 |
| H.M. King Prajadhipok while still Prince, is in the monkhood. |
Spending time in the Buddhist monkhood
At the age of 24 while still Prince, H.M. King Prajadhipok demonstrated his faith in Buddhism by ordaining as a monk according to royal tradition at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and spent the whole Buddhist Lent of 3 months in residence at Wat Bovornives Vihara. Over the duration, he demonstrated mastery of the Buddhist Teachings or Dharma to the extent that the Supreme Patriarch, H.R.H. Kromphraya Vijarayana Varoros, who performed his ordination wanted him to stay on in the monkhood and in time become one of his successors.
In October 1956, H.M. King Bhumibol wished to become ordained for a time. After gaining the approval of Parliament to appoint H.M. Queen Sirikit as Regent over the duration of his monkhood, he personally announced his intention in public, explaining:
“Having been brought up in Buddhism, our national religion, and personally believing it to be one of the good religions, teaching people to do good as well as logically demonstrating truths in very convincing ways, I have always wished that, should the opportunity arise, I could undergo ordination as a Buddhist monk according to tradition for a period of time…”
Royal Speech, October18, 1956.
Protecting all religions
All Siamese Kings in former times and of the Chakri Dynasty have acted as protectors of all the religions adhered to by the Thai people.
Both H.M. King Prajadhipok and H.M. King Bhumibol have said similar things about the coexistence of religions in the country. H.M. King Prajadhipok said that East can meet West; for example, Thais have always nurtured the Buddhist religion but have also received much Western education. He maintained that being brought up in the Buddhist religion, Thais have lived together in peace. None the less, he was concerned that religion could be taught in inappropriate ways. For instance, while most scouts were Buddhists, some of them were of Christian or Islamic faiths. Therefore, one should not be disrespectful of others’ religions since all of them had the same aim though they used different methods of teaching. It was not necessary to speak ill of other religions.
H.M. King Bhumibol has also stressed the importance of religion but it was up to each in Thailand to choose which to practice, even one without a name. The important thing was to practice one’s religion in a way as to think good and do good for one’s own and the collective benefit without harming others. He has also confirmed that since most Thais were Buddhists who thus practice charity and kindness, they and the country have always been hospitable to missionaries of other religions in the belief that all religions teach people to do good. Thus Christianity, for instance, has been able to take root and grow in Thailand. As for Islam, His Majesty has supported the translation of the Koran into Thai upon realising that its study was hindered by having to know Arabic well.
Royally sponsering ordinations
Sponsoring ordinations became a royal tradition since the founding of the Chakri dynasty, beginning with the kings sponsoring the ordination of princes and later extending their largess to include other members of the royal family, courtiers and government officials. Those to be ordained would first go through a Brahmin ceremony in the Grand Palace in which the king would pour lustral water over and anoint their foreheads. This would be followed by the Buddhist ordination ceremony at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The tradition is carried on during the present reign with regulations being formalized as to who could seek royally-sponsored ordinations.
Making merit on Visakha Puja Day
On Visakha Puja Day or Wesak, the annual celebration of the Birth, Enlightenment and Death of the Buddha which fall on the same day, the Full Moon in May or June, it has been tradition at least from the Reign of Rama II for there to be a royal merit-making ceremony.
In the Seventh Reign, H.M. King Prajadhipok made some adaptations of the tradition to suit modern times. He also initiated what became a new custom. He had the Royal Academy hold competitions to encourage the writing of books on aspects of the Buddhist Teachings suitable for children of about 10 years old. The King penned the prefaces himself. He also held parties for children under his care on the day so as to make it like Christmas Day. The books were given out as presents.
H.M. King Bhumibol has maintained the Visakha Puja tradition and also the custom of holding the book competitions.
Publishing the Tripitaka
In the Fifth Reign, H.M. King Chulalongkorn ordered the publication of the Tripitaka Buddhist Canon in the Thai language. These were checked by knowledgeable monks. Thirty-five volumes were published during the reign. The forty-two volume was completed during H.M. King Prajadhipok’s Reign and given the name of the Siam Rath Tripitaka. Copies were distributed throughout the kingdom and also to universities and national libraries abroad.
On the occasion of His present Majesty’s 36th (Third Cycle) Birthday Anniversary, His Majesty graciously and personally gave royal support to the founding of the Bhumibalo Bhikkhu Foundation with the aim of translating into Thai Buddhist Teachings that appear in Khmer and local inscriptions and publishing the edited versions for further and better study of Buddhism.
 |
| H.M. King Bhumibol |
ความคิดเห็น
แสดงความคิดเห็น