10/06/2026
The Privy Councillor presided over the award ceremony for the "Ashoka Pillar of Moral Leadership" award for the year 2026 on June 5, 2026, at the Rajamangala Auditorium, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi.
The event was organized by the Association of Benefactors for Buddhism in Thailand and nine major Buddhist network organizations, chaired by General Thongchai Kueasakun.
The award was given to 186 senior monks and individuals who have made significant contributions to Buddhism, society, and the nation. Among them were His Eminence Somdej Phra Theerayanmunee, Phra Phromwachirarangsi, and Phra Thepwacharathamsophon. (Luang Pu Sila), the Dhamma missionary group from the Walk for Peace project, including Khunying Pensri Wacharothai, Mom Luang Panadda Disakul, and all distinguished guests.
On this occasion, Phra Khru Samuh Sanitwong Wutthiwangso, Ph.D., Assistant Abbot and Director of the Communication Office,
received the prestigious “Ashoka Pillar of Moral Leadership Award 2026.”
Phra Khru Samuh Sanitwong stated:
“This prestigious award serves as encouragement and a reminder for me, as Assistant Abbot and Director of the Public Relations Office of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, to strive even further in my role as a voice for spreading morality and communicating Buddhism to the world. All this merit and success is not a personal matter, but is the result of the unity of the Wat Phra Dhammakaya community, led by Luang Por Dhammachayo, the leader in accumulating merit, and Phra Khru Palat Rattanaveerawat, the Abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya.” As well as the monastic community, laymen, laywomen, devotees, volunteers, and all networks of benevolent friends who have consistently joined forces and dedicated themselves to the work of Buddhism.