Sathira-Dhammasathan: The Emotional Refuge of Middle-class Thai Women from the 2000s-2010s

Abstract

^{This article aims to study the teaching of Maechii Sansanee Sthirasuta, the well-known Thai nun, and Sathira-Dhammasathan as "emotional refuge" for middle-class Thai women. Sathira-Dhammasathan is the special Buddhist community which helps middle-class Thai women in Thailand overcoming their emotional sufferings, life problems, and identity crises. The concept of the extinction of suffering is emphasized by Maechii Sansanee Sthirasuta, not only improves the lives and mental state of middle-class Thai women, but also provides them a new sense of self worth and a new meaning of freedom. These new emotions are the result of a synthesis of Modern Buddhism and liberal values held by middle-class Thai women. These phenomena might be seen as a new approach of middle-class Thai women to accomplish the ultimate aim of enlightenment in the modern world. Furthermore, Maechii Sansanee Sthirasuta and Sathira-Dhammasathan are one of the new religious movements that have shaped the emotional regime of middle-class Thai women, particularly well-educated middle-class women in Thailand from 1997 up to the present.}