Santi Asoke Communities
The Santi Asoke communities were established by Samana Bodhiraksa13
within the Thai social environment in search of the original
purity of Buddhism and in response to the influence of Western consumerism
which has devalued Buddhist ethics among Thai people.
Judging from his perspective, most monks within the Thai Sangha
(community of monks) are far below the level of purity of sila (morality)
set by the Buddha. Bodhiraksa criticizes the lax behavior, superstitions,
and consumerism of most monks and the self-indulgence,
corruption, and violence of Thai society. To alleviate Thai society
from the domination of transnational capitalism and the influence of
Western consumerism, Bodhiraksa set up the network of Santi Asoke
communities in the central and northeastern parts of Thailand by putting
Buddhist economics and “sustainable economy” theory into practice
at the community level.
Bodhiraksa, whose original name was Monkol Rakphong, was
ordained in 1970 at the age of thirty-six in the Thammayut tradition14
at Wat Asokaram in the central province of Samut Prakan. He observed
a strict vinaya (discipline) by being vegetarian, eating only one meal
a day, wearing no shoes, and living a simple life. Being ascetic and
pious, he gained a great deal of support and followers among serious
Buddhists who helped set up the Santi Asoke movement. Bodhiraksa
puts the Thai Buddhist reformist rationality, such as the teachings of
Bhikkhu Buddhadasa, into practice on the institutional and organizational
levels by announcing independence from the Thai Sangha Hierarchy
(Maha-thera-samakama) in 1975, which makes his movement
radical within the Thai Sangha.
There are at least nine communities in the Santi Asoke network.
These communities hold the same principle and philosophy, but each
community has its own characteristics due to the different environments
and circumstances. For example, Sisa Asoke community in
Sisaket province is well-known for its unique local Isaan cultural products.
Rachathani Asoke community in Ubon Rachathani is famous for
its fresh vegetation because it is located by the river Moon. Pathom
Asoke community in Nakhon Pathom is prominent in herbal products
because many herbs grow in the province. Lacking agricultural area,
the Santi Asoke community in Bangkok has excellent communication
and trade, and has become the trade center for the community
network. Bun (merit) and mutual support, not profit, are the main concern
of the activities at Santi Asoke. Being outside of the Thai Sangha
Hierarchy, Santi Asoke is one of the most rapidly expanding Buddhist
movements in Thailand.
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The statistics in 2006 reveal that there are 134 monastics—including
104 monks, 3 novices, and 27 female monks (sikhamatu)—in
the Santi Asoke movement. In all the communities combined, there
are eighteen hundred residents, eight hundred students, nine thousand
active supporters, and tens of thousands of members at the vegetarian
clubs within the network.15 According to the Santi Asoke philosophy,
sila or ethical purity has central importance on the path toward
enlightenment whereas a self-sustained economy is crucial for the economic
survival of the community and the country within the context
of contemporary transnational capitalism. Bodhiraksa and the Santi
Asoke movement represent the ethical dimension—both personal and
social—of contemporary Thai Buddhism.