Nyanasamvara Suvaddhana - Achievements and Challenges

Achievements and Challenges

During his more than seventy years as a monk and novice, Somdet Nyanasamvara has held a variety of posts in the Thai ecclesiastic hierarchy. In these roles, he has always been concerned with promoting education, both religious and secular. He has assisted in the founding and construction of numerous schools, as well as sponsoring campaigns to build schools, temples, and hospitals in rural communities.

As abbot of Wat Bovoranives, he oversaw the renovation and expansion of this famed century-old monastery. Long interested in the meditation techniques of the Thai forest monks, Somdet Nyanasamvara has helped make his temple residence a center for meditation study and instruction in Bangkok, himself delivering lectures on meditation and Buddhist teachings on two Uposatha days each month.

Somdet Nyanasamvara has also been active in teaching to both non-Thais and the international Thai emigrant community. His recorded sermons and teachings are distributed among Thais living outside Thailand, particularly in areas where there is not access to temples or Theravada monks. Non-Thais have also been encouraged to study Buddhism; Wat Bovoranives is known as one of several monasteries in Thailand where Westerners can not only study, but also ordain either as full bhikkhu, or for a limited term (such as vassa) as a novice (samanera). A number of Somdet Nyanasamvara's books and talks have also been translated into English, and he has been involved in sponsoring the establishment of temples and monasteries outside Thailand.

Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara’s tenure has probably been exposed to more criticism and controversy than that of any preceding Thai Sangharaja. A number of Thai monks – among them some prominent and popular religious leaders – became embroiled in scandal, with allegations ranging from sexual misconduct to corrupt fundraising schemes and involvement in organized crime. Changes in Thai society wrought by modernization began to impose on the traditional and conservative Sangha as well – including calls for greater rolls for laypeople and younger monks in religious affairs, and organized efforts both in Thailand and abroad to re-create the lost Theravada bhikkhuni (nun-priest) ordination.

Because of the convoluted governing structure of the Thai Sangha (which includes both ecclesiastic and civil officials) and the Patriarch’s health problems, it is difficult to determine what, if any, role that Somdet Nyanasamvara has played in formulating a response to these challenges. Certainly, the course held by the Council of Elders has not strayed during his tenure; they continue to defrock those monks found guilty of the most flagrant offenses, and to strongly oppose any change in the official status of women in the Sangha. The Council (and, by implication, Somdet Nyanasamvara) have received criticism for not taking a more proactive role in reforming disciplinary standards and eliminating corruption.

Like its predecessors, the Council of Elders under Somdet Nyanasamvara has been very conservative and reluctant to act without great deliberation. There are some indications that this may be the best course for maintaining the confidence of the lay public; in the United States, for instance, some temples that have attempted to change the roles of Theravada monks have been met by a strong backlash from their lay communities. However, the troubles of the Catholic Church in the United States have offered a model of the possible consequences of failing to deal openly and swiftly with corruption and misconduct: an eventual meltdown, made worse by stop-gap attempts to preserve the people’s faith in religious institutions, rather than dealing openly with problems.

Furthermore, educated Buddhist women and their supporters – Thais, Westerners, and others – continue to call for an expanded role for female Buddhists, with many calling for a rebirth of the Theravada bhikkhuni lineage. They are joined in this call not only by some laymen, but by an increasing number of progressive monks. Some supporters of the recreation of the bhikkhuni lineage have already begun to take action, ordaining Buddhist nuns through recourse to the existing Chinese bhikkhuni lineage. The Council and secular authorities have condemned these actions, going so far as to arrest for impersonation of a member of the clergy at least one Thai woman who underwent the new bhikkhuni ordination (ordained bhikkhu have a different civil status in Thai society than non-ordained female followers, such as the mae jis).

The actions of Somdet Nyanasamvara and his Council (or, more likely, his successor and his Council) during the next few years may have a lasting impact on the Thai Sangha – either by beginning to resolve the troublesome questions that have arisen during the last half of the 20th century, or by deepening what could prove to be a pending crisis for Theravada as a whole.