Description
Few monks in Thailand dare speak up against the clergy’s feudal dictatorship that breeds nepotism and corruption. Far fewer monks understand the modern challenges Thai Buddhism is facing and how to cope with them. These qualities make Phra Paisal Visalo one of a kind, yet there is more. He has been the leading Socially Engaged Buddhist monk in Thailand since the turn of the millennium because of an incredible range of talents and activities. Unlike some monks who ordain as children and remain ignorant of the world, Paisal was an activist in the democracy and student movements of the 1970s, coming under the direct tutelage of re-nowned Socially Engaged Buddhist Sulak Sivaraksa. After taking ordination in his late 20s, he trained under one of Thailand’s great Northeast meditation masters, thus developing a deep contemplative practice that many urban monks fail to receive. His teacher, Ven. Khamkhian Suvanno, was also known for his community development work, helping Paisal to round out a complete education in grassroots development work.
Paisal has since become a leading figure in numerous social activist projects from community development to environmental protection to non-violence training and, finally, end-of-life care. As a highly respected public intellectual, he has written a vast number of important articles and books on the problems with the present Thai monastic system and the role of religion in Thai civil society. In this way, we might regard him as the epitome of what it means to be a Socially Engaged Buddhist. This volume provides a full view of his talents and insights through his own words.