forestmat wrote:Nammasakarn Tahn Ajahn Gavesako,gavesako wrote:Interesting to follow the legal side of this case and study the way in which the Thai monastic law operates abroad:
Thai 'missionary' (dhammaduta) monks going abroad carry a special diplomatic passport, not an ordinary Thai passport, so they enjoy a different status ... as long as it lasts.
I don't believe Mr. Wirapol Sukphol (formerly known as Luang Pu Nen Kham) was ever granted the status of being a dhammaduta monk was he?
If one is an ordinary Thai monk wishing to go abroad, one has to go through a Dhammaduta exam and study some course and supposedly also be able to communicate in English. However, while this is true on paper, one Ajahn (Dhammayut) who was helping with the exams told me that from a class of about 80 monks, only 3 barely managed to answer a question in English...
If one already has some title or rank, however, one will be able to get permission to travel abroad quite easily because the civil and monastic authorities very much go by ranks. Monks from well-known and wealthy temples in Bangkok can tour the world supposedly on a 'religious mission' but doing nothing more than perhaps presiding over some ceremonies or house blessings.
There seems to be an exception made for certain forest monks who are seen as a special sub-group of the Thai Sangha (araññavasi) and are expected to be well-trained and have knowledge gained from meditation rather than from the classroom. LP Nenkham styled himself in this light, claiming to be part of the Ajahn Mun/Ajahn Sao lineage, while at the same time bribing (if that is the right word) the important monks who would be granting him permissions.