This thematic paper contains two objectives : 1) To study the ascetic practices as appearing in Buddhist scriptures and  2) To study the principles, the objectives and the practice of  Dhutanga at Wat  Phradhammakãya, Pathumthãni. 3) To Analyticalty study the ascetic practice at  Wat  Phradhammakãya, Pathumthãni. The study is of a documentary research and the researcher has studied information from Tipitaka, the documents, the textbooks, the electronic documents, the books and other writings related to principles of ascetic practices.

                   Form the research, it is found that :-

                   “Phradhutanga”, Buddhist monks on pilgrimage, is group of monks who follow Lord Buddha’s. The word “Dhutaṅga” literally means constituents to remove defilements. There are 13 monastic routines called “the thirteen Austere Practices.” Practitioner of dhutaṅga can willingly pick a single practice to follow. Simultaneous observation on all those 13 practices is not necessary. The practicing is depended on each individual’s merit, patience, and effort such as āraññikaṅga (living in the forest) and dosānikaṅga (living in a cemetery). Dhutaṅga comprises of means to reach solitude and detachment from chaotic society for practitioners, aim to refine impairments settled in each person.

            Dhammakaya Temple explains “Dhutaṅga” as the immediate way for eradicating defilements and toward contentment. Monks practicing dhutaṅga travel from place to place with advantages for their peaceful and sacrificing minds. They loosen their consumptions to free their minds from those disturbing confinements. With easiness and simplicity of the pilgrimage, meditation can be practiced undoubtedly better. The austerities are meant to strengthen practitioners’ mind and maintain their consciousness habitually. Their principles, Exemplary objectives only and practices Dhutanga that are consistent with the Tipitaka  only 2 : (1) eating with one sitting as a routine practice, (2) being satisfied with any dwelling as a routine practice. Those items are two of the thirteen practices as described in tipitaka. Dhammakaya Temple chooses to observe only two of them.

                   Analysis result of Dhammakaya Dhutanga 2012 Program’s course shows the main objectives of this activity are for offering to Lord Buddha and participating The Celebration of 2,600 Years of the Buddha's Enlightenment. The course also aims to revitalize mental status and bless the land with purity of merit especially for affected people from the 2011 severe floods. Buddhist culture will be further revived to Thai society by this beautiful morality. In consequence, this Buddhist propaganda of Dhammakaya Temple yields three major benefits:    (1) benefit for monks who observed dhutaṅga, with number of hundred thousand monks from every village in Thailand attended the program. After the end of Buddha Lent and kathina, those who decided to continue on their ordination gathered and practiced dharma as individual benefit. (2) Benefit for folks and people when they happily caught their sight for line of thousand monks in front of their residences. Faith and believe in Buddhism were developed in mind of those observers. (3) Benefits for Buddhism, both direct and indirect ways. For example, far people without direct welcome to those practicing monks could have faith in Buddhism delightfully. Even foreigners who had not accepted Buddhism before could witness with these austerities and start to learn the supreme goal of Buddhism.

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