”I studied pure, hard-core, theoretical economics and now I can say it’s all BS,” Sorayut said, sitting in his spartan hut on top of Pha Som hill. ”Western economics are leading us to a dead end. It was a mistake from the first equation they used – the optimization equation,” he said. ”Western economics is all about people being driven by greed.”

Sorayut was ordained as a monk eight years ago in New York, after graduating from Stanford University and working in the United States for two years, including a stint at the World Bank. Six years ago he moved to Samueang, a rustic district about 80 kilometers southwest of Chiang Mai, where he found his mission – the restoration of a centuries-old pagoda of the top of Pha Som hill.

Nearby villagers gave their time and free labor to renovate the ancient shrine, blackened by forest fires and long neglected. ”It was huge, especially for these people who are in a very bad situation financially,” Sorayut recalled. ”They are poor but they are much more generous than many rich people in the cities.”

In return, Sorayut started thinking of ways to assist the villages. He first built a small dam and weir system on a stream on Pha Som hill, helping to store water for the surrounding villages in the dry season. He then persuaded villagers to stop cutting down trees in the forests in an effort to retain water and reduce forest fires.

Finally, three years ago, he began preaching ”sufficiency economy” advocated by King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thailand’s revered 83-year-old king. Although much-politicized of late, the theory makes economic sense in impoverished rural areas where access to the market economy is difficult, Sorayut argued.

Often misunderstood as being anti-capitalist and anti-Western, sufficiency economy is somewhere between the market economy and socialism, following the Buddhist precept of learning to be content, he said. ”Sufficiency economy means trying to depend on yourself when possible,” Sorayut said. ”In the market economy money is everything, but in sufficiency economy, money is just one thing. Water, rice, and trees have value too, as does love and friendship. Generosity is more important than profit.”

In practice, sufficiency economy has meant persuading farmers in Samueang to grow their own food for consumption, instead of investing in strawberries and cabbages to supply merchants in Chiang Mai.

Many villagers have returned to rice farming, promoting their product as ”organic” since they use neither chemical fertilizers nor pesticides, and planting slow-growing but highly valued trees such a teak for their retirement plan.
The concept appears to be catching on, drawing followers from 20 villages around Doi Pha Som. ”Before I didn’t believe in sufficiency economy but now I see it works,” said Udon Sukho, a 50-year-old farmer. ”I used to have to borrow money all the time to grow cash crops. Now I’m debt free.”

Sorayut is arguably one of a new breed of Western-educated monks who are starting to make a social impact in Thailand. ”For the Western-educated Thais, this is a new trend that started about 10 years ago,” said Sulak Sivaraksa, a well-known Buddhist scholar and social critic. ”There are not many yet but I think the number is growing. There is hope.”

He has created such a popular following that older temple members believe he is a reincarnation of Kruba Siwichai. The original “engineer monk” died just before World War II having built many monasteries, temples, and the winding road from Chiang Mai to the top of Doi Suthep.
As an Abbot, now aged 32, Kruba Noi is not allowed to wear the University robes presented to him last month, so members of his temple have bought him a wardrobe so they may be kept smartly!
Copyright: Derrick Titmus
Photo Copyright: Angsiyanan Oumpin

‘Pattaya Daily News’ reported today that police say the monk, while dressed as a layman, would attract children from hilltribe villages and take them to Kaewman’s house in the city. There, Kaewman seduced them before introducing them to clients.

Police say that the monk’s handphone has images of Kaewman having sex with boys, 6 of whom were found in his house when he was arrested. Also found in the house was a baseball bat, electric prod and condoms.

Article contributed by David Hardcastle, Copyright David Hardcastle 2010

The monks are defiant, even to the point of saying “so, defrock us then!”, they are determined to remain at the rally and to serve as what they call a ”human shield”  between the protesters and the police.

In a recent letter to the Office of National Buddhism (ONB), the pro-red shirt monks attempted to justify their participation in the rally by saying their presence would serve as a warning to the government not to use force against the demonstrators.

But the monks are treading a fine line when they speak on stage at the UDD’s rallying point at the Phan Fa Bridge. Some were also seen riding pillion on red shirt motorcycles during the movement’s mass mobile rally through Bangkok last Saturday.

In late 2003 he fulfilled his dream of building a huge Buddha image in just 24 hours (‘Good Morning Chiangmai NEWS’ January 2004), now he has opened the temple’s own radio station which broadcasts on 88.50FM every day, and a plant for producing smokeless diesel fuel!

Oh, and there is a free English class for beginners every Sunday morning, organised by, yes, you guessed it, Two years ago Phra Ajaan was on his own at the temple, now there are 14 monks and novices, all eager to learn from him. He is self taught in English and everything else he does.

To produce what he terms “Bio-Diesel”, Phra Ajaan mixes ethanol alcohol and potassium hydroxide with the oil to produce his smokeless fuel.

He has used the fuel in his family’s car for 3 years to ensure it was effective and safe. If you go to see him at the temple he will gladly show you an experiment in which he dips one tissue in diesel fuel and another in his bio-diesel, then sets them both alight. The one soaked in diesel fuel burns with a terrible black smoke, the bio-diesel burns cleanly with no smoke.

There is now a fuel pump at the temple.  With the residue oil left after the filtering processes, Phra Ajaan uses it for cooking. Nothing is wasted!

You can hear English on his radio station from 9-10.00am every Sunday, one of my contributions to the temple, the other being English conversation for the monks afterwards.

Anyone coming here will love the place as much as I do, the surrounding countryside is breathtaking. Don’t expect a Wat Pratat Doi Suthep, but expect a lovely warm feeling at a very simple temple with this exceptional Abbott.
Take the Super Highway out of town, past the Big C Supermarket, and continue due south along the Lampang road (route 11). Some 30kms from Big C you will see a blue sign written in English: ‘Community Forest’. Do a U-turn here, drive past a small police station and turn left at another ‘Community Forest’ sign and follow your nose.

Copyright © Derrick Titmus, no reproduction without prior permission.