การทำสมาธิในประเทศไทย : หน้า 36/136

๓๒ MEDITATION AT SOON BHUTHACHAK PATIBUTTHAM WAT PHRA THAMMAKAI As basic human values are arguably being eroded by an unprecedented emphasis on materialism and technology, many people in the West are turning to meditation as a means to physical, mental and spiritual well-being, as a way to keep a true perspective on life. Ironically, for all the collective advanced knowledge of their societies, groups and individuals in the US and Europe have only comparatively recently shown an interest in something that has been practised in Thailand, as well as elsewhere in the East, for centuries. Over 95% of the population of Thailand is Buddhist the term being no mere label as the faith is practised as well as professed - and meditation has always been integral to the following of Buddha's teachings. No one would suggest that certain values in Thai society have not changed during the course of the country's modernization, a process that has inevitably involved Western influences. Nevertheless, the nation has preserved its socio-religious heritage more completely than most, and Buddhism remains a vital cohesive force. However, as a modern nation, Thailand is subject to those 20th century pressures that tend towards materialism, but unlike the West, it already possesses natural defences. Against present-day stresses, Buddhism with its emphasis on meditation offers support to the retention of traditional human values, and the teaching of the religion and its ways still has a great following, expecially among the young. Most young Thai males continue to enter the monkhood for a short period usually three months - as an act of merit-making, but the religion and especially meditation is also being increasingly studied by lay people who may or may not be ordained at sometime in their life. Many different centers teaching meditation exist in Thailand, although perhaps none epitomize the dedication they attract quite so much as Soon Bhuthachak Patibuttham Wat Phra Thamakai. Located just a few kilometers north of Bangkok airport in Pathum Thani Province, this meditation center was founded 15 years ago to offer the public at large, particularly young students, tuition in Thamathayard. The word literally translates as descendants or sons of Dhamma (Dhamma being Buddhist law or teachings), but in general usage it refers to anyone who seriously practises the teachings of Buddha, who is willing to make merit not only for himself but for others and for the good of the country as a whole, and who displays the correct behaviour the and attitude to make this possible. Meditation is all-important means of Thamathayard. Although he did not live to see the actual founding of Soon Bhuthachak Patibuttham Wat Phra Thamakai, it was the revered monk Phramongkolthep- mooni from which who initially the center sowed the seeds would eventually spring. Resident at Wat Paknam in Bangkok, this monk was highly respected for his attainment in the practice and teaching of meditation. After his death in 1959 a group of his former students conceived the idea of establishing a meditation school where the example set by Phramongkolthep- mooni could by furthered. Initially it was intended to build a temple school on a small plot of land but the location proved unsuitable. Then, in 1969, Khunying Patthayapong- savisutthathibodi and her daughter, Ms Voranee Soonthoravej, kindly donated the present site comprising 196 rai (approximately 78 acres) of land at Klong Luang, Pathumthani. The ability of such a vast area meant that the original idea could be expanded and instead of simply a school, an entire meditation center was planned. The grounds were of a sufficient size to ensure the necessary peace and seclusion for meditation, while good road and canal links made the site readily accessible. After the gift of the generous Khunying, donations from the public were quickly forthcoming and, in 1970, the Thamprasit Foundation was set up to oversee the establishment and running of the center. The principal aims were to build up the wat and meditation center; to make better known the Dhamma practice and to increase the number of meditation teachers. Construction began in the following year and by 1972 the Written by John Hoskin■ DESCENDANTS OF DHAMMA Kalyanamitra.org