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The Journal of the Royal Institute of Thailand Vol. 30 No. 3 Jul.-Sep. 2005 740 SPIRITUALITY IN ART : BUDDHIST VALUES IN THAILAND cannot be ordained as monks in Theravada Buddhism. This has provoked charges of discrimination against women in modern Thai society. Varangkhana Vonvijayane, once a Thai University professor, is now a “lady monk”. She faces many pressures from the Thai Buddhist monk organisation (sangha) ; her ordination was strongly opposed by this body. Her comment that it is not the religion that stops women from being monks but monks who created such an inequitable rule* raises questions about the way Buddhism has been altered by the followers of the religion, especially Thai monks and their established organisation (sangha) . That organisation has the highest authority in overseeing the legitimacy of the religion in Thailand. The sangha maintains the sover- eignty of the religion, a role that is supported by the king, the royal family and the government. In the case of Thailand the historical continuity of the institution of the sangha (monks or rahan) and its relationship to the Thai state up to present day has meant that Bud- dhist doctrines and practices in that country have retained an especially high degree of symbolic significance and relevance to political activities and debates (Jackson, 1993:64). Buddhism is symbolic of the sanctity of the nation. Thai people regard Buddhism as the way of righteousness and believe that the country’s solidarity and prosperity are directly related to the religion. At the same time, Thai people have the highest respect for the king who is the symbolic figure of the nation itself. The present king, King Bhumibhol Adulyadej, is a devotee of Buddhism; he once was ordained as a Buddhist monk for a period of three months. The king’s upholding of Buddhism greatly influences the religion. Ishii (1986) suggests that, in the Thai public view, “the magical power of sanctity” inherent in the king and in Buddhism “leads to the fusion of the two in the minds of the people”. The magical power of sanctity is not confined in the popular mind to the bounds of Buddhism. Among things sacred is, as pointed out ear- lier, the king, in whom sanctity is inherent; and the common sanctity of the king and Buddhism leads to the fusion of the two in the minds of the people. This bond of sanctity between them enhances the effective- ness of the combination of king and Buddhism as a nationalist symbol (Ishii, 1986:154). Buddhism has a direct input into the formation of the national and cultural identity of Thailand and is consequently the most significant spiritual symbol in the minds of the people. Among all things sacred, Bud- dhism is regarded as the most sacred to Thai Buddhists. They also see many superficial elements of Bud- dhism as sacred. Lester (1973) says that “to the Buddhists there is some- thing special in degree about a Bud- dha image, a monastery, and a Bud- dhist monk as much as all life is understood in terms of Buddhist values, everything is sacred”. Here Lester suggests that the Buddhist people in Thailand hold that all Buddhist elements, whether material or nonmaterial, have sacred power. For example, he mentions the Bud- dha image as one of the most sacred elements of Buddhism, receiving the highest respect. Devotees believe in the sacredness, and even magical power of such objects (see figure 5). This psychological effect, which often has a positive outcome, is an example of the spiritual strength the people gain from various elements of the religion. * She appeared on Australian television (ABC) at the end of October 2001 on being interviewed by the BBC. Figure 5 Amulet