PUBLIC WELFARE ADMINISTRATION DEVELOPMENT FOR SANGHA IN SUPHANBURI PROVINCE

Abstract

Objectives of this research were: 1. To study general context of public welfares management of Sangha Order in Supanburi Province, 2. To study process of public welfares management of Sangha Order in Supanburi Province and 3. To propose the public welfares management development of Sangha Order in Supanburi Province.

Methodology was the mixed methods: The qualitative research collected data from 20 key informants who were administrative monks, laity monastery managers, officers of the Office of Buddhism in Supanburi by interviewing with structured in-depth-interviewing scripts and from 12 participants in focus group discussion and analyzed data by contextual content analysis. The quantitative research collected data by survey method from 345 samples who were monks in Supanburi Province with questionnaires, analyzed data with statistics: frequency, percentile, mean and SD. 

Findings were as follows :

1. General context of public welfares management of Sangha Order in Supanburi were in 4 areas: 1) helpful assistance; Sangha Order in Supanburi carried out this function actively conforming with rules and regulations and got full support from the public because it was real benefit for the public, 2) helpful assistance others for public benefits; administrative monks understood and were soul leaders in communities, participating with state and private agencies in helping communities, 3) helpful assistance for public goods and public places; Sanga Order was good leaders and examples in leading villagers to help maintain and take car of monastery property and public goods in communities and 4) helpful assistance for people and animals; Sangha Order did not have official units for helping people in trouble, only units for specific purpose and time.
2. The process of public welfares management of Supanburi Sangha Order in line with PDCA was that, P, planning, Sangha Order officially appointed chairperson, vice-chairperson and committee to carry out this public welfares by regular meeting and assign administrative monks who were familiar with communities to carry out the task through District Training Units, D, do, Sangha Order should establish the public welfares units by itself that could be permanent of temporary, such as foundation or fund for helping the poor or those in crisis or coordination with state and private agency to create lawful career for local people, C, check, Sangha Order should have measurement to check the public welfare activities, to find out any problems in communities and solve the problems, A, act, if problems found, there should be formal meeting among Sangha Order, government agency and villager representatives to formulate plan to solve problems.
3. Public welfares management development of Sangha Order in Supanburi Province in 4 areas: 1) helpful assistance ; the should be standardization of plan for helping public, assignment the rob for appropriate persons, opening opportunities for public to express their opinions and regularly assessment according to the plan. 2) helpful assistance others for public benefits; there should be abbots meeting to assign policy for helping people, coordination with villagers to look after public goods such public buildings, public facilities and keep them appropriately for community public use, 3) helpful assistance for public goods and public places; there should be internal auditors appointed by communities to check the transparency of the use of public goods, and restore the ancient arts and crafts, 4) helpful assistance for people and animals; there should be plan to help people in line with government policy, guidance in daily life activities according to Buddhism and help those who were in trouble in natural disaster.