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14 Oct, 2014

Thai province Phrae becomes No.1 in living by five Buddhist precepts

PHRAE, 13 October 2014 (NNT) — Phrae has become Thailand’s number one province in terms of practitioners of the five precepts village program, said official.

Acting Deputy Governor of Phrae province Somwang Puangbangpho, announced at the granting ceremony of a five precepts village sign today, that Phrae province now has the greatest number of practitioners in this program.

According to the website Sila5.com, as of Monday (13 October 2014), the Sung Men district of Phrae province now has 32,114 registered members, which is the highest in Thailand at 41.87 percent.

In the Tambon (subdistrict) level, the Tambon Rong Arkat of Sung Men district has the highest number of registered members at 4,702 persons.

Phrae province has been selected from the Department of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Culture to be 1 of 10 model provinces in the five precepts village program. A provincial committee on the five precepts community model has been set up to promote the program’s objectives, which will in a practical way, bring peace and happiness back to the people.

708 villages in 78 Tambons of 8 districts in Phrae, or 60 percent of the total, have registered and qualified for the program. Phrae province continues its three year plan to attain more than 80 percent household participation in the five precepts program, in each village.

Villages with more than 70 percent participation will receive an award trophy at the provincial level while villages with more than 80 percent participation will receive a trophy at the national level.

The five precept village program was initiated by the acting supreme patriarch Somdet Phra Maharajamangkalajarn and put to use by the Department of Religious Affairs as a tribute to His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen, for the unity and the common interests of the public, as well as the security and peace of the nation.

The aim of the program is to incorporate the five precepts of Buddhism into people’s lives. The five precepts will prevent them from having malicious thoughts, or engaging in corruption, and will provide an assurance of the security of life and family.