Thailand is a Theravada Buddhism country that was officially founded around 1238. Prior to the founding of the country, there were already Buddhists studying Theravada Pali scriptures in Burma, Cambodia, and neighboring countries such as Lanna (located in present-day Chiang Mai and other northern Thailand, which was unified with Thailand after 1884).
(Thailand and neighboring countries)
The traditional learning system of Thai Pali Buddhist scriptures can be divided into four stages.
I. The 13th century
During this period, Thailand had its capital at Sukhothai (from Sanskrit: Sukhodaya), and Pali classes were held in the court and some monasteries, but the government did not prescribe a fixed method of study or examination. At that time, the textbooks used the Pali Bayeux script, written in Khmer or Lanna scripts, and most of the grammatical literature was based on the Kaccāyana-vyākaraṇa, which was mainly influenced by the Sanskrit grammar work Kātantra-vyākaraṇa. It is also supplemented by the Saddanīti (Treatise on Grammar).
(Pali Buddha Bayeux in Lanna script, similar in form to Burma)
II. 14th-18th centuries
This period began around 1350, when the capital of Thailand, Ayutthaya, or Ayuthyā, is also transliterated as Ayutthaya (from Sanskrit: Ayodhyā). The government has set up a Pali Buddhist examination system, which is divided into elementary, intermediate and advanced examinations.
The content of the study and examination: the primary level is the Sutra Collection, the intermediate level is the Vinaya Collection, and the advanced level is the Treatise on the Collection (Abhidharma).
Textbook: Pali Tibetan Bayleaf Sutra in Cambodian script. The grammar literature mainly uses the Kajayan grammar.
Candidates and examination room: Candidates are limited to monks. Examinations are held in the palace and are held every three years, with a limit of one grade at a time.
Exam Method: Interpretation. That is, the candidate chooses a book of Bayeux by drawing lots, and the examiner informs the examinee of a passage in Pali that needs to be translated, and the examinee interprets it into Thai and the examiner reviews it.
Passing requirements: There are three examiners. If the candidate makes a mistake, the examiner will give a hint. Candidates who are prompted more than three times will fail the exam.
(Pali Buddha Sutra in Khmer font)
III. The 19th century
The period began around 1809 with Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. The exam is divided into nine levels. Since beginners need to learn grammar in the first year and then practice translation in the second year, the same paper is used for both the first and second levels, and if you pass, you will reach the second level. The content of the study was changed to the Pali Tibetan Commentary. However, the Bayeux Sutra in Cambodian script is still used. The scope of study of the Buddhist scriptures for each level is as follows:
| level | Study of Buddhist scriptures | remark |
| Two | Dhammapada-aṭṭhakathā | Commentary on the Sutra of the Minor Parts of the Dharma Sutra, written by the 5th-century South Indian monk Buddhaghosa (Sanskrit: Buddhaghoṣa). |
| Three | The second volume of the Commentary on the Sutra of the Sentences | |
| Four | The Treatise on the Lamp of Auspiciousness (Maṅgalattha-dīpanī) | The commentary on the Sutra is the Lesser Blessing Sutra, written by the 16th-century Lanna monk Śrīmaṅgala (Śrīmaṅgala). |
| Five | Vinaya-saṅgaha-aṭṭhakthā or Pālimuttaka-vinaya-vinicchaya | Commentary on the Vinaya, written by the 12th-century Sri Lankan monk Sāriputta (Skt. Śāriputra). |
| For a while, I switched to Sāratthasaṅgaha | A review of some of the topics in the Buddhist scriptures, written by the 16th-century Lanna monk Nanda | |
| Six | The second volume of "The Theory of Auspicious Lanterns". | Written by Glory and Fortune in the 16th century |
| Seven | Samantapāsādikā | Commentary on the Vinaya, written by the South Indian monk Jueyin in the 5th century |
| Eight | Visuddhimagga | Interpretation of the three learnings of precepts, concentration, and wisdom, written by the South Indian monk Jueyin in the 5th century |
| Nine | Sāratthadīpanī-ṭīkā | A reprint of the Vinaya, written by the 12th-century Sri Lankan monk Shelifer |
| Later, it was changed to Abhidhammattha-vibhāvinī-ṭīkā (Abhidhammattha-vibhāvinī-ṭīkā) | Commentary on Abhidhammattha-saṅgaha, written by the 13th-century Sri Lankan monk Sumaṅgala |
Candidates and examination room: Candidates are limited to monks. The test will take place at a temple near the Imperial Palace. It was held every three years and changed to annual after 1893. You can take more than one level at a time, for example, candidates who took the test level 3 and passed at that time can continue to take level 4.
Exam method: Interpreter is still used. Candidates first draw the envelope, and then according to the questions given in it, they take the Bayeux Sutra where the translated content is located. Candidates have a few hours to prepare, which is then translated into Thai and reviewed by the examiner.
Pass requirements: In addition to 3-4 examiners, there are 20-30 teachers in the examination room to testify. If the candidate makes a mistake, the examiner will give a hint. If a candidate is prompted more than three times, he or she will not pass the exam.
(The envelope used by the candidate to draw lots and the description of the questions inside)
Fourth, the 20th century to the present
From 1916 onwards, all Pali examinations were written and written. The textbook was changed to Pali books in Thai script. The grammar was changed to Basic Pali Grammar, which is a textbook for teaching Pali grammar in Thai, but the grammatical terminology was still the same as that of the Kajayan Grammar. And in addition to the Bartay translation, other courses have been added. Each level consists of 2-3 courses, which are as follows:
| level | The content used in the course | ||
| Translated by Barthé | Taiba Translation | other | |
| Two | The first volume of the Commentary on the Book of Sentences | Basic Pali Grammar (Elementary) | |
| Three | The second volume of the Commentary on the Sutra of the Sentences | Syntax of the second volume of the Commentary on the Book of Sentences, Basic Pali Grammar (Advanced) | |
| Four | The first volume of "The Treatise on the Lamp of Auspiciousness". | Commentary on the Book of Sentences (Part I) (Part 1) | |
| Five | The second volume of "The Theory of Auspicious Lanterns". | The first volume of the Commentary on the Sutra of the Dharma (three parts after four points) | |
| Six | The second volume of the Good Seeing Vinaya Vibhasha | The second volume of the Commentary on the Sutra of the Sentences | |
| Seven | The first volume of "Good Seeing Vinaya Vibhasha". | The first volume of "The Treatise on the Lamp of Auspiciousness". | |
| Eight | The Pure Path | The first volume of "Good Seeing Vinaya Vibhasha". | Poetics, that is, the general translation of Thai into Pali three poetic forms, such as indavajirā, upendavajirā, indavaṃsā (Sanskrit: indravajrā, upendravajrā, indravaṃśā), etc |
| Nine | Abhidharma Separation | The Pure Path | Modern Thai is translated into Pali, which translates the content of the teachings of Thai monks at the royal palace into Pali |
Candidates and examination rooms: Candidates were originally limited to monks, but since 1963 laypeople can also take the exam. Exams are held annually at various monasteries. Candidates are limited to one level per exam.
Examination method: written test. The examination papers for each course are printed on a sheet of F4 paper. The content of the test paper in the translation class is 2 passages selected from Buddhist scriptures. The content of the syntax test paper is to select 1 paragraph of text, and the candidate writes the syntactic structure of each sentence. There are 7 questions in the grammar exam paper. The duration of the exam is 3 hours for grammar lessons and 4 hours and 15 minutes for other lessons.
Pass Requirements: Each paper must be reviewed by three judges. 1 point will be deducted if the word is mistranslated or answered incorrectly. In addition, if the verb form of a sentence is mistranslated, e.g. from passive voice to active voice, 6 points can be deducted. If you deduct more than 12 points, you will fail. All levels require a pass in every course. Candidates who have taken the Grades 2 to 5 examinations since 2005, if they have passed at least one of the courses, can retake one other course every two months, and if they do not pass, they can only wait until the following year to retake all the exams.
(Papers: Left Translation Questions, Right Grammar Questions)
In 1928, the Thai Council of High Monks established the Pali Language Examination Department to stipulate the content and rules of the examination. To date, there have been eight ministers in the Ministry, the current eighth being Phra Phrommoli (from Pali: Vara Brahma-moli, the king's name given to the monks), known as Dhamma-ratana.
The number of people who have taken and passed the examination in Thailand in recent years can be seen in the following table:
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | ||||
| attend | Pass | attend | Pass | attend | Pass | |
| Level 2 | 14105 | 2393 | 13613 | 2134 | 15251 | 2355 |
| Level 3 | 2841 | 1005 | 3302 | 999 | 3294 | 1289 |
| Level 4 | 1346 | 564 | 1340 | 448 | 1422 | 653 |
| Level five | 834 | 303 | 831 | 316 | 785 | 257 |
| Level six | 769 | 290 | 694 | 284 | 590 | 228 |
| Level seven | 567 | 160 | 579 | 122 | 533 | 105 |
| Level 8 | 401 | 100 | 394 | 66 | 371 | 72 |
| Level 9 | 359 | 40 | 386 | 43 | 385 | 60 |
| 2012 | 2013 | |||
| attend | Pass | attend | Pass | |
| Level 2 | 14315 | 2719 | 14876 | 2868 |
| Level 3 | 3258 | 1163 | 3637 | 918 |
| Level 4 | 1553 | 567 | 1655 | 620 |
| Level five | 914 | 269 | 911 | 274 |
| Level six | 559 | 167 | 558 | 158 |
| Level seven | 558 | 132 | 514 | 166 |
| Level 8 | 357 | 50 | 380 | 50 |
| Level 9 | 316 | 63 | 322 | 65 |
In recent years, the monasteries with the highest number of monks who have passed the examination are: Wat Phra Dhammakaya, Wat Molilokkayaram, Wat Jong Kham, Wat Sothon Wararam, and Wat Tak Fa.
Candidates who pass Levels 6 and 9 will be awarded a certificate by the King or Prince at Wat Phra Kaew or Wat Phra Si-rattana-satsadaram, the Grand Palace in Bangkok. For monks who have reached the ninth level, the king will arrange for them to be escorted to the monastery where they live on the day of the issuance of the certificate.
(The Prince of Thailand awarded the monks with Pali Certificates of Grades 6 and 9 and a fan representing the degree)
(Laity and women who have attained Pali level 6 or 9 are awarded fans)
In addition, in 1831 there was a novice who was only 18 years old and reached the ninth grade. The king was so pleased with this that when he was 20 years old, he performed a ceremony for him to receive full ordination (from novice to bhikshu). Since then, it has become customary for the Thai king or royal family to hold full ordination ceremonies for novices who have reached the ninth level under the age of 22.
(The Thai royal family offers monk's robes, fans, etc. before reaching the ninth level of novices receive full ordination)
The Pali grading system is also recognized by the Ministry of Education of Thailand. Level 3 is equivalent to a junior high school degree, Level 5 is equivalent to a high school degree, and Level 9 is equivalent to a bachelor's degree.
(Pali Proficiency Test Room)
Today, in addition to traditional Pali studies, there are several universities in Thailand that offer undergraduate or master's programs in Sanskrit Pali, such as Chulalongkorn University, Silpakorn University, Maha-chulalongkorn-rajavidyalaya Buddhist University, Maha-makut-rajavidyalaya Buddhist University, etc. The literature and examinations used are different from those used in traditional learning.