Buddhism has been Thailand’s religion for over 2000 BC. It has been rooted since the third century BC. The Buddhist monks are the main representative to presence Thai Buddhism. The Thai Buddhist monks serve as officiates on ceremonial occasions, as well as being responsible for preserving and conveying the teachings of the Buddha.
Most of Thai Buddhist monks began their monk livelihood by serving as “Dek Wat” (Children of the Thai Wat; wat means temple). In those days, formal educational system was not institutional established. The only place to train the Thai young boy to become the moral and educated man is only by the monks in the temple. Education for the Thai peasants, specifically, and with their poor income, was not possible to afford elsewhere for their children. Village temples, therefore, served as the primary form of education for most Thai village boys. Most parents were willing to send their boys to the temples to serve the monks and carry duty in Thai wat as “Dek wat”. Dek wat are traditionally no younger than eight, and do minor housework around the temple. The primary reason for becoming a dek wat is to gain a basic education, particularly in basic reading and writing and the memorization of the scriptures chanted on ritual occasions. Service in a temple as a dek wat was a necessary prerequisite for attaining any higher education in the future. Apart from that, these young boys “Dek wat”, or any Thai young boys of the age not below eight but not exceed 20, are allowed to ordain as “Sammanen or “Nen” if they are faithful in tending the religious life. Nowadays, the number of children living as dek wat or sammanen has declined due to the establishment of educational institution at all levels is widely served throughout the country. Nonetheless, ordination of children below 20 remains its status to the Thai society. The Thai Buddhist families believe that once of the boys’ lives shall be trained by the monks for their mercy and moral. Thus, ordination for young child to become sammanen is quite popular during the long break of schools.
For young men at the age of 20 onwards, they are eligible to receive “Upasampada”, the higher ordination that establishes them as a full “Bhikkhu” (monk). This can also apply to the “Samanen or Nen” who intend on religious life and reaches 20. Nonetheless, temporary ordination is the norm among Thai Buddhists. Most young men traditionally ordain for the term of a single rainy season (known in Thai as “Phansa”).
While being ordained, the sammanens and the monks must stay in the Buddhist sanctuary. Their places can be rooms or cottages lying separately from the religious ceremonial area. In general, they are not allowed to be outside the temple after 6:00 p.m. unless there are matters requested for them to attend to. Such matters are, for example, cremation ceremony, festival ceremony, etc.
It is the strong belief among the Thai Buddhists that once in a life time, the tending of religious life as sammanen for boys and monks for men under Buddha’s preaching is the highest merit.
