Leadership Characteristics of Buddhist Monks and Their Roles in Disseminating the Dhamma to Society
Keywords:
Leadership, Monks, Buddhist PropagationAbstract
The objectives of this research are to study the leadership, analyze thecharacters of leadership and the network of Buddhist monks for Buddhist propagation.This is a qualitative study made by documentary study, interviewing 10 monks/persons who are administrators, teachers and experts in the leadership of Buddhist propagation and analyzing the content as specified.
The results revealed that monks' leadership in propagating Buddhism in three dimensions: Chakkhumā, which encompasses a vision for propagating Buddhism both domestically and internationally, a study of Buddhist principles, and the development of interpersonal relationships within a social context; Vidhūro, which encompasses monks with a thorough knowledge of Buddhist principles, expertise in meditation practice, diverse forms of propagation, and a commitment to practicing with faith; Nissayasampanno, which fosters good interpersonal relationships with the public; and the virtues of the Four Divine Abodes, the Four Sanghavatthu, and Kalyanamitra Dhamma, which serve as spiritual leaders in practicing Buddhist principles. The study also examined the leadership characteristics of monks in propagating Buddhism during the Buddha's time.
References
Achinsamacharn, C. (2007). Leadership in Organizations. Bangkok: Panyachon.
Bach, X. P. (2014). Mindful leadership – A phenomenological study of Vietnamese Buddhist monks in America with respect to their spiritual leadership roles and contributions to society (Doctoral dissertation).
Boonnarakorn, S. (2013). Buddhist religious leaders’ participation in promoting morality and Dhamma through information technology [in Thai].
Department of Academic Affairs. Ministry of Education. (2001). Why Thais Must Learn Buddhism. Book on Organizing Buddhist Learning Materials in the Social Studies, Religion, and Culture Curriculum according to the 2001 Basic Education Curriculum. Bangkok: Thammasapha.
Dhirasekera, J. (1981). Buddhist monastic discipline. Encyclopaedia of Buddhism.
Inthasara, W. (1981). Buddhist Methods of Teaching. Bangkok: Mahamakut Buddhist University Council.
Kitanant, T., Cain, P. M., Kaewhanam, K., & Kaewhanam, P. (2024). The strategic role of monks in community development: A case study of the community enterprises in the Nakhon Chai Burin province cluster, Thailand. Journal of Buddhist Anthropology, 9(3), 188–200.
Kloppenborg, R. (1984). The role of the Buddhist monk in development activities. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 19(1–2), 1–12.
Makchaeng, S. and Makchaeng, S. (1999). Study of the Educational Management of the Sangha. Complete Research Report. Department of Religious Affairs: Ministry of Education.
Payutto, P. A. (1997/2000). A constitution for living. Buddhadhamma Foundation.
Payutto, P. A. (Somdet Phra Buddhaghosacariya). (2021). Buddhadhamma (R. P. Moore, Trans.). Buddhadhamma Foundation.
Rodloytuk, P. (2021). Engaged Buddhist community as a human-right response. Asian Review of World Histories, 9(2), 61–84.
Saengthongdee, T. (2018). Buddhist leadership features. Journal of Academic Research, 5(1), 137–149.
Suraphong Surawaso, Phramaha. (2012). Leadership of monks in community development administration: A case study of PhraKhru Phothi Weerakhum, Wat Phothikaram, Roi-Et Province (Master’s thesis). National Institute of Development Administration.
Toung Eh Synuanchanh. (2018). Exploring the role of Buddhist monks/nuns’ engagement in community development as catalysts for social change (Master’s thesis, Unitec Institute of Technology).
Visalo, P. (n.d.). Buddhists engaged in social development. Retrieved from visalo.org.
Wenen, Y. (2024). Socially engaged Buddhism of Theravada monastic Sangha: The case of Phra Somdet Aggamuni. Journal of International Buddhist Studies, 15(1), 1–25.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Asian Journal of Humanities and Social Innovation
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which allows others to share the article with proper attribution to the authors and prohibits commercial use or modification. For any other reuse or republication, permission from the journal and the authors is required.
