To be Fair

Monk, Teacher, Architect and Medicine Man

This is 靜相法師 (Venerable Phra Samana Lakkhano). The villagers call him Samana Lak in short. Semana is monk in Thai language. It also means "the one who brings peace" in Thai.

Semana Lak is a Santi Asoke monk. There are various sect of Buddhism in Thailand. Santi Asoke is one of the sects. Asoke monks and their followers follow stricter code than other sects. Santi Asoke rejects sitting meditation in favour of work-based meditation. They preach "eat little, use little, work a lot and give the rest back to the society".

Santi Asoke monks and nuns eat only one meal a day, wear no shoes and sleep in a small hut with just a roof and four simple curtains as walls. Monks work together with the people in the farm, building houses, teaching the kids, preaching and some actively concerned themselves with the politics of the country.

In the eye of Thaksin government, Santi Asoke is considered as an anti-establishment as they have been extremely vocal in expressing their opinions about the government. Luckily Semana Lak is not involved in politics, or based on my best guess, no longer so.

Santi Asoke followers are from all walks of life but many are farmers. In Asoke farms, farming method is organic. Asoke followers believe in self-sufficiency and preservation of the systems we live in and that the land is to be respected and not to be tampered with chemicals. Santi Asoke preaches a fulfillment in life based not on material needs but merits from giving and contributing to the society. In shops operated by Asoke followers, you see two prices on the price tag, one is the cost price, the other the price to the consumer, as a proof that they follow the strict rule that profit should not be more than 15% .

posted by Vegie @ 8:17 PM