The Buddhist clergy looks set to remain in limbo for the foreseeable future as controversy dogs several of the top contenders in line to become Thailand's most senior monk.
Somdet Phra Maha Ratchamangalacharn.
Speculation has been rife over who will be appointed to the top role since the previous supreme patriarch was cremated in a royally sponsored ceremony last month. Some Buddhists have been voicing discontent on social media against nominating any monks linked to the controversial Dhammakaya temple.
According to one source, many of the senior monks who are now candidates for the position have ties to Wat Dhammakaya, and it has sparked a wave of opposition to their promotion.
The most senior monk among the candidates is Somdet Phra Maha Ratchamangalacharn of the Maha Nikaya sect — the 90-year-old abbot of Wat Pak Nam Phasi Charoen who received the somdet title in 1995 and chairs the monastic committee. But he also mentored the controversial abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, Phra Dhammachayo, when he was ordained in 1969.
As a result of the squabble, the process to select the next supreme patriarch may have to be delayed until "a suitable time", according to observers. In the meantime, a special monastic committee will continue to carry out the duties of the supreme patriarch.
The selection process for the supreme patriarch is rooted in Thai Buddhist tradition, dating back to practices during the Sukhothai Kingdom over 700 years ago.
Since the founding of the Rattanakosin Era 233 years ago, the Thai Buddhist clergy has been ruled by 19 supreme patriarchs.
His Holiness the late Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara Somdet Phra Sangharaja was the 19th supreme patriarch of the Rattanakosin period. He died on Oct 24, 2013 at the age of 100.
Under absolute monarchy in the past, the king held the sole power to appoint a supreme patriarch. The monarch generally picked a much-revered senior monk who had mentored the king during his own monkhood.
The appointment of the supreme patriarch continues to rely on the king's approval, as Section 7 of the 1992 Sangha Act stipulates that His Majesty the King holds the power to select the supreme patriarch.
"The king appoints the supreme patriarch when the position of the supreme patriarch is vacant," the law says.
The Sangha Supreme Council will nominate one of the somdet phra racha khana, or top-ranking senior monks in the Thai monastic hierarchy with the title of somdet, and forward the nomination to the prime minister, who will then submit the name to His Majesty the King.
The nominated somdet phra racha khana is typically the most senior monk to receive the somdet title among the candidates, and the nomination must be endorsed by the Sangha Supreme Council, the clergy's governing body.
But even the most senior somdet phra racha khana will not be nominated if he is unable to fulfil the duties of supreme patriarch, because of reasons such as ill health. In such an event, the next most senior somdet phra racha khana will be nominated instead.
