Living on the Rim: Ecology and Forest Monks in Northeast Thailand Author(s): J.L. Taylor Reviewed work(s): Source: Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia, Vol. 6, No. 1 (FEBRUARY 1991), pp. 106-125 Published by: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41056814 . Accessed: 24/01/2012 23:15 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia. http://www.jstor.org
Living on the Rim: Ecology and Forest Monks in Northeast ThailandAuthor(s): J.L. TaylorReviewed work(s):Source: Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia, Vol. 6, No. 1 (FEBRUARY 1991), pp.106-125Published by: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41056814 .
Accessed: 24/01/2012 23:15
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].
Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend
access to Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia.
Livingon theRim:Ecology and Forest MonksinNortheastThailand
J.L.Taylor
With he apidly isappearingrimaryorestsnThailand Lao-speaking rovinces, ome reclusive orestmonks ave beenteaching illagersractical,moral,ndenvironmentallyriendlystrategies orsurvival.Historically,heextensionf "Thai-isation"and n urbanizedisionf rogressnddevelopment,edto he nbridledlearingf heseotentiallyostile,patternless"places. t shere,nthe im f ocial rder,hat sceticmonks avelongwanderedndeventuallyettlednpeacefuloexistenceithnature. ware f he onsequencesfdeforestationo thewidercommunityndto heir wn radition,he orestmonasterynd tsmonasticnmates avebecome n recent ears vitalmeans fprotectinghe emainingrontierorests. his aper ooks irstlyat the osmologica!,ocial,andpolitical mplicationsf orestmonks,he tate,ndthe nvironment;nd econdly,case-studyofhowoneforestmonkddressed hese roblems,onstructedaround rthodoxuddhisteachings.
For s theeopardyhis urkingin he orest]eizes easts,oalsowill theBuddha's son,with nsight ifted,trenuousyhisreturningo theforest eize thehighest ruitsaintship]. . .(Buddhagosa 975, p.157-58)
Introduction
In thefar rovincesf northeasthailandhe liminationfprimaryforestsoupledwith raditionalettlementatternsnd ulturalracticeshas ong eached he oint fnoreturnUhlig 987).1 his cenario as
been connectedwiththedevelopment f the national conomy
348), definederritoriality.n thefrontier,he extensification"rexpansionf and nder ultivationeantncreasinggriculturalutputwithminimumuss or he tate,othe etrimentf henation's orests(Hirsch 989, .37).
wandered ndeventuallyettled.2eingontherim f socialorder,forest onks,s inthe ermor orestpaa),carriedonnotationsf he"untamed"nd uncivilized".3he word aa is sometimesinkedwitha similar ord f Khmer rigin,heuan,mplyingwild"or"illegal"(Haas 1964,p. 221),and has beenused nrecentriticismsf urbanBuddhistults unctioningutside he stablishmentJackson989, .164) - as withwanderingmonks uringheearlydecades of thetwentiethentury.
The Forest nd ForestMonksThenation's orestsre een s hostileocentralizedontrol,isordered,remote,nd nimicalonationalecurityndwell-being.neffect,heyare he antithesisf he ocial nd itualrder f ivilization"O'Connor1980, .33)and likelyhreato hemeuang-urban) ominatedolity(Keyes1989,p. 138,n. 16). In thewords fMaryDouglas 1966),disorderspoilspattern",hat s the rdered rpatternedocietys awhole; utdisorderlso mpliesunlimited"otentialityor reativityanddevelopment,ymbolizingoth dangerndpower"ibid., . 94).
humanrogressn ermsf heirand eingwell leared" or roductiveagriculture.n real terms, forest learingand accessibility sdevelopmentrovidesn importantinkbetween eforestationnddevelopment"Hirsch .d., p.6-7).
Richard avis 1974)remarkedn thenegativettributesssociatedwith orestsnthenorth,uch scontrabandrticles,ndisciplinednd
immoraleople; nd hat o"'go tothe orest'means,nadditiono tsliteralense,odefecater o ntercemetery".heforests the omainofwildanimals, emons, pirits,nd uncivilized ribal eople.AsBrodrickn.d.)observednhis travelsnLaos in 1939,thepeoplebelieved here re numberlessemons fthewoods ndtheguardiangenii f hewild Theforestsrefearsomelaces ndbest voided".Nor s thereny ense fnaturaleautynforests,s all"beautyies nhuman ettlements"ibid., . 13). naddition,he osmologica!ayoutof"patterned"umanettlementsorrespondso a hierarchyn which
beautynd ivilizationlows ownwardsromhe owns o he illages.At ach tagen his ownwardrocess,o he amletst he ery ringeofthe orest,ivilizationlosessome f ts uster"ibid., . 14). n theancient edas, oreststhe ranyd)were he piritualgaps"situatedbetweenentresfhumanettlementMalamoud978). hesewere itesfor he ispersedgglomeratedupillagesnd ndividualisticanderinghermits,ovingetweenhe arious anctifiedandpurified)entres.
Anothermportantonsiderationo thenegativityssociatedwithforestss the eed or omesticatedan obe with he familiar"Tuan1988),with insfolknd"cleared ields". uringhe arly wentieth
centuryorestmonkswanderinground he ountrysideereoftenreceivedwithfear ndhostility,een as intimidatinghesecure,circumscriptiveamiliarityf he illage. trangersroutsiders ay egenerallyerceivedspotentiallyangerousources fpoweratentn
individualityndtheunknownin a Nietzscheanense) ncontra-distinctiono heiromplementaryppositeinsiders",hich s Mulder(1985, .46)has aid,mpliessafety".opulareligiouseliefseinforcethisbasic binary onceptionn an attempto create n enduringorderlinessut fthe urroundingemporalisorder.xtendinghis o
theforest, e see that utside he ulturallyamiliar luster fkin,
It s well-knownhat orest onks ndwild nimals reable to co-exist ongenially,s inthepopular ataka ales ndtheparadigmaticmodem extualizedife ccountsfforest onkswhich ave roliferated
In Tuan's thinking,strangers"nd "forests" re of the samepotentiallyostileategory,ituatedutside he urlieufthe knownworld". hese re he marginal"nterstices,nd s such llprecautionsmust e takenyvillagersoprotecthemselvesromheirikelyangers;similarly,ith person egardeds"polluting"ho mergesromhese
patternlesslaceswhich orm ritualivideDouglas1966, p.96-97).There s also anunpredictableource fpowern"inarticulatereas,margins,onfusedines,ndbeyondhe xternaloundaries"ibid., .98) which s manifestednindividualsas potency rcapability)occupyinghis estrictedpace.
Worldlyeings eed o urroundhemselvesith rderedamiliarity,tobe incontrolnd bletomake ense fcosmic rder. hus, s Tuanremarks,he urposefcivilizations tomake the arthnd ll thatson t seem]ess hreatening,oreupportive,ndmore redictable,ndmore amiliar"1988, .23).Thatwhichsoutside rderedocietys wehave een ssomehowaw, angerous,ndunpredictable.orestmonksare able to maintainpurity"withinhismarginalnddisorderlyambience ue to thespatial ndconceptual emarcation etweenobjectifiedanctityndprofanity.his involves n unambiguousseparationnddistance rommundaneness,ith tsdefilementsnduntamedensuality.ndomesticateduddhismwe can see that hesiimaarituallyanctifiedrea) learly erformshis elimitingunction,withinhe patterned"otalityfthevillagenterms f ts patialndsocial rganization.ut nthe ase of forest onkswith lessclearly
"marker"eems o relatemore o the mbience fthe ocaleandtheirparticularrainingules winai)and asceticpractices. heserules(pertainingothe ntegralityf the angha)arehighly ersonalized,individuallynd ollectively,monghe mall loisteredommunity,ndare not o evidentmongvillagemonksmore ttuned o socializedcalendricalituals.
Being ut f he rdinary,hesepecialndividualsble o oexist iththewild and untamedmusthave spirituallyranscendedthroughpersonal onquest) heir wn mental efilements the disorderedregions f themind" Douglas 1966,p. 95). With hepresence f"worldlyenouncers"he orest abitatecomes anctifiedthoughtillpotentiallyarmful)nd ts ymbolicowers ossess,nTuan'swords,"an aura fmysteryndhint f he xistencef he uperhumanrofgrace eyondhe ood s ordinarilyonceived"1988,p. 19).
resemblinghat escribedyelderlynformantsndbiographicalextsofAjaanMan'searly isciplesnthe re- ndpost-war ears re mallpocketsottedere nd herenthe till elativelyessaccessible artsofthe ountryside.he forestmonasteryndcremationroundspaachad) renormallyhe nly orestedreasncloseproximityovillages.As oneforest onkuccinctlyemarked,essthanwentyears gotheforest onks' wellings ere he nly leared art f he rimalorest;however,oday heforestmonasterys the nlyforestnthe learedsurroundingountryside.resently,n area nearKhoraatwhere heaforementionedjaanManspentimemonghe unearthlyeautyf
the orest"nd urroundingountainith reputationor arbouringtigers,onsists f bald-headed ountains"MahaaBua 1982, . 106).These bald-headed ountains"tartedo ppearince he 950s ue othe emandor ivestockeedn heworldmarketnd esponsey and-hungryortheasternettlersrowingrylandropsnthe orestedartsof heKhoraatlateau hich ithertoadnot een ouchedUhlig 984,p. 125).
The forest-dwellingonksmay playa vital, anctifying,ndprotectiveolen he emainingorests. fewwell-knownoresteachers
ECOLOGY AND FOREST MONKS IN NORTHEASTTHAILAND 1 1 1
villagershe mportancefconservinghe nvironment.an's thirdgenerationupils jaann Wat aa KhamNoi,Udornthaanii)ndAjaanThuiWatDongSiiChomphuu,orngkhaai,iscussedelow) re wosuchmonks.Ajaan nwentwanderingn solatedNamSomdistrict(Udorn rovince)ome leven ears goandwaseventuallynvitedyvillagerso settle ndestablishsamnakofficiallynregisteredon-
astery)n forest km. romhe mall ived illage fBaanNaaKhamNoi.Ajaan nsaidthatwhen e first ent n binthabaatalms-round)wildelephants ouldfollowhim nd before eentered hevillagedisappearnto hedenseforest. ow,a little ver decade ater,heforestsavegone longwith he lephants.ew rice ands nduplandcashcrops maizeand cassavagardens) ominate hecountryside.Seemingly,adthe amnak ot een stablished,ven tsforest ouldhavegonen he nsuingenudationy llegal oggersndnew ettlers.
Manyof thenewer orestmonasteriesre ocated nand around
governmentorest eservepaa sanguan) houghhe erm s a mis-nomer,soften,xceptor he orest onasterytself,herere ew rees.Much eems odepend n the nterestnddeterminationf the orestteacher s to how muchsurroundingorest e can protect romencroachment.ut nmany ases externalevelopmentsave implyfollowedourse,nd he ilemmaacingsceticmonkss the xtentfactive articipationncommunitynd nvironmentalssues. he case-study elow howshow a foresteacher ad to take n active ole necosystemnd environmental anagement hilesimultaneouslymaintaininghemonasticraditionDhammaVinaya) f hemeditativerecluse.A survey ffifty-eightorestmonasterieshroughouthenortheast,hoseineagesmay e tracedoAjaanMan, howed hatherewasunequivocaloncernnd ncreasingwarenessmong orest onksformaintainingheprimitiveabitat,et onsiderableariationntheextentf"worldly"nvolvementncurtailinghedestructionfnativeforests.hereweremanyorest onks,uringhe ettlementhasetheestablishmentfpermanentorest onasteries)aterntheir ves,whoineffectuallyatchedhe oresteing learedroundhem,ometimesrightpto themonks'huts hemselves. he nowailingAjaanThet
ThetsarangsiiWatHinMaakPeng,Norngkhaai)as one suchmonk;
themonasteryowhasonly small atchf econdaryorest,ithmuchof his eplantedith on-nativeines nd ucalypti.
The ateAjaanWanUtamo'smonasterynSorngdaoistrict,akonNakhornrovince,onsistsf groupingf hreeeparateamnak n alargemountainoresteservecalledPhuuLek or the ronMountain)some km. rom henearestillage. hepresent onastic eadhad o
seek ssistanceromhe orngdaoistrict fficend nfluentialatrons(yom patthaak)opreventhe enudationfthe urroundingorest.twasfoundhat ome illagers ere uttingimberomake ouseswhichwere hen oldto a dealern thenearest ownrepresentingusinessinterestsnBangkok) hoboughthe ompletedouses nddismantledthe imber.his trategyent n for ears,ndmanagedocircumventthe estrictionnthe ommercialxtractionfvaluable imbersromhenation's rotectedorests.
Forestmonksonsideredillagerso be thegreatestangero their
monastery,heyre ittleble o ffecthangeso he illageway f ife- nor omprehendhe omplexitiesnvolved. s anaddedproblem,many orestmonasteriesrelocated n mountainousreas wheredeforestationnsurroundinglopeshas caused evererreversibleoilnutrientossthroughater rosion. hegroundovernmany lacesconsistsf nsidiousrasses,uch sPennisetumolystachionhichhevillagersall"commmunistrass"yaakormmiwnit),seless ndhardtocontrol.
On a political imension,orestsre associatedwith egativendpotentiallyangerousnd llicit ategories,uch s insurgency.ut
despiteesidingt the uzzyntersticesfthe ountrynhabiteduringthe1960sand 1970sbycommunistnsurgents,eformorestmonks(thosenthe ineofAjaanMan)paradoxicallyerenot onsideredthreato he ation-state.ycomparison,uringhe 950snSriLanka,periphery-dwellingorestmonkswere accusedenmasseofbeingcommunistytheestablishmentlergyYalman 1962); thiswas
ECOLOGY AND FOREST MONKS IN NORTHEAST THAILAND 113
outside raditionalorms.nThailand,s inthe ase ofAjaanMan andhisfirstupils, henmovingnthe utside here asalways he angerofbeing een as political ctivistspposed o the tate'spower ndauthority. oving ntherim ndsharingommon oundaries ithcommunistnsurgents,othntheirwnways re xpressingradicalcritiquef he ocial rder. owever, ith orest onks he ecisiono
in the ower fpersuasiono solve his roblemnless he eople anfirstccept he esult ftheir ctions. lowly,ndividualsill ome ocomprehendhe ause ofsufferingthuk) o themselvesnd othersthroughgnorancendhabitual,on-adaptiveehaviour.hui aid hatin ess han ifteeenearshe orestaddisappearednd s a consequencethe eoplewere implykillinghemselves"khaa uaeng).
The forestsvital or he ivelihoodndwell-beingfthe illagers,as well spractisingsceticmonks theatter,imilaro hendigenousflora nd auna,n sense lsofacingxtinction.espitehe act hat hesurroundingrea onsistsfforesteserve,hererenow nly few alltreestandingith assava ardensightpto hemonasteryalls. huioftenalkso he illagers hen heyome o eehim boutongerermproblemselatingohabitual orestlearing.When huifirstrrivedtwas selective elling ycommercialoggers f valuablehardwoods,especially osewoodmaiphayung),ollowed losebehind ytotal
clearingor ice ieldsnd ash rops.Thui irstrrivedrom akonNakhornn1969 opractise editationin n solatedite alled he Pink orest"Dong iiChomphuu).e hadbeenordainedn the tricthammayutrderndwasa pupil fAjaanBua SiripunyoWatPaa Norng aeng,Udornthaaniirovince) ornineteenears ndthen,fter isdeath,AjaanKhaoAnaalayoWatThamKlongPhen,Udornthaaniirovince).oth hese eachers erewidely egardeds "saints".Morerecently,fter hao' death, huicameunderhe upillagef he resentineage ead,AjaanMahaaBua
YaanasampannoWatPaa BaanTaat,Udornthaaniirovince).Around he ime hat hui stablishedismonastery,hevillage f
BaanNaa Khaam km. waywas ettledymigrantsrom ore enselypopulatedreasnUbon, oiEt,Mahaasaarakhaam,aalasin,ndKhornKaen.A shortimeater newly ived illage fBaanSaengArunwasestablishedkm.from he orest onastery.hereweremany eaths
bringingnonemonk romutside.uringhe hree-monthains etreat(phansaa)of1988, herewerefifteen onks ndnovices, ut nthemonthsutside f he eriodfretreat,here ere etween netothreemonks. his s a reflectionf hemportanceiven o he raditionaliteofpassage,hatsordination,orraw"khon ip)young oys uringheretreat.heMahaanikaai onasteryook hemportantunctions a local
"ripening round" oryoungboysfrom number fnewlyhivedsurroundingillagers.nconstrast,hui, s with therorest onksntheAjaanMan lineage,wouldnot ccept raditionaltransitional"ordinationthismonastery.
Inthe arly ays, huiwent n alms-roundsoBaanNaa Khaam ndanothermaller earbyillage, aanKlorng hem. aanSaengArun,about1 km.away,which odayprovidesmostof theday-to-daypatronage,adnotyet een stablished.heforest onasterytartedoattractutsidenterestnly ince he arly 980s.n1987 hemonastery
received ts royal" emporaryonsecrationwisung haamasiimaa)consistingfeight oundarymarkers0 by40 metres round hecommunalall saalaa)wherehe anctifiedcts f he angha annowbeperformed.hui'spurposenhavinghe iimaawas topermitheperformancefhigherrdinationsromime otime,with visitingpreceptor rom henewlyestablishednearbyThammayutownmonasterynSo Phisai istrict.reviously,andidatesor rdinationadtogotoeither orngkhaairBeungkaanome 0 km. way.AlthoughThuinowhas a siimaa, e sneverthelessery trictndhas setdownfirmuidelinesor rospectiverdinands,ontrastingith he asieradmissionoordinationnvillagemonasteries.
and resultant ttention n matters uchas road repairs,bridgemaintenance,rgeneral illage oncerns.
Themonks tWatDongSiiChomphuuomefrommany rovinces:onefrom anthaburii,ix from henortheastonly ne monk nd onenovice rom aanSaengArun),nemonk rom ampuchea,nefromChiangMai a formerlectricalngineernd hirdn eniority),nd ne
fromnglandthe econdnseniority)ith ineteenains etreatsn1989.5 heremaining onks ome from he entral rovinces.hisdiversityfwell-educatedonasticnmateseflectshui's electivityand s commonmongmost orest onasteriesnderpunctiliousorestteacher. irsch 1967,p. 148) earlier oted hisfeature ta forestmonasterystablishedn1940/41ndonatedand ear Phuuthaiillagein Nakhornhanom,omparedwith hehomogeneityf thevillagemonastery.n Kirsch'surveynly wo ut f ixmonks amefromhelocalvillage, ith womonks ho ame rombon,nd nefromakon
Nakhorn.s snormallyhe ase, he wonovicesthisforest onasterycame romhe earby illage. sexpected, ost f he esidentnmatesat WatDong Sii Chomphuu eemedbetternformed bouttheenvironmentndthe onsequencesfextensive eforestationhan he
villagemonks.The area roundhemonasteryas underurveillancenthe1970s
and lassifieds a potentialommunisttrongholdr pinkrea" khetsii chomphuu).At that ime t was assumed thatwhenthe trees
disappeared,owould ny ikelynsurgentsnd he ebilitatingevers,thus reakingew"patterned"roundor ational evelopment.ne
teacherbviouslyadgreatranscendenteritowersbaaramii).Thui alked bout he orestsndwildlifenSo Phisai ndPaakhaat
districtshen efirstrrivednd aid hat efeared ears hemost. neofhisdisciples ecountedhatAjaanMan,whenwalkinghroughheforest,ouldmake whistlingound owarn ears fhis pproach.huisaid hat ears, nlikeigers,f ncountereduddenlyill endo ttack
ratherhan urnnd un. heforestanopy here hui ventuallyettledwas sodense,nd he roundodamp hat he nly lacehe could ighta fire as n small learingn arockyutcrop.hiswaswhere ebuiltthe irstmall ommunityall saalaa).
Thepast wodecadeshavebroughtboutmomentoushangeso acountrysideow argely eforested. n some of thegovernment'sclearedand, xperimentalubberreeswere ecentlylantednd t sthoughthat hesewould e deallyuited o hemicro-climate.hui,ndforest onksikehim,ee treerops includingubberlantations
asmore eneficialhan assavagardens,houghhe inancialeturnsothe illagersre ongererm,hich reatesroblemsor n mpoverishedlocaleconomy.he modern orld s fast atchingpwith he solatedhamletfBaanSaengArun. his illagewasoneof he ast n he istricttoreceivelectricity,hichwas nthe rocessf nstallationuringhetime fmymanyvisits.Thui had forewarnedhevillagers f theconsequencesofchangesto their ife-stylewith lectrification,particularlyn increased financialburdenon thecommunity.Neverthelessvery ouseholdnterviewedawcolour elevisions apriority,fonly for he hildren".
Thui lso criticizeshe resentendencyowardsommercializationofreligion, speciallywhatheregards s the rtifice ndpoliticalmachinationsfurban eligiousmovementslthoughe s careful ottomentionny f hese yname. ikemany ortheasternorest onksThui does not ikegoingto thecapital, r theprovincial ownofNorngkhaainless t s essential.He willnotpermit imself o bephotographed,nlesswith rior ermissionnd hennlynthe ontextof n orthodoxangha itual. ewillnot esitateo urnway tourists"seeking nly ucky umbersrreligiousrtefactsuch s amulets. hui
waswary fpersonalhotographshichould ndupbeing old nthe
one) n "low"position.s anovice, huiwastaughthe acred hmerKhorm ndLao aksornham,nowledge hich asbecome edundanttoday comparehiswith ambiah's 1970,pp.119-21]village tudyover wenty-fiveearsgowhen ksorn ham as stillctivelyaughtnthenortheast).nfact puntil he wentiethenturyeformsnd theprince-monk achirayaan'sevision f Pali and Dhamma tudies,Khorm asstillaughtn he ortheast.huiwasalso aughthemysticalyan sacredmarkings)nd khaathaa6whenhe wasyoung ut aterdiscarded his raditionalearning orreformrthopraxynd the
meditativeifenthemode fhisteachern theThammayutrder.Themany rominentayvisitorsndsupportersf themonasteryreflectts litisttatusnthe ocalitynd nclude enior ublic evants,the ocal police chief, ometeachers,wealthy raders,medicalpractitioners,nd o on. Butvillagerslso seethe eacherrom ime otime nd speciallyt annual ormativeuddhist estivities.hese rethecommemorationf the pontaneousssembly f theBuddha'sarabandisciplesMaakhabuuchaa); he ommemorationfthebirth,enlightenment,nddeath ftheBuddhaWisaakha uuchaa); ndtheday f nteringnd he ay f eavinghe ains etreatwankhao hansaaandwan orkphansaà), Thui makesan effort o cultivate goodrelationshipith heocalheadman, homigratedrom horn aen nthe arly 970s,with reputationor eing n articulatendskilledorganizer.nBuddhistestivitieshen illagersrepermittedocometo themonasterynmasse, huimay ake he pportunityo deliversermonn rightiving"nharmonyith he nvironment,ncludinghechildren hohe believes hould e betterbleto cometoterms ithenvironmentalroblemshanheirarents.
Inordero maintainhe enobiticalonfinementecessaryor he
perpetuationf he raditionalrimitiveifeways, hui egulatesimesduring hich isitorsmay nter heforestmonastery.illagerswith
Forestryepartmentoplant ative reesarrangedy he eachernthevillage,eeabove) nthirty-fourectaresf ontiguousforesteserve"previouslylearedy he illagers.n fact henormativetipulationhata "forest onastery"e at east1km. rom he erimeterf henearesthamlet asbeing hallenged ith henaturalrowthf he illage ndtheneedfor dditionalroductiveand.Thuifelt eneeded forested"buffer"etween hemonasteryndthevillage. hui ften ommentsonwhathe seesas thenowwidespreadestructivelimacterichaseconfrontingorest onasteriesndthedeclinenthenumberf active
forest onkseachingeformedisciplinendmeditation.Inthe ast ecade,s the ew emainingirstenerationupils fManbecome oo old toteach, huihas become hefocus f ntenseliteinterestnorthodoxeligion.espitehe acthat ehasreceivedgreatdeal offinancialupport,specially ornewbuildings,e hasfirmlycontrolledrowthnside hemonastery.he impleimber onks' uts,storagehed, aalaa, the mallmae chii female scetics r"nuns")sectionconsistingf three eparate uti ndkitchen)retheonlybuildingsnthemonastery.
criticisms he s called "fierceerson"rkhon u but he eachersaid his idnotworryim rovidedheythe illagers)an t east earnfrom heirmistakes.
Thuifeels hat he illagersreby nd arge hort-sightednrespectofplanningor he utureo mprovehe ualityf heirives.He likensit oa hand-to-mouthxistence ith othoughtfthe onsequences,
perpetuatingondition fpersonalhardship,motivatedn certaincircumstancesy habit" rnisai, word e usesoftennthis ontext.Hegives numberfexampleso llustratehis.Nowadayshe eopledonothaveenoughwood to burn heir ead andcometotheforestmonasteryo seek ssistanceobuy ncreasinglyostlyharcoal.fthevillagers ant ocatch squirrelnside he ollow f tree,heymokeitout, ftenettingire othe urroundingush. n another,erhapsradical,xample esays hat nce villager antedo at certain indof eaf n treenside he orest,ut ecause heeaveswere ut f each,
hesimplyut he ree own.Thui emarkedhatmost eople hinkhat he illagemaintainsndsupportshe orest onastery;ut oday,f nything,he orest onasterysupportshe illage. hepeople re o concerned ithkeingut livingthathey ave ittleime rresidual unds or upportinghemonastery.In the ast, eoplewere lsopoor, ut t east hey ad bundantaturalresourcesvailable n theforest.ntheirnsistencenimitatinghemeuang orld ndmodernization,hui aid hathey eed oreflectnhow heyanmaintainhesehingsndwhethert s useful or hemnthe ong un.Noneofthevillagersave regularncome ndoutside
seasonalworks nowmore ifficulto obtain.ndeed, omevillagersdependnworkn heMiddle astbutnow his s alsoharderoobtain,less ucrativehanomeyears go, ndwithmanyraudulentgents.he
problemsonfrontingaanSaenArun renot xceptional,nd n widersense heyre reflectivefmassive hangesmpingingnThai-Lao
villages ver he ast wodecades.
Conclusion
I have at some ength iscussedWatDong Sii Chomphuund its
responseodevelopmentndecology etween he ocalvillage thepatternedocialdimension andthe orest onastery,ituatedt thepurlieusnd nterstices,nuntamednd otentiallyangerousimension.However, eitherosmological imensionhould e seen s separateenduringntities,ut s total nd nterdependentocial henomena. ithanawarenessf he cosystemnd hemportancef ustainableultural
practices,orest onksikeAjaanThuihave nrecentimes ecomevitalmeansofprotectingheremaining eripheralorests.n theirdiscourse ith he aity,he onstructionfmonasteryallscircum-scribingheforest,fficial anctificationf themonasterywithinalienableights),nd coterie f nfluentialatronsre some fthemeans o ensure erpetuationndmaintenanceftheforest,nd tsdependent onasticradition.
Notes
1 Presentlyn he ortheastt shard ofindmanyarge aang reeswhich retapped or heir il (Dipterocarpaceae);r arge hady rees alledHuuChaang"elephantar";TonKung Dipterocarpusuberculatus),largedeciduouseafy ree;Tabaek Lagerstroemialosreginae)r Makhaam(Tamarindusndica) mong thers.
InThailand enerally3-57per ent fnational orestover till xistedin1961 BoonchanaandThongchai983 nHirsch .d.;Uhlig 984, 987).Seventeenearsater nly 5per ent xisted, hilen1986 round 5-16
per ent orestover emainedHirsch .d.;Hirsch ndLohmann 989, .448).Officialiguresiven y heRoyal orestryepartmentive grosslyover-inflated9per ent. ecent ata hows he eriousnessf he roblem.At he resentate fdeforestationaround per ent er nnum)here illbe little orest over eft ythe nd of the enturyHirsch .d.,p. 2). InNakhorn aatchasiimaaKhoraat), 7.88percent f the otal rea wascovered yforestn1973,yetnineyearsater nly .17per ent emained(Uhlig1984).
3 O'Connor1978, . 141) orrectlyointedut he ccasionalmbiguityvertheword
aa (seeMcFarland
1944,p.521]andHaas
[1964,p. 317]for
rangefmeanings) hichmay mply nythingromnovergrownllotmenttodense ain orest.
Incontemporaryexts elatingo monks ndmonasteriesnd n a field-work ituationhe ermwatpaa did notnecessarilymply residenceorforest onksa point lso madebyGeorges ondominasn theLao case,personalommunication,987). omevillagend ownmonasteriesith his
prefixo heirame,with rwithoutrees ndmeditatingorest onks, ayoncehavebeen he esidenceor orest onks, hich ver period f imebecame bsorbedn the xpansionfhumanettlement.
Somedhutanga
monasteries ere ocated nforestedreas on theoutskirtsfBangkoksrecentlys20-30years goand renow onsumedin he rbanprawl.n northeasterneuangherere imilarxamples,WatPaaNonniwetwhereMan tayednhis eturnromhe orth)nUdorn;WatPaa SutthaawaatwhereMan died) in SakonNakhorn; ndWat PaaSaalawan et pbyMan'sright-handupil, jaan ing) nKhoraat.WatPaaNonniwetnly enyears gowas an extensiveremationroundndburialsite or hinese,Muslims ndChristians,urroundedyforest.oday hereis a primarychool, slaughterouse, hops, nd a new residentialreaaroundhemonasteryith he ewmain oad etweendorn ndNongkhaairunningast.
Inthe apitaltselfrowthasbeen mmensever he ast ew ecades;manyraditionaleri-urbanonasteriesuringhe hird ndFourtheignsarenow nthe entre fthemetropolis.'Connor1978,p. 145)saidthatwhen is lderlynformantspoke fforesturroundingonasteriesorthoftheold citywalls,therewas no differentiationetween eri-urbanmonasteriesndremoteorest onasteries.
4 A chiiphraams a womanwhoobserveshe ight receptsnd doesnotshave er ead; hus,t sbelieved,he s betterbletomaintainocial inkswithhe utsideworld.
5 Thenumberfrains etreatsrphansaawhich monk asundergones the
