6. Thai Sangha’s Education in Thailand: Historical Background

Education in Thailand is traced back to as early as the 15^th century when the Sukhothai king, Ramkhamhaeng, the great created the first Thai alphabet, using as its basis Mon and Khmer scripts, which had in turn, been derived from a south Indian script. For the first time, King Ramkhamhaeng employed the new alphabet in his stone inscription of 1292 at Sukhothai. Parts of the original alphabet are still in use, although they have undergone several changes. The Sukhothai stone inscriptions recorded aspects of education in moral, intellectual and cultural terms. Thailand's ecclesiastical education was organised on the basis of the Ganthadhura^[1] and Vipassanadhura^[2] like that of the Buddha's lifetime. But for the purpose of writing this thesis, we have focused only on the former. This is so because of the uniqueness of the educational system both at the ethical and the practical level of study.

Furthermore, this methodology makes it easier for the syllabus, the curricula, the administrative system of education and so on to be analysed in a far clearer way. In Thailand, the ecclesiastical education of Ganthadhura, the study of the Buddha's teachings, is initially studied through the study of Pali language as Pali was used in Buddhism since the Third Buddhist Council supported by Emperor Asoka who ruled from the city of Pataliputra^[3]. Later on Pali Tipitaka was put into writing in Sri Lanka and purified more than once. For example, in 964 (1507B.E.), King Parakkamabahu^[4] of Sri Lanka invited Buddhist monks to participate in a meeting to purify and modify the Tipitaka, which had been recorded in Sinhalese and Pali languages.

As a result, the Tipitaka was recorded in pure Pali language.^[5] This Buddhist Council is regarded as the Seventh Buddhist Council after the passing away of the Buddha. The Pali Tipitaka was later on disseminated into Burma and Chiangmai^[6] in 1477 (2020 B.E.) At another time, King Tilokaraj of Chiangmai dynasty had the Pali Tipitaka revamped and checked. This occurance is known as the Lanna Buddhist Council. As a result, the Pali Tipitaka spread into different parts of Thailand, Lao, Khmer (Kampucha), Burma and More.^[7] So it is said that the ecclesiastical education of Thailand in early period is the study of the Pali Tipitaka, which was writtten in the Khmer letters.^[8] Thais of the former days considered the Khmer letters as sacred. Thus, the students who were interested in the study of Pali language, had to first learn not only the Khmer alphabet but also the language.

The ecclesiastical education of Thailand till the twentieth century may be divided into four periods, Sukhothai period, Ayudhya period, Dhonburi period and Ratanakosin period.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Duty of studying.

[2]:

Duty of insight practice.

[3]:

P.V. Bapat, 2500 years of Buddhism, pp. 44-45.

[4]:

PARAKKAMABÃHU I. He was the king of Sri Lanka from 1153–1186. The early part of his reign was a time of political turmoiland warfare, which extended to southern India where he battled the Col≥as. Later in his life, he turned to more peaceful activities, such as becoming a patron of Buddhism by building shrines, monasteries, and reconciling the major Buddhist groups on the island. His reign is recorded in the Cũlavam˘sa, a Sinhalese history of this period.

[5]:

Department of Fine Arts. Royal History of Siam: Royal Autograph Edition Vol. 2, p. 527.

[6]:

Now a province in the northern part of Thailand.

[7]:

Department of Fine Arts. Royal History of Siam: Royal Autograph Edition Vol. 2, p. 528.

[8]:

Known as Khom in Thai.