ABSTRACT

The main objectives of this research are : i) to study the Roles of the Abbots toward Monastery Development as Community Center in Donpud District, Saraburi Province. ; ii) to compare the Roles of the Abbots toward Monastery Development as Community Center in Donpud District, Saraburi Province. ; and iii) to study the guideline  to develop the Roles of the Abbots toward Monastery Development as Community Center in Donpud District, Saraburi Province. The research is survey research. Data collections are conducted using questionnaire with 400 targets of students in Donpud  District , Saraburi Province, selected by purposive sampling technique with 0.9647 reliability value. Data analysis was conducted using Statistical Program for analysis of Social Science data. The  Statistical values of Frequency, Percentage, Mean , Standard Deviation , T-test, and One-way ANOVA  were described. Statistical significance was conducted using Least Significant Difference (LSD)

The Findings  of the Research were concluded as follow:

1) The overall  the Roles of the Abbots toward Monastery Development as Community Center in Donpud District, Saraburi Province was found  at the high level
(  = 3.97). When considered in each aspect, it was also noticed at the high level in all aspects, namely, i) The religious persons / people ( = 4.07), ii) The religious ceremonies / activities (  = 4.04),  iii) The religious objects / locations (  = 3.80).

2) With regard to comparison of the Roles of the Abbots toward Monastery Development as Community Center in Donpud District, Saraburi Province, classified by the personal status  like  the difference of sex, age, educational status, duration living in the community and occupation, it was found that the Roles of the Abbots toward Monastery Development as Community Center in Donpud District, Saraburi Province. with the difference of sex, age, educational status, duration living in the community  and occupation was not statistical significance, therefore the hypotheses were rejected.

3) The guidelines to promote the Monastery as Community Center as following  : 1) The religious ceremonies ,they should improve the form of ordination  and  should encourage and promote morality and ethics in particular, 2) The religious persons , they should select the persons who are ordained smartly and they should promote the monks to teach Dhamma to the people 3) The religious objects / locations, they should repair and renovate the religious places within the monasteries for  peaceful places for best meditation practice.

 The suggestions of effective development of the Roles of the Abbots toward Monastery Development as Community Center in Donpud District, Saraburi Province, 1) They should  improve form of the ordinances that are more appropriate
2) They should select the persons to become the monks smartly and they should promote the monks to teach Dhamma to the people regularly 3) They should repair and renovate the religious places to have the peaceful places.  4) They should promote and invite the people from community in participate the religious activities and rituals and develop the monasteries. 5) They should improve  the peaceful environment for the meditation practice as the best samples for the community.