Satellite Tv To Train 100,000 Buddhist Monks

[camerata]

Satellite TV to train 100,000 Buddhist monks

Through support from the government and Buddhist leaders, new monks will follow a training programme via satellite TV that will broadcast to 335 different monasteries across the country. The goal is to revive Buddhist temples and have monks serve as role models for the Thai population, which appears to be drifting away from religion.

In a campaign sponsored by the Government of Thailand and Buddhist religious leaders, more than 100,000 monks have been ordained in order to promote a better role model of ethical conduct and solidarity. The initiative involves some 80,000 villages spread across the country. Starting today until 8 March, the new monks will follow a special 49-day training programme under the guidance of elderly monks. The programme includes meditations and lessons and will be broadcast by satellite TV.

Full story.

[sabaijai]

I wonder if this is related to the Dhammakaya movement's current campaign to ordain 100,000 monks at wats around the country, for free, during the same time period?

[in Thai only]

:

http://dmycenter.com/new/

There are posters up all over the place, all of them bearing the dmycenter.com logo.

[phetaroi]

Interesting to me from two perspectives.

First, back in June we visited a nice temple up in Ang Thong Province. They were doing some fairly significant renovations to the temple. One of the locals came over to talk with us (I am American, my mate is Thai). He appeared to be some sort of temple lay organizer (for wont of a better term), and began to explain what the renovations would include. I asked him, "I don't see any monks." He told us that was the problem. They were renovating (although the temple was relatively nice) as one way of perhaps attracting some monks to come back and formally reopen the temple.

Second, a couple of times I have posted about my frustration in Bangkok of visiting temples where virtually all the buildings are closed up, even though there are quite a few monks around. I said that when a temple is not open to the public there is no way for the Thai public to visit the temple and have it continue to be a center of the community, and that I feared that the end result would be that people would drift away from Buddhism as being central to their lives. I believe that even you didn't seem to think it was much of a concern, even though now you post about, "The goal is to revive Buddhist temples and have monks serve as role models for the Thai population, which appears to be drifting away from religion." So I will restate again my concern -- when a temple is actually closed (as I discussed above), or essentially closed because the monks do not interact with the people and the wiharn and ubosot and other buildings are closed almost all of the time, the temple ceases to become a center for the community and people will drift away from Buddhism as being a central tenet of their lives.

In recent weeks I have continued my walks around non-touristy parts of Bangkok. There are three basic scenarios I find:

1. The temple buildings all closed up. Monks are around...perhaps sleeping in a hammock (for example...and that's not meditating). The temple is deserted in terms of lay people.

2. A few temple buildings are open...perhaps at least the wiharn. Monks are around and at least acknowledge your presence. A few lay people are around, including children playing within the temple compound and adults helping the monks maintain the temple.

3. Multiple temple buildings are open. Monks are available for those wishing to engage them. There is a steady stream of lay people in and out of the buildings and temple compound. Donations are being placed in the collection boxes. Some locals are making the temple the place they spend some of their down-time. If it's after school, children are at the temple and clearly find it a place to hang out.

Now, please don't tell me that the three scenarios I just listed are not related to "have monks serve as role models for the Thai population, which appears to be drifting away from religion."

[khaowong1]

Now, please don't tell me that the three scenarios I just listed are not related to "have monks serve as role models for the Thai population, which appears to be drifting away from religion."

very interesting article.. from my perpesctive, I of course find item #3 most attractive. When I became a monk, my immediate goal was to concentrate on meditation, but find I really enjoy the interaction with the people. Even though I don't claim to know all the answers, or even most of the answers, I find people get a lot of relief from just talking to a monk, and I now go out of my way to make sure that I am available for them.. My temple in Lopburi is always open.. the temple I am living at for a few months here in the U.S. is open from 7 am to 10 pm. I spend a majority of the day here in the U.S. temple answering questions from American people.

Edited January 25, 2010 by camerata
Deleted unnecessary quoting.

[bjoe97]

But it is'nt a religion for Gods sake.

All that time and money and they cannot even call it what it really is.

What a great way to show a true role model.

Another typical example of the way things here are done here.

[Naam]

"The goal is to revive Buddhist temples and have monks serve as role models for the Thai population, which appears to be drifting away from religion."

it is beyond my comprehension how monks can serve as role models. the average thai person donates some food, sometimes asks for a blessing and... that's it.