Education Oriented Promotion of Women’s Rights: An outstanding rule of Mahamakut Buddhist University

Abstract

                   The article bears three objectives: 1)to bring into light the fact that Buddhism is the single religion in the world that respects and promotes human rights, especially the woman rights, and 2)to reveal the role of Mahamakut Buddhist University in promotion of woman rights based education. To actualize the objectives as set, the related doctrines recorded in the TIPITAKA, the Holy Scripture of Buddhism, have been quoted and referred. As Buddhism was founded by the Lord Buddha approximately 3,000 years ago, it is an undeniable fact that Buddhism played its role in promoting human rights as well as woman rights at least 2,000 years before the UN international assembly of human rights is promulgated. As regards Mahamakut Buddhist University, its role in promotion of woman rights started in the year 1969 when the Nun Institute of Thailand was established with an initiative of the late His Holiness Somdet Phra Nyanavarodom, a former Rector of the university. The role was mainly focused on education both in the field of common and ecclesiastical education, and it was developed to the extent that the Mahapajapati Theri College was established, which is the institute exclusively reserved for Thai Buddhist nuns and needy women, without any charges and fees and with accommodations and facilities together with food provided. The underlying philosophy is to develop the life quality of booth needy women and nuns through the dimension of education. Particularly in the case of nuns, their graduation will help develop their life quality in case they disrobe to live a worldly life and, in case, they can further live a chastity life, they can play an effective role in propagation of Buddhism. The University strongly holds that the real promotion of woman rights is nothing but education promotion since the educated women can realize their rights and know how to protect themselves from any maltreatment likely to happen