The first Khmer monk in the West to receive a doctorate.

In 2022, Venerable Danh Ut, abbot of Thon Don Pagoda, became the first Khmer ethnic monk in the Mekong Delta to receive a doctorate in Cultural Studies.

This is not only a source of pride for Venerable Danh Ut personally, but also a powerful event that spreads the message of the studious spirit and aspiration for advancement of the Khmer people in Southern Vietnam in the process of development and integration.

Venerable Danh Ut, PhD, abbot of Thon Don Pagoda, has become the first Khmer ethnic monk in the Southwestern region of Vietnam to receive a doctorate.

PHOTO: TRAN NGOC

Education is the path to sustainable poverty alleviation.

Born in 1982 into a Khmer family with a rich revolutionary tradition in Thanh Loc commune ( An Giang province), Venerable Danh Ut was orphaned before he was even one year old. His mother had to raise him and his siblings alone, facing immense hardship. At the age of 12, he entered the monastic life at Thon Don Pagoda (Rach Gia ward, An Giang province) with the initial thought of studying for a few years before leaving to make a living. However, the monastic environment, the care of the abbots, and the learning activities within the pagoda opened up a completely different path for him.

"In the past, my family was poor, and I didn't have the opportunity to receive a proper education. When I entered the temple and was given the chance to study, I realized that only through education could I contribute to both the Dharma and society," Venerable Danh Ut shared.

Venerable Danh Ut, PhD, is a shining example of learning and improving the skills of the Khmer people in An Giang province.

PHOTO: TRAN NGOC

After 15 years of diligent study, Venerable Danh Ut successively graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Sociology (2010), a Bachelor's degree in Vietnamese Studies (2012), and completed a Master's program in Southern Khmer Culture at Tra Vinh University. In early 2022, at the age of 40, he successfully defended his doctoral dissertation, becoming the first Khmer monk in the Southwestern region of Vietnam to achieve this degree.

Venerable Danh Ut (third from the left) receives his doctorate degree at Tra Vinh University.

Venerable Danh Ut traveled to many provinces in the Mekong Delta with large Khmer ethnic minority populations to study their culture and customs. From these trips, his doctoral dissertation, "Changes in the Cultural Life of Khmer Theravada Buddhist Monks in the Southwest of Vietnam Today," was born. This field is particularly significant in the context of globalization and integration, where traditional cultural life faces many new impacts and challenges. The work not only has academic value but also high applicability in cultural and religious management and community development.

According to Associate Professor Pham Tiet Khanh, Chairman of the Council of Tra Vinh University, the scientific quality of the doctoral dissertation by Venerable Danh Ut demonstrates theoretical depth and close connection to the practical cultural and social life of the Khmer people in Southern Vietnam. The dissertation offers many specific solutions, contributing to improving the cultural life of Khmer Theravada Buddhist monks, while also spreading positive values ​​to the Buddhist community and society.

Leaders of Tra Vinh University congratulate Venerable Danh Ut on receiving his doctoral degree.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE SUBJECT

This is not just a personal achievement; the learning journey of Venerable Danh Ut has strongly motivated the learning movement within the Khmer Buddhist community. At Thon Don Pagoda, many monks are studying, with about half attending high school, college, or university. In addition, many bilingual Vietnamese-Khmer classes, Pali and Vinaya classes, Khmer language classes, and Khmer five-tone music classes are regularly organized, attracting a large number of monks and Buddhist children in the area.

Venerable Danh Ut always believed that "Education is the path to sustainable poverty alleviation." According to him, for the Khmer people to develop economically and improve their lives, they must first change their mindset and raise their knowledge. Therefore, he not only encouraged monks to study but also actively encouraged Buddhist followers to send their children to school, learn vocational skills, and access new knowledge.

A role model for social activism.

Alongside his work in education, Venerable Danh Ut actively participates in social welfare activities. Over the years, he and the Thon Don Pagoda Charity Association have mobilized benefactors from within and outside the province to build and repair many rural bridges. A special feature is that these bridges are all designed with the distinctive cultural identity of the Southern Khmer people, incorporating symbols such as the Naga serpent, the Dharma wheel, and celestial beings… serving both transportation purposes and contributing to the preservation of ethnic culture.

Venerable Danh Ut poses for a commemorative photo on the occasion of being honored by the Central Youth Union as an "Outstanding Young Person Following Uncle Ho's Teachings" in 2011.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE SUBJECT

Besides building bridges and roads, Venerable Danh Ut also campaigned to build houses for the poor, supported the restoration of Khmer temples, and constructed traditional medicine clinics to serve the people, with a total expenditure reaching billions of dong. His concrete and persistent actions have earned him great prestige in the community.

In the context of implementing the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period 2021-2030, individuals like Venerable Monk and Doctor Danh Ut are considered a core force at the grassroots level, contributing to bringing the Party and State's guidelines and policies closer to the Khmer people.

From the Khmer temple of Thon Don in Rach Gia, the journey of learning and service of the first Khmer monk in the Southwest region to earn a doctorate continues to spread a simple yet profound message: learning is the key to escaping poverty, preserving culture, and better serving the Dharma, the nation, and the country.

To date, Venerable Danh Ut, PhD, has received many prestigious awards such as: "Advanced Youth Following Uncle Ho's Teachings" awarded by the Central Youth Union in 2009; Outstanding Volunteer Youth in the Southwest region awarded by the Central Youth Union in 2011; and the 15.10 Award from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union in 2016. He has also received commemorative medals: For the Young Generation; For the Cause of the Red Cross; For the Cause of Developing Ethnic Minorities in Vietnam... and has been awarded numerous certificates of merit and commendations by various levels of Kien Giang province. Currently, he is a member of the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Association in An Giang province.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vi-su-khmer-dau-tien-o-mien-tay-nhan-bang-tien-si-185251215174131749.htm