A study of Morning and Evening Monastic Chanting Ceremony in Thai Buddhist Temples

Abstract

This thesis was developed from interaction, observation and questioning Buddhist lay people and monks over four years since my leaving the ordained Buddhist monkhood. This study is more than empirical, relying also on historical and philosophical analysis as well. I lived in or visited many temples for this study of King Rama IV’s morning and evening order for chanting in Thai Buddhist temples. The objective is to literally and socially investigate or determine exactly what is being chanted in daily chanting sessions, beyond the surface level translations, which arose from: participation, interaction, observation and questioning, and education. The chanting ceremony is examined from phrases originating in the Tipitaka - the primary source for orthodox Theravada Buddhists in Thailand and other Thai literary sources vis-á-vis the ‘Buddhism’ as demonstrated in everyday life currently in Thailand. The ultimate objective is to illustrate where Thai Buddhism is today. Finally, the thesis attempts to answer the following question: Is the meaning of the ‘tarn wat chao/yen ’, Theravada Buddhism or Buddhism as King Rama IV felt important, for promotion in Thai society? The discoveries are listed in the conclusion of the thesis, but major findings follow: the system for refuge is flawed and is redundantly expressed; the method of ‘apology’ should be discarded, as it is counter to doctrinal philosophy that I have unraveled. The entire thesis should give anyone, ordained or not, a firm understanding of the Buddhist doctrine as contained in ‘tam wat chao/yen ’, as obviously stated or hidden beneath layers of metaphors in the chanting. One can assert that what is discovered herein, was to be the doctrine King Rama IV intended the public to understand. The thesis does more than make assumptions, because the social inquiries revealed few people genuinely understand what is being chanted in the temples. My work is devoted to eradicate doctrinal ignorance and allows insight into a complex web of ideas disputed throughout Thailand for strengthening Thai Buddhist society through education.