Abstract

                       This research of the Dhammādhipateyya (the supremacy of righteousness) as a tool for democracy development in Thai society are of three objectives namely:- 1) to analyze Dhammādhipateyya as one of the Buddhist teachings, 2) to analyze Buddhist Dhammādhipateyya in Buddhism whether it is a regime or a principle, and 3) to find out the way to apply the Dhammādhipateyya as the tool for democracy development in Thai society. From the research, it is found that Dhammādhipateyya in Buddhism is one of the three Adhipateyyas (supremacies) which principally emphasizes the Dhamma, encouraging people in goodnees. The Dhammādhipateyya with the political import is only one of the important qualities possessed by a good administrator. This research shows that there are three groups of the academic views on Dhammādhipateyya, namely the view that Dhammādhipateyya is the regime, the view that Dhammādhipateyya is the principle, and the view that Dhammādhipateyya can be both the regime and the principle. From the textual evidence in Buddhism and the conceptual frame of reference in political science, it can be summarily said that Dhammādhipateyya is the principle more than the regime. Lastly, Dhammādhipateyya can be applied as the tool to the democracy development in Thai societies in four ways, i.e., the tool of self-control, the tool of self-development, the tool of internal inspection, and the tool of external inspection.