Female Leadership and Lay Moral Agency in Thai Buddhism: The Knowing Buddha Organization and Soteriological Inclusivity

Abstract

While laypeople have historically held supportive roles in Thai Buddhism, the authority to interpret Dhamma and represent spiritual attainment has traditionally resided with ordained monks. Wider recognition of Thai female practitioners and public veneration of their spiritual claims has been limited. This study analyzes a contemporary female lay leader, Acharavadee Wongsakon, founder of the Knowing Buddha Organization (KBO), who publicly proclaimed her spiritual awakening, reconceptualizing lay spiritual attainment and articulating new models of religious authority. This paper aims to examine the pathways through which religious authority is established and re-articulated by a contemporary female lay leader in Thai Buddhism. Through documentary analysis of KBO's publications, 5000s Magazine, and online content (2014--2025), this research explores Acharavadee's construction of moral agency through media activism. Drawing on Alan Sponberg's concept of soteriological inclusiveness, it traces her transformation into a meditation teacher. Amid concerns over Buddhist decline, KBO mobilizes lay networks to protect Buddhism.