes from the influence of Buddhism over her people. Realizing these facts, the Thai rulers have taken the responsibility for the protection and promotion of Buddhism.⁵

In former days, the education of the Thai people was in the hand of the Buddhist monks. "Wat" or the temples were the centres of Thai education. These were no lay school at all. When Thai men were young, they served as temple boys in the monasteries and were given instruction in reading, writing and simple arithmetic as well as in religion and morals. Through traditional ordination which is still observed today, the Thai people are bound to the Order by ties of experience or close relationship with the monks who are their former sons, relatives, or friends. At least they live in the Buddhist environment in which they are linked with the religion by ties of custom, by attending religious rites, ceremonies and temple festivals, or by benefiting, either directly or indirectly, from some activities and spiritual influence of religious institution. Buddhism is their national heritage, the glory of their country which they feel bound to preserve. Their cycle of life turns around activities directly or indirectly connected with Buddhism.⁶

In Thailand since the ancient time, there has been a tradition of ordination. Every Thai boy or man is expected to be ordained as a novice or a monk for a while, at least three months in the rainy season. During their novicehood or monkhood, they have to study Buddhism, both Vinaya and Dhamma, to become the good Buddhists. In studying Dharma, they study both Dharma in general as well as Dharma of the leity for preparing themselves to be the good lay Buddhists after leaving novicehood or monkhood. If they stay in novicehood or monkhood, they have to study higher Dharma and Pali language. Some of them remain in monkhood for life. The Thai society respects one who was ordained as a monk even for a while. After their leaving monkhood, they are called "Thit" which erodes from the Paliword "Pandita" or learned man. In the former days, the parent of woman usually did not give their daughter to marry a man who never ordained as a monk. The unordained man is usually called "Khon dip" or the unripe man, and the ordained one as "Khon Suk" or the ripe one. In addition, it is believed that the ordained son may give much merit from his ordination to his parent both still alive and passed away. This is a good way for penetrating the Buddha Dharma to the mind of the Thai people. Even some of the Thai kings themselves were ex-monks. All the kings of Cakri Dynasty were ordained as monks for awhile, particularly King Phrachomklao or King Rama IV was a monk for 27 years.

After King Phraphutthayotfachula-lok or King Rama I ascended the throne as the first king of Cakri Dynasty in B.E. 2325/1782, he summoned the elder monks who well versed in Pali Buddhism to purify Buddha-Sasana and supported Buddhism by all means. In the reign of King Phraphutthaloetlanaphalai or King Rama II, he renovated the method of Pali study by classifying to nine grades. The monk who completed the ninth grade was promoted to the high ecclesiastical rank in Sangha's administration. In the reign of King Mongkut or King Rama IV, the education of the Thai people was still in the hand of the monks, and there had no school outside the compound of the monasteries. All of the teachers were either monks or ex-monks. The study concentrated on Pali and Dharma as well as meditation only.

In the reign of King Chulalongkorn or King Rama V, he supported the Sangha's education by all means and he wanted the monks to help giving the education to the people from the elementary education level to the secondary education level. At that time, H.R.H. Somdet Kromphraya Vajirayanvaroros, the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, who was a younger brother of King Chulalongkorn played an important role to help the King enlarge the education to nearly every province of the country.

In Bangkok, King Chulalongkorn established Mahadhatu Vidyalaya, the first-"Vidyalaya" or college in Thailand in B.E. 2432/1889 in the compound of Wat Mahadhatu in the purpose of promotion of education for the monks and novices in Mahanikaya sect which in the former days is called the "Thai Order". This sect may be compared to the Mahavihara in ancient Ceylon. The King wanted the Chief Abbot of Wat Mahadhatu to take responsibility and task to enlarge and promote the Tri-pitaka study and higher education not only to the monks and novices, but to the leity as well. In B.E. 2439/1896 the King decided to change the name of Mahadhatu Vidyalaya to Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya which later becomes one of the two Sangha or Buddhist universities in Thailand.

In B.E. 2436/1893, H.R.H. Somdet Kromphraya Vajirayanvaroros, the Supreme Patriarch and a younger brother of King Chulalongkorn, asked for royal approval to establish Mahamakuta Rajavidyalaya for the higher education of the monks and novices of Dhamayuttika sect which separated from Mahanikaya sect. This sect may be compared to Abhayagiri in ancient Ceylon. However, both Mahachulalongkorn and Mahamakuta at that time were not able to operate the higher education in the university level.

The idea for establishing the university first occured to the King Chulalongkorn after his royal trip to Europe in B.E. 2440/1897. In B.E. 2441/1898, the King ordered Phraya Wisutthasuriyasak to draft the national educational plan. According to this educational plan, there would be a university named "Rattanakosin Sakonwitthayalai" in his "Suwannaphisek Year", which was the 50th anniversary year of his reigning in B.E. 2461/1918. This university would be composed of three colleges or campuses : Mahadhatu Vidyalaya at Wat Mahadhatu, Mahamakuta Rajavidyalaya at Wat Bowonnivet and Ratchaphaetthayalai.⁷ Of these, the first two colleges or compuses were the Sangha's colleges. Alas! King Chulalongkorn the Great died in B.E. 2453/1910, eight years before his "Suwannaphisek Year". The plan for the inauguration of "Rattanakosin Sakonwitthayalai" automatically terminated.

Although King Chulalongkorn had established Mahadhatu Vidyalaya in B.E. 2432/1889 and changed its name to Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya in B.E. 2439/1896, the Sangha education did not progress to the university level.       In B.E. 2435/1892, King Chulalongkorn ordered the Minister of Education to draft an Act on Mahadhatu Vidyalaya to improve the Sangha's educations, particularly at Mahadhatu Vidyalaya and to open widely not only for the monks and novices, but also for the lay people.⁸ The reason why King Chulalongkorn was interested in improving the education at Mahadhatu Vidyalaya might be that Wat Mahadhatu in those days was the famous and strong centre of administration and education of Mahanikaya sect which had influence over nearly all the monasteries in Thailand. Furthermore, in the use of monesteries as centres of education, the government was not necessary to spend a great deal of budget to construct the school buildings, for the government might ask the chief abbots of the monasteries to convert "Sala" or the merit-making halls in the monasteries to school buildings. In those days, there were around 20,000 monasteries, and thus there might be 20,000 halls. It was enough for education all over Thailand at that time.

However in B.E. 2436/1893, there was the conflict between Thailand and France along the border of Thailand and Indo-China. This conflict caused the plan for improving the Sangha's education at Mahadhatu Vidyalaya completely terminated throughout the reign of King Chulalongkorn.

In the reign of King Vajiravudh or King Rama VI, he founded Chulalongkorn University in B.E. 2459/1916. This university is open for only the lay people.⁹

In the year B.E. 2488/1945 H.H. Krommaluang Vajirayanavongsa, the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, in the capacity of the President of Mahamakuta Rajavidyalaya Committee had ordered to found an Educational Council of Mahamakuta Rajavidyalaya in the purpose of giving the education in the university level to the monks and novices of Dharmayuttika sect as well as for propagating Buddhism both inside and outside the country. Mahamakuta Rajavidyalaya Educational Council was open for study in B.E. 2489/1946. And in B.E. 2490/1947 Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya was open for the monks and novices of Mahanikaya sect.¹⁰ However, both universities were really open for the monks and novices of both sects. More than a half of the students at Mahamakuta Rajavidyalaya are monks and novices of Mahanikaya sect, but those at Mahachulalongkorn are purely the monks and novices of Mahanikaya sect.

At the beginning, both Mahamakuta Rajavidyalaya and Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya received the assisting fund around 60,000 baht (US $ 3,000) each from the Department of Religious Affairs. Most of the fund of Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya came from the administrative monks all over Thailand. But Mahamakuta Rajavidyalaya get assisting fund from the Mahamakuta Rajavidyalaya Foundation. However, around the year B.E. 2533/1990 the Thai government began to sympathize with the Sangha's universities and gave a budget of 1 million baht (US $ 50,000) to each of the universities. It seems as the government gave it unwillingly. Nevertheless, even the Sangha of both sects could run the universities with difficulty, but they could run them thoroughly. This is due to the sponsorship of both monks and the people who are farsighted and be unanimous in the opinion that the higher education is very important for those who are inferior in opportunity to study at a higher level, particularly chilfren of poor families. Since B.E.2535/1992 the government began to understand the necessity and importance of sangha's universities, but, however it could not respond yet to the demands of the universities.

At the beginning most of the elders in the sangha did not support the sangha's universities wholeheartedly, but now they turn their attention to support the sangha's universitiesby all means. At present, Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidayalaya has expanded its education to the provinces in the north, northeast and south of thailand. It has altogether ten campuses: one in thecentral, three in the north, five in the northeast and one in the south. And Mahamakuta Rajavidayalaya has five campuses: three in the central, one in the north and one in the south. In the year , B.E. 2536/1993 the Thai government gave a budget of 49 million baht ( nearly us$ 2,000,000 ) to both universities. In B.E. 2537/1994 the budget for these two sangha's universities increased to nearly 66 million baht ( us$ 2,640,000 ). 11 At present, B.E. 2540/1997 the budget for these universities is 121 million baht ( US$ 3,100,000 )

In Thailand usually all universities must depend on the office of university affairs, but the sangha's universites do not depend on the office of university affairs. They run their education independently. Their education concentrates in Pali, Sanskrit, Buddhism, religions and philosophy. These subjects such as geography, sociology. archaeology and some languages particularly English too.
Mahamakuta Rajavidayalaya is composed of 4 faculties: Faculty of religion and Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Social Science and Faculty of Education.
Mahachulongkorn Rajavidyalaya is also composed of 4 faculties: Faculty of Buddhism, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Humanities, and Faculty of Social Science.

In the year B.E. 2540/1997, the Thai Parliament has passed an Act to recognize these two Buddhist universities as the state universities, and their names were changed to Mahamakutarajavidyalaya University and Mahachulalongkorn rajavidyalaya University respectively.

The first group of monks who graduated from Mahamakuta Rajavidyalaya in B.E. 2496/1953 was 8 in number, and from Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya in B.E. 2497/1954 was only 6. The total amount of the graduated monks and novices from Mahamakuta Rajavidyalaya since B.E. 2496/1953 was 1,196¹², and from Mahachulongkorn Rajavidyalaya since B.E. 2497/1954 was 3,449. In the year B.E. 2540/1997, there are 1,957 monks and novices who graduated from Mahamakutarajavidyalaya University and 6,057 from Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University. Nearly half of them are still in monkhood and have performed duties in propagating Buddhism both in the country and abroad.

After graduation, the graduated monks have to perform their activites according to the rules of the university at least one year before the commencement. The first group of the graduated monks of Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya was appointed as the administrative committee, and one of them was appointed the General Secretary of the university. These young monks began to shuffle the university both in administrative and academic works. The spiritual condition of the young people after the Second World War has gone from bad to worse. The situation in those days was very complicated. This group of the young graduated monks as well as some senior student monks of the university started the moral campain by teaching moral education to students around 20 schools in Bangkok. The result was very satisfied. Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya, after trying to help teaching moral education in various schools for three years, started the other programe of propagation in the compound of the university by founding "Dhamma-Vicaya" Department in B.E. 2499/1956¹³ and the Buddhist Sunday School in B.E. 2501/1958.¹⁴ The objective of founding Dhamma-Vicaya Department is to give lecture on Dhamma as well as instruct the method of practice meditation to the people every Sunday and Buddhist Sabbath day. The aim of founding the Buddhist Sunday School is to teach Buddhism as well as Thai traditions to the student from primary education level up to the university level. Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya is the Founder of Buddhist Sunday School in Thailand. At present there are more than 300 Buddhist Sunday Schools all over Thailand. Nearly all of them run by the monks and most of them are the branches of Mahachulalongkorn Buddhist Sunday School.

Besides, the graduated monks of both Sangha's universities have helped the Order of Sangha to propagate Buddha-Sasana in every region of the country including the hill tribes in the north of Thailand in the name of "Dhammaduta" and "Dhamma-Carika" which are the prodromes organized by the Sangha.

At present these are more than 1,500 graduated monks from Mahachula-longkornrajavidyalaya University performing their activities all over the country in accordance with the Dhamma-propagating policy of the university.

Furthermore, the Thai Order of Sangha has also a policy to propagate Buddhism abroad. At present there are more than 100 graduated monks from Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University performing their duties in Malaysia, Australia, India, United States of America, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and England.¹⁵

The Thai government nowadays sympathizes with the Order of Sangha who has tried by all means to improve the moral status of the people, particularly the young ones, by increasing the budget for the education of the monks and novices in general as well as the Sangha's universities in particular. The Thai government asks the monks for help in teaching Dhamma in the schools to improve the moral condition of the students to resist some foreign cultures and traditions unsuitable for the Thai way of life.

*author:CHAMNONG TONGPRASERT; SECRETARY-GENERAL, THE ROYAL INSTITUTE

1. Tantayaphisansut, Suddhiphong. State Religion, Krung Thep : Department of Religious Affairs.
2. Eliot, Sir Charles. Hinduism and Buddhism,Vol.III.New York:Barnes & Noble,Inc.,1957, p. 82.
3. Hall, D.G.E. A History of South-East Asia, New York : St Martin's Press Inc., 1955, p. 150.
4. Eliot, Sir Charles. op. cit., p. 85.
5. Phra Rajavaramuni. Thai Buddhism in the Buddhist World, Bangkok : Mahachulalongkorn Buddhist University, 1990, p. 11.
6. Ibid. pp. 12-13.
7. Ongkankha Khurusapha, History of Ministry of Education 2435-2507, Bangkok, B.E. 2507.
8. Tongprasert, Chamnong. The Centennial of Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya, 2533, pp. 1-3.
9. The 70th Anniversary of Chulalongkorn University, 2529.
10. Tongprasert, Chamnong. Sangha's Universities. The Journal of the Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University, 2535; The Royal Institute. "Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya", in Thai Encyclopaedia, Vol. 22, Krung Thep, 2533, pp. 14281-87.
11. Data from Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya.
12. The Centennial of Mahamakuta Rajavidyalaya. 2436-2536, p. 500.
13. Phra Khru Vinayadhara Sumedha, "Dhamma-Vicaya Department", The Centennial of Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya, 2533, pp. 341-3.
14. Phra Sirisudasnadharmabharana, "Buddhist Sunday School", The Centennial of Mahachulongkorn Rajavidyalaya, 2533, pp. 161-243.
15. Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya, List of graduated monks performing their activities inside and outside the country, 2536.
 

Bibliography

1. Eliot, Sir Charles. Hinduism and Buddhism, Vol. III, New York:Barnes & Noble,Inc., 1957.
2. Hall, D.G.E. A History of South-East Asia, New York : St Martin"s Press Inc., 1955.
3. Ongkankha Khurusapha. History of Ministry of Education 2435-2507. Bangkok, B.E. 2507.
4. Phra Rajavaramuni. Thai Buddhism in the Buddhist World, Bangkok : Mahachulalongkorn Buddhist University, 1990.
5. Tantayaphisansut, Suddhiphong. State Religion, Krung Thep : Departmentof Religious Affairs.
6. The Centennial of Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya, Bangkok, B.E. 2533.
7. The Centennial of Mahamakuta Rajavidyalaya 2436-2536, B.E. 2536.
8. The Journal of the Faculty of Education Chulalongkorn University, B.E. 2536.
9. The Royal Institute. "Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya", Thai Encyclopaedia, Vol. 22, Krung Thep, B.E. 2533.