Thailand Launches Meditation Programme to Build National Virtue
Thailand's Department of Religious Affairs launched a national meditation programme at Sri Ratna Dhamma Temple in Samut Prakan to promote morality and ethics, offering tailored activities for different age groups and communities nationwide.
Senior Buddhist monk Somphon Jitasoponong, chief abbot of Samut Prakan province, and Chaipon Sukiam, director-general of the Department of Religious Affairs, jointly led the opening ceremony of a meditation promotion activity under the 2569 Fiscal Year programme to foster morality and ethics nationwide. The event, held recently at Sri Ratna Dhamma Temple in Bang Phli district, Samut Prakan, brought together government staff, cultural office personnel, network partners, and approximately 350 lay practitioners. The Department of Religious Affairs is collaborating with Buddhist monasteries, state agencies, the private sector, and partner organisations to deliver diverse meditation learning and practice activities tailored to different communities and age groups, including Global Meditation Connect and moral meditation for life balance programmes, as well as mobile dharma initiatives designed for children and youth at different developmental stages. Sri Ratna Dhamma Temple in Samut Prakan was selected for its serene and suitable environment, with adequate facilities and resources to accommodate participants systematically. Key activities during the event included chanting and meditation sessions, dharma teachings by the chief abbot on applying Buddhist principles to daily life, a meditation promotion exhibition tour, and ritual veneration of sacred objects within the temple. The meditation promotion activities form part of the Thai government and Culture Ministry's policy to develop people and society through religious and cultural dimensions, positioning Thailand as an international meditation practice centre. Thailand currently has over 2,800 meditation centres and dharma practice sites nationwide, with both Thai and foreign participants engaging continuously. The Department of Religious Affairs has partnered with network organisations to create a meditation hub website at https://e-service.dra.go.th/meditation_hub/ to facilitate access to meditation centre information.
