Is It True That In 1960 Buddhist Monks Were Banned From Teaching About Contentment?

[tc101]

Is it true that in 1960 Buddhist monks were banned from teaching about contentment? I just read this:

The liberation goal in this context might be defined as santutthi, or contentment. This involves freedom from desire and attachment - the opposite of dukkha, or suffering. One is content with what one has and is. Thai scholar Pibob Udomittipong describes how deeply this concept challenges modern consumerism. Soon after the first Thai National Economic Development Plan was drafted in the 1960s, the government banned Buddhist monks from teaching about contentment. The official governing body of the monks, the Sangha Authority, sanctioned this decree, apparently accepting the reasoning that santutthi was a barrier to the ideals of economic growth. The late Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, a very revered and socially engaged Thai teacher, argued against the ban, pointing out that contentment leads to the development of wisdom and is therefore essential for real human progress.

From here:

http://www.amalthys.com/greenpath/012unlearningconsumerism.html

[Xangsamhua]

Her source is Pipob Udomittipong, an environmental activist and May 19 skeptic. http://www.prachatai...glish/node/1852

He refers to Phra Buddhadhasa's response, which gives credence to his claim. It sounds right, but we'd need a primary source, e.g. quote from the government announcement at the time, to know if it was an instruction, advice, someone's opinion, or whatever.

It would be interesting to confirm whether in fact the Supreme Sangha Council did officially go along with this apparent instruction, and if so, how they justified it in terms of the Sangha's responsibility to teach Dhamma, not economic development.