So what exactly is the Dharma Army?

As Chamlong is closely associated with the Santi Asoke Buddhist sect, it is not surprising that it is a core part of the Dharma Army, which is also the name of a foundation Chamlong chairs.

At the heart of the Dharma Army is a network of foundations and associations, including the Dharma Santi Foundation, Friends Help Friends Foundation and Asoke societies and communities nationwide.

Samana Bodhirak,  Santi Asoke’s founder, said yesterday the group only agreed to take part in the demonstration recently.

It was at the annual meeting of Asoke members that they had a chance to talk together, he said. It was agreed that the current political situation was something they could not ignore.

Samana Bodhirak declined to say exactly how many people he expected would join the rally. Whoever wanted to join was welcome,  he said, and recognised thatmany Asoke people might still have faith in Thaksin. “It was just the resolution of most of the administrators. Whoever wants to come, come. No problem,” he said.

Despite more than 100 network organisations around the country, Santi Asoke has never surveyed how many members it has, Samana Bodhirak said.

Similarly, Samana Chan, another key member of the sect, said the group didn’t know and did not want to know the number of people expected to join the rally.

Samana Bodhirak said Asoke people would join the rally when they finished work.

Samana Chan said bringing down the government and Thaksin were not the goal of the  demonstration. Asoke people, he said, wanted to illustrate the meaning of Dharma to society. When a leader didn’t follow the Dharma, he should get out.

“Santi Asoke loves Thaksin and has been like his relatives. He is quite interested in Dharma. He wants to know, but he doesn’t practice,” Samana Chan said.

Santi Asoke is a Buddhist sect that has different interpretations for many points of Buddhist disciplines. As a symbol of disapproval, Bodhirak returned his monk identification and declared independence from the Sangha Supreme Council in the 1970s. The group under his leadership then became a sect.

Santi Asoke is a society of self dependence, he said. Members consist of monks and Dharma-practising people. They also have educational and farming activities.

Political work, for Asoke people, means contributing to society, he said.Asoke people are vegetarian. The monks have only one meal a day, don’t touch money and wear maroon robes, which is different from ordinary monks.

Kornchanok Raksaseri

The Nation