PRESENT THAI SANGHA ADMINISTRATION: PROBLEMS AND SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS

Abstract

Present Thai Sangha, or Buddhist monastic Order, faces several key problems: governing structure, inferior performance  of the rule, and lack of clarity in  nomination criteria.  Under the current revised Sangha Act (No. 2) B.E. 2535 (1992), the clergy has been managed by governmental sectors. Decision making is centralized and senior monastic authorities in the Sangha Supreme Council have an average age approaching eighty and many are older than that. And nomination criteria were restricted to the ruling positions and budget for creating religious items.  

          Institutional reform was called for to develop effective parent ministries, while addressing inferior performance by monks due to a variety of reasons. To repair the governing structure, church may be separated from the state and the governing structure may be restructured in such a way that administrative inefficiency can also be repaired.  And to solve the problem of nomination criteria,  honorific ranking should be separated  from ruling positions and  the Thai Buddhist laypeople should  take part in improving nomination criteria. Additionally, construction of religious buildings is to be done according to the necessity of usage  and temples’ status and this point had better be pushed as a part of community.