THE ROLE OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OF WAT INTHARAM, AMPHAWA DISTRICT, SAMUT SONGKHRAM PROVINCE

Abstract

The objectives of this research were : (1) to study the general state of
the role of community development of Wat Intharam, Amphawa District,
Samutsonkhram Province.(2)to study the problems, obstacles and guidelines for
community development of Sangha in Amphawa District, Samutsonkhram
Province.This research was the qualitative research through the documentary
research and in-depth interview from 27 key informants of suitable sampling group
to get the view and concept about the role of community development of Wat
Intharam, Amphawa District, Samutsonkhram Province.
The findings of this research as following :
1.The principle of Western community development is the action to
improve or change for the betterment and more development step by step with
co-objective by the process that is the method and project or programme including
the continuously movement that this principle is to develop the community
efficiently for living in the form of society, economy, culture and environment. In
the view of Buddhism, is the learning development and to practice to the balance
or equilibrium of life that having the good relationship for living of people with
environment that focus on making themselves and others to be happy, to know as
it is. This is the sustainable development way for solving the problems
systematically, have the proper consideration by using the principle of Dhamma as
the tool for the development.
2. The states of community of Wat Intharam, the majority of people
have the career as the gardener. When the development expands and then it
effects on the community by increasing of the people in the community, has many
modern houses and shops. The state of community at the present is divided into 2
groups as the origin community group that has the big family and has the stable
career and the community that immigrated from other provinces that work as the
government officers, employees but the majority people have the career as the
general employment. The living state of the people in the community is not too
much and the state of land is still planting the fruits garden and it has many empty
areas. The quality of the people in the community is improving due to not too
much population and no pollution.
3.The roles of community development of Wat Intharam, Amphawa1. The social development aspect, found that Wat Intharam had the
mental development of community people, as the spiritual leader of community
people from the drug addicted people to stop consuming drug, to stop drinking the
liquor, to stop playing gambling, to develop the mental community people to work
hard for living like how to find and teach to save, economy, smart spending, no
luxury, wrong taste of society, but teaching how to make friendship with scholars
and avoiding the bad people and teaching how to live smartly with own status,
teaching the people to have the sympathy and hospitality, opening the nursery
school in the temple, Wat Intharam helped teaching the children for moral
cultivation and supported the monastery personnel to develop the national
resource early including to propagate the teaching of Lord Buddha to the people,
pupils, students as the main mission of Wat Intharam, had the support to the five
precepts village project seriously, to bring the youths to become the novices every
year, had the cooperation for social development in many aspects like to build the
main roads and in the village, to set up the floating market, to make the efficient
community society and convenient transportation to sell the agricultural products
rapidly, the people know and practice strictly to five precepts village project and to
apply Dhamma to use in daily life.
2.The economic development aspect, found that Wat Intharam
community by the majority of people had the rent career and working in the
garden, had low income, Wat Intharam had the economic development aspect
such as to support the sufficient economy by setting up the sugarcane cooperative,
saving group for production and support the community shop activity to support
the sufficiency economy and opening the floating market for the farmers to sell the
products, to set up the tasty pomelo festival and sweet Linchi for income creation
for the farmers, the people as the customers to buy the products directly from the
gardeners directly without the supplier or middle man.
3.The cultural development aspect, found that Wat Intharam
community as the center of culture in every aspect to cultivate the tradition and
cultures in every aspect like Buddhist holy day sermon, training and teaching
Dhamma education to the youths every Friday that focused on Buddhist culture, to
promote Salakkapat offering tradition, rainy robe offering, honey black bowl
begging, Khaotommud festival, annual sermon festival in every year, support the youths to preserve the local tradition and culture, to support to preserve the local
wisdom as the knowledge center of sub-district and other places.
4. The environment development aspect, found that Wat Intharam
that managed the environmental problem suitably such as waste, poisonous water,
polluted air, noise pollution and other pollutions for creating the good
environment for living and entepeneurs that protected the noises and other
impacts on community, to preserve the local wisdom for environmental and
natural preservation like light fly or Hinghoi watching, forgiving area, fishing park,
plant the tree on important days and mangrove forest, to preserve the natural
material for Loy Krathong or banana leaf floating and harmony festival etc. and
support to use water economically, to promote the production, consumption and
service friendly with the nature and environment along with the principle of
sufficiency economy by focusing on changing the behavior or applying to use in
daily life and be able change to the community people or adjust to use in daily life
and people have the satisfaction when they come to temple.
District, Samutsonkhram Province as following :