Conclusion
p. 85-87
Texte intégral
1This book has argued that the long-standing subservience of Buddhism to the central state in Thailand, and its use for nation-building purposes, has been the main factor behind the weakening of the religion. The disconnect between the leadership of the Thai sangha and the lives of common people, as well as the increasing political polarization within the sangha in the last two decades, has aggravated this state of deliquescence. The monastic community is no longer meaningful for an increasing number of people and each financial, political or sexual scandal serves to further erode the sangha’s relevance. The archaic monastic hierarchy is unable to control the monkhood; it is out of touch with contemporary Thai society and yet doggedly resists any attempts at reform.
2The stagnation of the sangha is of utmost consequence for the country. With Thailand in the stormwaters of a transition to a new kind of society, the sangha does not seem able to play the role of moral guide or unifier to lead the country through these turbulent times. As historian Niddhi Eoseewong states, “The Thai sangha is weak intellectually, socially, morally, weak at every level. Thai Buddhism is irrelevant in terms of organization and in terms of ideology. […] Thai monks cannot adapt themselves to give some answers to the present situation in the world.” 135 The nationalistic trilogy of Thai identity—Nation-Religion-King—is fragile and nothing has yet emerged, or even begun to take shape, to replace it and give a new cohesiveness to Thai society.
3Some lay critics point to the fossilization of the Thai sangha as the reason for its inability to face the challenges of the day, but it must not be forgotten that Theravāda Buddhism is intrinsically conservative, as it is the repetition of a doctrine formulated 2,500 years ago. “In Theravāda Buddhism […], the Buddha has formulated everything perfectly and once for all. […] How can you really be a Theravāda Buddhist monk if you are not conservative? By essence, so called Theravāda Buddhism is and has to be conservative,” says Gabaude.136
4Overall, it is difficult to see a positive scenario for Thai Buddhism. At one extreme, Thai Buddhism could continue to go down the slope of nationalism and politicization, being for instance, made the national religion, which would be a springboard for the most conservative version of Buddhism to become dominant. The religion would run the risk of being hollowed out, or of falling under the control of an opportunistic and dynamic movement like Wat Phra Dhammakaya’s, adept at exploiting Thai Buddhism and its institutions for its own benefit.
5Another, less likely, scenario would entail a greater alienation between Buddhism and the state. The Thai sangha would lose state support, cut most of its attachments, and become closer to the local communities who would both materially support and control them, as was the case in the past. Phra Paisal Visalo has made detailed proposals to this end. While such an evolution is not completely unrealistic, it would require a complete reform of the sangha’s organizational structure, along the lines of decentralization and greater participation of monks at the local level.137 Another obstacle would be the cultural order, as there is a common understanding within a large part of the Thai population that Buddhism is de facto the national religion, meaning that it has a special status in the country and that the state must nurture and protect the faith.138
6In any case, Thai Buddhism is clearly in need of renewal—rather like the Catholic Church in South America, which was dying from its close association with the state authorities in the 1970s, before Liberation Theology came to inject new blood into the system, by reminding clerics that it is the people, not the elite or the state, which keep the religion alive. The path for the rejuvenation of Thai Buddhism is then rather well-delineated, but the question is whether a significant proportion of the sangha is willing to commit itself to this, and whether the political authorities and other sections of the Thai elite would allow such internal reforms to proceed.
Notes de bas de page
135 Interview, Niddhi Eoseewong, July 2016.
136 Manuel Olivares, “Glimpses of Theravada Buddhism: Interview with Louis Gabaude,” http://www.viverealtrimenti.com/glimpses-of-theravada-buddhism-interview-to-louis-gabaude/; February 2017.
137 Phra Paisal Visalo, “Buddhism for the Next Century: Towards Renewing a Moral Thai Society,” in Socially Engaged Buddhism for the New Millennium: Essays in Honour of Ven. Phra Dhammapitaka (Bhikku P.A. Payutto) on his 60th Birthday Anniversary, edited by Sulak Sivaraksa, Pipob Udomittipong and Chris Walker (Bangkok: Santhirakoses-Nagapradipa Foundation and Foundation for Children, 1999), 235–52.
138 Niddhi Eoseewong, “The Thai Cultural Constitution,” translated and introduced by Chris Baker, Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia 3 (March 2003); https://kyotoreview.org/issue-3-nations-and-stories/the-thai-cultural-constitution/ (accessed October 28, 2017).
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