As part of the Visiting Professor Series, and with the support of the Erasmus+ programme, The Dharma Gate Buddhist College (DGBC) welcomed two senior monastic scholars from Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University (MCU), Thailand.
Between 20 and 27 February 2026, DGBC had the honour of hosting distinguished guests in Budapest. Organised by the International Buddhist Studies College (IBSC) and Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University (MCU) within the framework of an Erasmus+ mobility programme, two renowned Thai monastic lecturers delivered a series of public talks.
The delegation included Ven. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phra Panyavajrapandit, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs at MCU, and Ven. Dr. Phramaha Somchai Kittipanyo, Head of the Department of Foreign Languages at the Faculty of Liberal Arts, MCU.
In their opening lecture on Saturday evening, the Venerable teachers spoke about the historical roots of Buddhism in Thailand and its deep embeddedness in Thai society. They noted that approximately 95% of the population identifies as Buddhist, making the Dhamma inseparable from Thai national identity, while coexisting in harmony with local Brahmanical and animist traditions.
The speakers also provided an overview of contemporary Thai Theravāda lineages, including the Mahānikāya order, which comprises around 95% of Thai monks and to which the visiting teachers belong, as well as the reform-oriented Dhammayuttika order. They highlighted the community-building role of monasteries (Thai: wat) and noted that Thailand currently has around 30,000 temples and monasteries serving practitioners and local communities.
The Venerables also addressed challenges of the modern era. While monastics continue to enjoy high social respect, traditions are changing under the impact of modernisation, an ageing society, and social media. The previously widespread practice of “temporary ordination”, when young men would become novices for a few months before marriage, is now in decline. At the same time, social media also offers new possibilities: transmitting the teachings digitally has become easier than ever before.
Participants learned about the differences between urban (teaching-focused) and forest (meditation-focused) monastic traditions. The latter, particularly through the work of Ajahn Chah, has made Thai Theravāda widely known internationally. With mindfulness gaining global popularity, increasing numbers of foreign practitioners travel to Thailand to train; there are forest monasteries where almost all monastics are from abroad. Although the official Theravāda bhikkhunī lineage was historically interrupted, white-robed female practitioners and respected female meditation teachers play an important role in Thai Buddhism today.
The primary aim of the visit was to further strengthen institutional ties between DGBC and MCU. Through DGBC’s Erasmus+ programme, Hungarian students also have the opportunity to deepen their Buddhist studies in Thailand in an authentic learning environment.
As part of the Visiting Professor Series, and with the support of the Erasmus+ programme, The Dharma Gate Buddhist College (DGBC) welcomed two senior monastic
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