On Saturday, February 13th 2016 the Thai-Japanese Association, under the patronage of the consulate general in Osaka and the Japan-Thailand friendship association arranged a discussion on the topic of ‘Why Thai Men Ordain?’ It was the 6th time a discussion session was organized and this time, instructors from Kyoto University, Gakushuin University, Osaka University, and representatives from the association of social workers and Japanese monks participated as panelists of the discussion, presenting their research and opinions. The consul general, Mr. Dusit Manapan, presided over the opening ceremony.
The contents of the discussion were: the difference between Buddhism in Thailand and in Japan, the reasons Thai men ordain, the possibility of ordination for women, the relationship between the ordained person and his family, the meaning of the word ‘monk’, the special state of monk whose gender was referred as monastic, not male or female, and whether it was a career or not, the expense of ordination, what was it for and by whom it was sponsored, the behaviors of a monk, and at the very end, they talked about the recent situation of Buddhism in Thailand and about a newly-founded religion, etc. This time, there were about 150 people, mostly Japanese, and some representatives from Wat Phra Dhammakaya Tokyo and Wat Phra Dhammakaya Osaka, who attended this discussion.
