Tep Vong

Samdech Preah Agga Maha Sangharajadhipati Tep Vong (Khmer: សម្ដេចព្រះអគ្គមហាសង្ឃរាជាធិបតី ទេព វង្ស; born 12 January 1932) is a Cambodian Buddhist monk, currently the Great Supreme Patriarch of Cambodia, known for his role in re-establishing the Cambodian monkhood after the Pol Pot period and for his links to dominant political leaders since the 1980s.

Tep Vong
ទេព វង្ស
Supreme Patriarch Tep Vong in May 2023
Title Great Supreme Patriarch of the Kingdom of Cambodia
Personal
Born (1932-01-12) 12 January 1932
Siem Reap, Cambodia, French Indochina[1]
ReligionTheravada Buddhism
NationalityCambodian
LineageMaha Nikaya

Biography

Childhood of the pagoda child

Tep Vong was born at Trapeang Chork village, Chreav commune, Siem Reap municipality, and at the age of 10 went to study at Wat Reach Bo in the provincial capital of Siem Reap. At the age of 16 he ordained as a novice at the same temple, but because of family duties only initially assumed robes for nine months. His preceptor was Venerable Hing Mao, the abbot of the temple. At the age of 21 he ordained as a bhikkhu at the temple with the same preceptor. He was made kru sotr, or second-ranking monk of the temple in 1956.

Surviving the Khmers rouges

Like almost all Cambodian monks, Tep Vong was forced to leave the monkhood during the 1975-9 Pol Pot period.[2][3] During those years, he was able to flee to Vietnam.[4] Later, during the Vietnamese-sponsored People's Revolutionary Tribunal from 15 to 20 July 1979, Tep Vong accused Pol Pot himself of executing 57 monks, including three of his own nephews.[5] Tep Vong has since then been more merciful towards the Khmer Rouge leadership, even comparing Ieng Sary to Aṅgulimāla,[6] the ruthless brigand who completely transforms after a conversion to Buddhism.

Re-ordination and restoration of the sangha after 1979

Tep Vong was the youngest of seven senior monks re-ordained at Wat Ounalom in a state-sponsored ceremony on September 19, 1979 in order to create a core of ordained monks who could go on to ordain others and formally re-establish the Cambodian sangha, which had been nearly destroyed by the Khmer Rouge. Some questioned Tep Vong's seniority and even the validity of this ceremony.[7] The new monastic lineage was not to make the distinction between Mahanikay and Dhammayut orders which had existed prior to their annihilation by Pol Pot.[8][9]

Like most of the other monks ordained in the September 19 ceremony, Tep Vong had already resumed the life of a monk, probably in June, 1979. He represented the new People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK) government as a monk on trips to Mongolia and the Soviet Union that year.[8] He wore robes in August, 1979, when he gave evidence at the trial in absentia of Pol Pot and other Khmer Rouge leaders, testifying that in a single commune agents of the Khmer Rouge had executed 57 monks, including three of Tep Vong's own nephews.[10] He also testified to having been put to hard labor during the nearly four years of the Khmer Rouge.[11][12]

Following the September 19, 1979 ordination, he was made viney thor, meaning that he was in charge of discipline for the monkhood.[13] At first, the oldest of the seven re-ordained monks, Kaet Vay, assumed the role of preceptor in the frequent ceremonies to ordain monks in the official lineage. For reasons of age, Kaet Vay discontinued this by 1981, and Tep Vong assumed this role.[13] At this time, in effect, Tep Vong became the leader of the Unified Cambodian Buddhist Sangha.[14] Instead of a Ministry of Religion, as existed before 1975, religious institutions in the People's Republic of Kampuchea were under the authority of the Solidarity Front for the Construction and Defence of the Motherland of Kampuchea, usually just called "The Front". Tep Vong was one of the original members of the Front's central committee and became its fourth vice-president in September 1979.[15] In May, 1981, he was also elected a member of the National Assembly as a representative of the province of Siem Reap[16] and become the Vice-president of the National Assembly in July 1981.[15]

The socialist People's Republic of Kampuchea did not use the term sangharaja,[17][18] although the term is sometimes used to describe his position of leadership in the 1980s, which is more rightly described as "president" of the Cambodian Buddhists monks after July 1988 in a Communist context.[15] He remained the sole leader of Cambodian Buddhism until 1991.

Leading the Mahanikay since 1991

Following the 1991 Paris Peace Accords on October 23, which made former king Norodom Sihanouk head of state, the monkhood was once again divided into Mahanikay and Dhammayut orders. Royal titles were also re-introduced in the monkhood.[19] On November 8, 1991, in an official proclamation signed by Sihanouk, Tep Vong was given the title Samdech Preah Mahasomedhadhipati, and a week later, on November 15, was named sangaraja of the Mahanikay Order.[2] Venerable Bour Kry was appointed sangharaja of the Dhammayut Order by Sihanouk on December 7.[20] Tep Vong became an ex oficio member of the Cambodian Throne Council on September 23, 1993.[21]

Tep Vong has shown unconditional support for Hun Sen's leadership through all these years, and beyond the 1997 coup. When in the turmoil of the 1998 elections, twelve monks close to the opposition locked themselves up in one of the buildings Wat Ounalom, Tep Vong did not hesitate to request Hun Sen's help to deal with this situation.[22]

In 2002, Tep Vong appointed Tim Sakhorn as an abbot while knowing that the latter was not legitimate for the position being from Kampuchea Krom and not a strictly speaking a Khmer citizen. On June 16, 2007, Tep Vong was forced to defrock Tim Sakhorn after the latter used his platform to promote nationalist ideology, and was accused of immoral conduct, having women in his room.[23]

In 2003, Tep Vong issued a voting ban for the roughly 60,000 monks active in Cambodia. Under pressure,[24] he rescinded that order in March 2006 so that monks could vote "for the development of the nation".[25]

In 2006, Tep Vong was elevated to the title of Samdech Preah Agga Mahā Sangharājādhipati (Khmer: សម្តេច ព្រះ អគ្គមហាសង្ឃរាជាធិបតី), or Great Supreme Patriarch, placing him at the head of the two orders. He is the first monk in over 150 years to receive this title.[26][27]

Contribution

Buddhism for education: reopening the pagoda schools across Cambodia

Tep Vong has contributed significantly to the role of Buddhist pagodas in the reeducation of the Cambodian youth after the downfall of Year Zero.[28] Along with his colleague Venerable Oum Som who was "the monk with the most clerical education in post-Pol Pot Cambodia",[4] he contributed to opening schools to both boys and girls in pagodas, from kindergarten to highschool across the country to bring back literacy to Cambodia.

Buddhism for politics: building peace together after years of persecution

After he was forced to flee his country for his attachment to his religion, Tep Vong returned to his country under occupation by an anti-religious Vietnamese Communist party. Thus, he was able to negotiate the restoration of the Buddhist sangha through his close ties with government officials, ties which through the years, have been criticized. Tep Vong made visits to Mongolia and the Soviet Union to discover more about "the appropriate model of church-state relations in a socialist country".[29] Tep Vong was also given an audience with His Holiness Pope John Paul II along with Preah Maha Gosananda, becoming one of the international faces of Cambodian Buddhism.

However, Venerable Tep Vong has also been criticized by younger members of the sangha for his ties to the government of Vietnam, and for being close to the leadership of the Cambodian People's Party which dominates the government.[30] He has come into conflict with younger members of the sangha who have voiced opposition to government policies and corruption, on one occasion calling publicly for the arrest of the organizers of an anti-government protest.[31] In one instance, while President of the Unified Sangha, Tep Vong put forth the argument that certain forms of political violence could be condoned by Buddhism.[32]

Buddhism for health: between social healthcare for the poor and harsh statements on HIV/AIDS

In his efforts to reform the Buddhist pagodas in Cambodia after the Khmers Rouges, Venerable Tep Vong has turned many pagodas into retirement homes for destitute widows known as the donchee who were given palliative care by the hundreds. However, Tep Vong has also taken some controversial stands on health-related issues. He has spoken out on several occasions regarding issues surrounding the HIV/AIDS situation in Cambodia, in particular following a 2000 conference organized for monks by the National AIDS Authority. Tep Vong has stated that he believes that Cambodia's HIV/AIDS problem has been overstated by Cambodia's enemies in order to discredit the ruling government.[33] He has also stated that HIV/AIDS is a form of karmic punishment that is best dealt with by cracking down on prostitution, and that monks should not take any role in treating HIV/AIDS patients, nor in disseminating HIV education.[34] Certain elements of the Mohanikaya have attempted to position monks as conduits for educational materials regarding HIV/AIDS, a position opposed by Tep Vong.[35]

Honors

Tep Vong has the honorific title of Samdech and is a member of the Royal Council of the Throne of Cambodia.

Notes
  1. "Great Supreme Patriarch". The Phnom Penh Post. 15 December 2006. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  2. Krasuan Brah Parmarajavamn (2003)
  3. Harris, Ian (2007) Buddhism Under Pol Pot. Phnom Penh: Documentation Center of Cambodia.
  4. Keyes, Charles F.; Kendall, Laurel; Hardacre, Helen (1994-03-01). Asian Visions of Authority: Religion and the Modern States of East and Southeast Asia. University of Hawaii Press. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-8248-1471-7.
  5. Harris, Ian (2001-08-22). Buddhism and Politics in Twentieth Century Asia. A&C Black. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-8264-5178-1.
  6. Harris, Ian (2001-08-22). Buddhism and Politics in Twentieth Century Asia. A&C Black. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-8264-5178-1.
  7. Harris, Ian (2012-12-31). Buddhism in a Dark Age: Cambodian Monks under Pol Pot. University of Hawaii Press. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-8248-6577-1.
  8. Marston 2014, p. 83-7
  9. Harris, Ian (2001-08-22). Buddhism and Politics in Twentieth Century Asia. A&C Black. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-8264-5178-1.
  10. Harris, Ian (2001-08-22). Buddhism and Politics in Twentieth Century Asia. A&C Black. pp. 93–94. ISBN 978-0-8264-5178-1.
  11. Harris, Ian (2001-08-22). Buddhism and Politics in Twentieth Century Asia. A&C Black. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-8264-5178-1.
  12. Yang Sam, 1987, pp. 68-9
  13. Marston 2014, p. 89
  14. Harris, Ian (2001-08-22). Buddhism and Politics in Twentieth Century Asia. A&C Black. p. 94. ISBN 978-0-8264-5178-1.
  15. Jennar, Raoul Marc (1995). Les clés du Cambodge (in French). Maisonneuve et Larose. p. 265. ISBN 978-2-7068-1150-0.
  16. Slocomb 2003, p. 180-1
  17. Vickery, 1986, p. 162
  18. Harris, Ian (2001-08-22). Buddhism and Politics in Twentieth Century Asia. A&C Black. p. 75. ISBN 978-0-8264-5178-1.
  19. Marston 2009, p. 227
  20. Harris, Ian (2001-08-22). Buddhism and Politics in Twentieth Century Asia. A&C Black. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-8264-5178-1.
  21. Corfield and Summers 2003, p. 416.
  22. Sothirak, Pou; Wade, Geoff; Hong, Mark (2012). Cambodia: Progress and Challenges Since 1991. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. p. 331. ISBN 978-981-4379-82-3.
  23. Human Rights Watch (2009). On the Margins: Rights Abuses of Ethnic Khmer in Vietnam's Mekong Delta. Human Rights Watch Reports. p. 67. ISBN 978-1-56432-426-9.
  24. Mortland, Carol A. (2017-07-25). Cambodian Buddhism in the United States. SUNY Press. p. 185. ISBN 978-1-4384-6663-7.
  25. Kent, Alexandra; Chandler, David Porter (2008). People of Virtue: Reconfiguring Religion, Power and Moral Order in Cambodia Today. NIAS Press. p. 248. ISBN 978-87-7694-037-9.
  26. Website of Norodom Sihanouk
  27. Cambodia Daily article on KI Media
  28. Keyes, Charles F. (1994-12-31), "2 Communist Revolution and the Buddhist Past in Cambodia", Asian Visions of Authority, University of Hawaii Press, p. 64, doi:10.1515/9780824842529-004, ISBN 978-0-8248-4252-9, retrieved 2023-05-22
  29. Harris, Ian (2012-12-31). Buddhism in a Dark Age: Cambodian Monks under Pol Pot. University of Hawaii Press. p. 156. ISBN 978-0-8248-6577-1.
  30. Harris, Ian (2001-08-22). Buddhism and Politics in Twentieth Century Asia. A&C Black. pp. 94–95. ISBN 978-0-8264-5178-1.
  31. Harris, Ian (2001-08-22). Buddhism and Politics in Twentieth Century Asia. A&C Black. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-8264-5178-1.
  32. Harris, Ian (2001-08-22). Buddhism and Politics in Twentieth Century Asia. A&C Black. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-8264-5178-1.
  33. Harris, Ian (2001-08-22). Buddhism and Politics in Twentieth Century Asia. A&C Black. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-8264-5178-1.
  34. Harris, Ian (2001-08-22). Buddhism and Politics in Twentieth Century Asia. A&C Black. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-8264-5178-1.
  35. Harris, Ian (August 2001). "Sangha Groupings in Cambodia". Buddhist Studies Review. UK Association for Buddhist Studies. 18 (I): 65–72. doi:10.1558/bsrv.v18i1.14469. S2CID 247890925.

References
  • Corfield, Justin and Laura Summers (2003) Historical Dictionary of Cambodia. Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press.
  • Harris, Ian (2007). Buddhism Under Pol Pot. Phnom Penh: Documentation Center of Cambodia. ISBN 9789995060145.
  • Harris, Ian (August 2001), "Sangha Groupings in Cambodia", Buddhist Studies Review, UK Association for Buddhist Studies, 18 (I): 65–72, doi:10.1558/bsrv.v18i1.14469, S2CID 247890925
  • Krasuan Brah Parmarajavamn (Ministry of the Palace) (2003). Brah Raj Rabaini Brah Mahaksatr nin Samtec Brah Sangharaj. Phnom Penh: Krasuan Brah Parmarjavamn.
  • Marston, John A. (2009) "Cambodian Religion since 1989." In Beyond Democracy in Cambodia: Political Reconstruction in a Post-Conflict Society, J. Ojendal and M. Lilja, eds. Copenhagen: NIAS Press.
  • Marston, John A. (2014). "Reestablishing the Cambodian Monkhood." In Ethnicity, Borders, and the Grassroots Interface with the State: Studies on Southeast Asia in Honor of Chrles F. Keyes. Chiang Mai: Silworm Books. pp. 65–99.
  • Sam, Yang (1987). Khmer Buddhism and Politics 1954-1984. Newington, CT: Khmer Studies Institute. ISBN 0941785009.
  • Slocomb, Margaret (2003). The People's Republic of Kampuchea 1979-1989: The Revolution after Pol Pot. Chiang Mai, Thailand: Silkworm Books. ISBN 974-9575-34-2.
  • Vickery, Michael (1986) Kampuchea: politics, economics and Society. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.
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