Thai monks disrobe all the time as a part of the normal course of things. Normally this is a result of life choices made by monks themselves, but sometimes disrobing is compelled. Monks are forced to disrobe ostensibly because they committed an infraction of the disciplinary codes of Buddhism, the Vinaya. However, in this paper we argue that this compelled disrobing is not so straightforward but the product of political efforts to remove a monk who is seen as an obstacle to achieving some sort of political goal or a threat to political power. Further we argue that the legal environment, with monks being governed by a sometimes confusing mix of religious and secular laws, makes possible the use of disrobing as a political tool.
目次
Abstract 113 Introduction 114 Political Disrobing 117 Monks Behaving Badly: drinking, driving,and forcible disrobing 124 Thai Law, Monastic Law,and Buddhism 129 Politics of Disrobing in Historical Context 137 Disrobing Buddha Issara, Four Years Later 144 Conclusion 148 Bibliography 150
