Roles of Monks in Chiang Saen District to Create Harmony among Community Members

Abstract

The objective of this research was to study the roles of monks in Chiang Saen District, Chiang Rai Province, to create the harmony among the community members. Data were collected from a total of 15 monks consisting of the District Monk Dean, Sub-district Monk Dean, and Secretariat of the Monk Board. The interview and focus group were applied as the research tool. The summary of the key points, data categorization techniques were applied to analyze the collected for conclusion and interpretation. 

Research results illustrated that the position of the monks, in the context of Chiang Saen District, was the community leader whose role was to create the harmony among the community members. The role could be classified into 2 forms, 1) the role described by the religious discipline and laws, and 2) the role as the leader of community spirits. Both types of role were applicable to the policy setting to drive the harmony in the future.