ABSTRACT
In Thailand, with its resilient Buddhist culture such communities are best created and maintained by Buddhist monks, whose unbroken historical continuity provides them with an ideal opportunity for transforming Thai society from within. While many of the principles set out in what follows may be valid outside Thailand and among non-Buddhist Thai minorities, there appears to be a uniqueness about the potential role of the Thai Sangha as a vehicle of social change. This chapter reviews one such attempt in Thailand, where Buddhist monks are currently being trained in preventative medicine, primary health care, and procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of illness based on a combination of modern and indigenous techniques. The “medical geography” of rural Thailand is a complex mix of government health care and traditional practice. A typical amphur hospital may be staffed by three doctors, five nurses, three midwives, a sanitarian and a dentist. Mahachulalongkorn University is one of Thailand’s two universities exclusively for monks.
