The Establishment and Dissemination of the Dhammayuttika Nikaya in Nakhon Phanom Province

Abstract

This academic article aims to study the emergence and expansion of the Dhammayuttika Nikaya in Nakhon Phanom Province, as well as to analyze the factors that contributed to its firm establishment in the area. The Dhammayuttika Nikaya was founded by Vachirayan Bhikkhu (King Rama IV), who reorganized monastic education and disciplinary practices, creating a standardized system. This led to the spread of the sect to various regions, especially northeastern Thailand, through key meditation masters such as Phra Achan Sao Kantasilo and Phra Achan Mun Bhuridatta. Their efforts significantly revived rigorous meditation practice and monastic discipline. At the time, Nakhon Phanom had yet to establish a Dhammayuttika presence, and local monastic practices remained lax under the influence of traditional Lao customs. With the support of local leadership-particularly Phraya Sunthorn Thepphakitjalak, the provincial governor-monks of good conduct were selected to study under the guidance of the meditation masters. Around 1906 (B.E. 2449), they introduced Dhammayuttika practices into the province. This establishment not only introduced a new model of monastic discipline but also aligned the local religious structure with the modern state’s monastic administrative policies. Through the support of local leaders and the network of meditation monks, Nakhon Phanom became a significant link between the Dhammayuttika Nikaya's central institutions and the Lao borderlands, influencing religion, governance, education, and state–religion relations in the region.