Dhammayuttika Nikaya

Dhammayuttika Nikaya

Abbreviation	Dhammayut
Formation	1833
Founder	Vajirañāṇo Bhikkhu (later King Mongkut)
Type	Buddhist monastic order
Headquarters	Wat Bowonniwet Vihara, Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok, Thailand
Superior general	Somdet Phra Ariyavongsagatanana IX (Incumbent since 2017)

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Key figures Bhāṇaka Moggaliputta-Tissa Mahinda Sanghamitta Tissa Buddhaghoṣa Buddhadatta Dhammapāla Parakramabahu I Mahākassapa (12th century) Sāriputta (12th century) Anawrahta Ram Khamhaeng Sumangala Thera Anagarika Dharmapala Mongkut Vajirananavarorasa Ledi Sayadaw U Nu U Nārada Mahasi Sayadaw U Ba Khin S. N. Goenka Mun Bhuridatta Ajahn Chah Maha Ghosananda Kripasaran Mahapragya Pragyananda K. Sri Dhammananda Narada Mahathera Asoka Weeraratna Walpola Rahula Jayatilleke Kalupahana U Dhammaloka Nyanatiloka Nanamoli Nyanaponika Bhikkhu Bodhi Ajahn Sumedho Ajahn Brahm Analayo Varanggana Vanavichayen Dhammananda Bhikkhuni Ayya Tathaaloka Ayya Khema Kee Nanayon Dipa Ma
Literature Pāli Tipiṭaka Paracanonical Commentaries Sub-commentaries Paritta Visuddhimagga Abhidhammattha-saṅgaha Vimuttimagga Abhidhammāvatāra Yogāvacara's manual
Orders (Nikāya) Thailand, Laos, Cambodia Mahā Dhammayuttika Myanmar Thudhamma Shwegyin Mahādvāra Mūladvāra Veḷuvana Anaukchaung-dvāra Hngettwin Gaṇavimutti Dhammayuttika Sri Lanka Amarapura–Rāmañña Siam Bangladesh Saṅgharāja Mahāsthabir
Traditions Pariyatti, paṭipatti, paṭivedha Sādhu Abhidhamma Kammaṭṭhāna Vassa Pavāraṇā Vipassana movement Thai Forest Sri Lankan Forest Esoteric Theravāda Dhammakaya
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Higher education MBU MCRU IBC ITBMU SPSU BPU Sihanouk Sihamoni CSC Sangha College Kertarajasa Syailendra Nalanda DDIBU
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Dhammayuttika Nikāya (Pali; Thai: ธรรมยุติกนิกาย; RTGS: Thammayuttika Nikai; Khmer: ធម្មយុត្តិកនិកាយ, Thômmôyŭttĕkâ Nĭkay), or Dhammayut Order^[1] (Thai: คณะธรรมยุต), is an order of Theravada Buddhist bhikkhus (monks) in Thailand, Cambodia, and Burma, with significant branches in the Western world. Its name is derived from Pali dhamma ("teachings of the Buddha") + yutti (in accordance with) + ka (group).

The order began in Thailand as a reform movement led by a prince who would later become King Mongkut of Siam, before also spreading to Cambodia and Burma. Initially, King Mongkut was frustrated because he could not find monks who understood the original teachings of the Buddha and truly adhered to the rules of the monks. This happened because of the syncretism of Buddhism with Thai folk religion. Consequently, King Mongkut emphasized the use of the Pali Canon as the primary authority for monastic practices, and sought to eliminate all of the syncretic elements. The movement became formally recognized as its own monastic order by the Thai government in 1902, with any Thai Theravada bhikkhus not within the order being referred to as part of the Maha Nikaya order.

The Dhammayuttika Nikaya plays a significant political role in Thailand. The order has historically been favored by the Thai government and monarchy, with the order holding the majority of all royal monastic titles in Thailand and most of the Supreme Patriarchs (the head of the Thai monastic community) since its founding having come from the Dhammayuttika Nikaya, despite the order making up less than ten percent of all bhikkhus in Thailand.