Abstract

             This research is of the three main objective as follows : i) to study the history of  the Rāmañña Nikāya.  ii) To Study the history of the Rāmaña Nikāya in Thailand, and iii) To Study the development the Rāmañña Nikāya in Thailand.

 From the research , it is fount that in Thailand, the Buddhist monks consist of many Nikāyas (sects) but one Nikāya which is prominent and is accepted that the monks of this Nikāya behaved themselves austerely and followed the Dhamma and the Vinaya strictly, is Rāmañña Nikāya. This Nikāya has embraced Buddhism since Phra Moggalliputra  Thera had  presided  over the 3^rd  Sanํgāyanā  (general convocation of the Sanํgha) in order to settle the questions of doctrines and to fix the texts of the Scriptures in B.E. 218. After this Sanํgāyanā, two monks named Phra Sona Thera and Phra Uttara Thera together with five monks were sent to Suwannabhūmi  for propagating Buddhism at this land which was called Suwannabhūmi. Later on, Samanavamsa of Rāmañña Land had declined because of the crises and the damages from enemies causing the separation of Sanํgha (the Order) into many Nikāyas.

              When King Dhamma Jedi ascended the throne in Hangsāvadī in B.E. 2015, he initiated to revive  Buddhism and assembled the Sanํgha to be one Nikāya. The King graciously allowed these monks  to be ordained as Mahā Nikāya in Sri Lanํkā in order to form the Pure Rāmañña Nikāya and then returned home to ordain the others until there was only Mahāvamsa in Rāmañña land.

              Rāmmañña Nikāya had been propagated in Thailand since Sukhothai Period. The  Thai monks travelled to Mon Kingdom to be re-ordained in Rāmañña Nikāya and they studied Dhamma and Vinaya in that Kingdom until obtaining more knowledge before returning to spread Buddhism according to the method of Rāmañña Nikāya.

              The administration of Rāmañña Sanํgha in Ayutthayā Kingdom had been separated from Thai Sanํgha which was administered by the Chief Superintendent of the Ecclesiastics and the Royal Chapter of monks working as their assistants.  For education, the Mon monks mainly studied Vinaya, so they had the examination only of Vinaya Pitaka scripture  which   previously  had  only  Pāli  Grade 3  and afterwards  increased  to  be  Pāli  Grade 4. Later, Somdej Phramahā Samanachao Kromphrayavajirayanavaroros had improved the study of Thai  Sanํgha  by changing  such the  method  to be  instead of  the  written  examination Rā mañña monks  which included that of  Rāmañña as well. The King graciously allowed the to abolish the general Dhamma studies concerning the method of learning and examination of Rāmañña Nikāya by following the current Thai method instead up go the present time.

             Rāmañña monks had practised Dhamma and Vinaya austerely since the former time on their activities and recitations conformed to the way that was used to practise in the period of Rāmañña Kingdom that caused Somdej Chao Fa Mongkut while he was in monkhood to make the improvement by establishing Dhammayuttika Nikāya, praising Rāmañña Nikāya as his “teacher”.

              One of the important traditions of ancient Rāmañña Nikāya which was continued from the past, is the Phraparit to recitation of Rāmañña Nikāya to be the recitation for preventing  and protecting disasters on every Buddhist Day. Four Phraparita Rāmañña monks had been reciting the  Phraparita and making the holy water at the weaponry house in the Royal Palace up to the present day.