A Model of Buddhist Local Museum Management in Phayao Province

Abstract

The aims of research article are 1) to study the concept of establishing a local museum, 2) to study the management condition of the Buddhist local museums in Phayao Province, and 3) to present the management model of the Buddhist local museum in Phayao Province. This study is conducted by the qualitative research method through the document studies, interview with 5 key informants, including a group discussion of 13 people, and then analyzed the data to discuss the research results and present in a descriptive technique.

The results reveal that 1) the concept of establishing a local museum in Phayao Province is for conserving the antiques to be a repository of local identity wisdom, cultivating the local people to pay attention to the importance of their history, and creating a learning resource and community participation. 2) The management condition of the Buddhist local museums in Phayao Province is divided into 4 aspects: (1) man: it is managed as a committee under the supervision of the monastery which consists of a management structure, division of responsibilities, and the abbot’s authority to manage it; (2) money:  it is unclear management, lack of support budget, and income gained from donations; (3) material: the exhibition is proportional according to the nature of the content; (4) management: it is both of a systematic planning and appropriate adjustment. 3) The management model of Buddhist local museums in Phayao Province are as follows: (1) stability: to be appointed the committee, to define the duties and assignments clearly, to manage the budget continually, and to plan as an effective management; (2) participation: to support monks and communities to maintain the museum, to gain funding sources form government and private sector, to use technology for managing, and to join a network of local museums; (3) sustainability: to give the curatorial knowledge to staff members, to plan to use budget, to keep antiques safely, to build a structured of board committee, and to set the vision, mission, policy. The body of knowledge from research is that 1) morality: the founder’s morality depends on the principle of 4 Iddhipãdas; 2) participation of people in the community and agencies has to join to maintain and support each other; 3) resource use:  it has to respond the needs of people in community, to use it for maximum benefit on the basis of sufficiency and the fullest and best potential for the community; 4) management: it has to have a clear planning and management structure in order to achieve continuous development; 5) presentation of Dharma puzzles: the Buddhist local museum presents the content of Buddhist history and principles of Dharma through displaying objects such as the Iddhipãdas and the Tilakkhaṇa.