Dhutanga as Buddhist Peacebuilding: Adhivāsana-khanti, ‘Silent Preaching’, and the Walk for Peace Project

บทคัดย่อ

The thirteen ascetic practices (dhutanga-vatta), aimed at eradicating defilements and fostering contentment, supporting the Threefold Training (tisikkhā): morality (sīla), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (paññā) through the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (satipaṭṭhāna). This article examines the contemporary application of dhutanga via a case study of the "Walk for Peace" project, in which nineteen Theravāda monks from Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos undertook a 3,700-kilometer pilgrimage from Texas to Washington, D.C. (October 2025–February 2026), strictly observing several austerities while adapting them to the American context through mindful walking and the radiation of boundless loving-kindness (appamāṇā-mettā).

The study found that noble patience-forbearance (ariya-khanti), specifically adhivāsana-khanti, grounded in right view, morality, loving-kindness, and wisdom, was crucial in sustaining moral discipline and the project's success. This was exemplified when Venerable Maha Dam Brahmasaro employed adhivāsana-khanti and wise reflection (yonisomanasikāra) to transmute intense pain from a severe car accident into unconditional forgiveness, dissolving malevolence and dismantling cycles of revenge. However, this project also depended on external support factors including volunteer teams, local coordination, and risk management.

The article proposes three insights: (1) the revitalization of dhutanga-vatta as "Silent Preaching"—communication through exemplary conduct—and as "Somatic Peacebuilding," healing psychological trauma through embodied awareness; (2) Adhivāsana-khanti as a mechanism linking dhutanga with Buddhist propagation and positive peacebuilding, reducing “othering” biases in multicultural societies; and (3) the "Dhutanga for Peace Model," a cyclical five-stage framework—PREPARE, PRACTICE, CULTIVATE, TRANSMIT, and EXPAND—serving as a practical Buddhist praxis for reconciliation and conflict transformation today.