Ven. Prayudh Payutto
Bestowed Somdej Rank in Thai Supreme Sangha Council
BD Dipananda
Buddhistdoor Global | 2016-12-16 |
On
12 December, Ven. Prayudh Payutto was appointed to the rank of
somdej phrarachakhana, one of the highest positions within the
Supreme Sangha Council (SSC) of Thailand. Ven. Payutto was promoted
along with 159 monks at an annual ceremony in the presence of
Thailand’s new king, Maha Vajiralongkorn. Monks holding the somdej
title belong to the country’s most senior monastic echelon.
Numbering 21 members, the SSC is Thailand’s Buddhist governing
body.
“The annual monk promotion is based on the old
tradition that each monk is promoted based on their individual
contribution to the society,” said Boonchert Kittithara, director
of the secretariat of the SSC, adding that the decisions are made
by a committee under the SSC. (Bangkok Post)
Born in 1939 as Prayudh Aryankura, Ven. Payutto
is a well-known monk with a reputation as an intellectual and
prolific writer. His book Buddha Dharma is widely acclaimed as a
contemporary masterpiece of Buddhist teaching. He was awarded the
UNESCO Prize for Peace Education in 1994.
According to the Bangkok Post, under the new
somdej title, Ven. Payutto will be given the name of Buddhaghosa,
in honor of the renowned 5th-century Indian Buddhist monk, a great
commentator who is best known for the Visuddhimagga (The Path of
Purification). “Phra Payutto deserves the name of Buddhaghosa
because he is a prominent scholar,” said Sulak Sivaraksa, social
commentator and Buddhist scholar. (Bangkok Post)
According to Mano Laohavanich, a Buddhist
lecturer, Ven. Payutto’s promotion was unusual because he was the
first abbot from a non-royal and rural temple to become a somdej
since the introduction of the Sangha Act in 1902, which was signed
into law to manage the national sangha.
“Phra Prayudh Payutto is unlikely to be a
front-runner for the currently vacant Supreme Patriarch position
because he just assumed the somdej title,” said Mano. (Bangkok
Post)
“Phra Maha Prayudh Payutto was an outsider from
the administration of the monks’ governing body, even though he is
widely respected and revered for his discipline and intelligence,”
said Phra Palad Wisarut Thirasaddho, a monk from Wat Thumkaocha-ang
Temple in Kanchanaburi. (Bangkok Post)
Ven. Prayudh’s promotion was welcomed by many
Buddhists, including Phra Palad. They believe Ven. Prayudh’s
presence will help to boost the credibility of the SSC, which has
been criticized for recently failing to tackle a series of monastic
issues. “His promotion may help restore the image of the Sangha
Council, which has been criticised for being inefficient in
tackling the Phra Dhammajayo scandal,” said Phra Palad Wisarut,
referring to a corruption scandal involving the abbot of the famous
but controversial Wat Phra Dhammakaya organization. (Bangkok
Post)
According to the Bangkok Post, Ven. Prayudh’s
promotion fills the position left vacant by the late abbot of Wat
Suthat, a royal temple of the first grade in Bangkok.
Under the SSC, there are eight somdej, excluding
the supreme patriarch. The eight somdej monks include four monks
from Thailand’s Dhammayut branch and the other four from the
Mahanikaya branch. Ven. Payutto represents the Mahanikaya
branch.
Ven. Prayudh is currently the abbot of Wat
Nyanavesakavan in the province of Nakhon Pathom. He was also the
abbot of Wat Phra Phiren in Bangkok from 1972 to 1976.