THE SADHU MODEL: A FEASIBILITY-ORIENTED APPLIED BUDDHIST FRAMEWORK FOR RECREATIONAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AMONG AGEING MONKS IN RURAL THAILAND

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Population ageing raises concerns regarding functional decline, frailty, and the sustainability of independent living. Ageing Buddhist monks represent a specialised ageing population whose functional capacity is shaped by biological ageing and the institutional structure of monastic life, including the Vinaya, meaning monastic discipline, and samana-sarupa, meaning appropriate monastic conduct. Conventional exercise programmes may not fit these conditions, creating a need for physical activity approaches compatible with daily religious practice. This study aimed to examine the implementation of the SADHU Model, a context-specific Buddhist-based recreational physical activity framework, among ageing monks in rural Thailand; To describe preliminary trends in health-related functional fitness; And to assess participant satisfaction and perceived feasibility within a feasibility-oriented framework.

Methodology: The intervention phase reported in this article formed part of a broader mixed-methods research project and employed a quantitative quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design with descriptive feasibility assessment. Thirty ageing Buddhist monks aged 50 years and above from rural temples in Sisaket Province, Thailand, participated in an intervention lasting 12 weeks. The SADHU Model reorganised existing monastic routines into structured opportunities for extremely light to very light intensity recreational physical activity, corresponding to ratings of 7 to 9 on the Borg 6 - 20 Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale. The intervention incorporated inherent monastic routines, supportive temple-based activities, and structured movement practices. Health-related functional fitness was assessed using the Senior Fitness Test, while participant satisfaction and perceived feasibility were assessed using a researcher-developed 10-item, five-point rating scale. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and paired-samples t-tests, with statistical significance set at p < .05.

Main Results: Mean scores changed in a favourable direction across cardiovascular endurance, upper- and lower-body strength, lower- and upper-body flexibility, and agility with dynamic balance; However, none of the observed changes met the prespecified threshold for statistical significance (p = .052 to .08). The mean 2-Minute Step Test score increased from 105.57 ± 13.06 to 106.93 ± 11.68 repetitions, while the mean 8-Foot Up-and-Go Test completion time decreased from 7.66 ± 1.17 to 7.53 ± 1.14 seconds. Overall participant satisfaction was high (4.01 ± 0.73), and perceived benefit was rated very high (4.23 ± 0.57). These findings were interpreted as a preliminary pattern consistent with short-term functional stability and perceived contextual acceptability, rather than as evidence of physiological improvement or intervention efficacy.

Involvement to Buddhadhamma: This study is classified within Applied Buddhism because it applies Buddhist principles to the sustainable development and implementation of a context-specific health-related process model. The SADHU Model situates bodily movement within disciplined and attentive monastic practice. The Vinaya and samana-sarupa provide contextual grounds for ensuring that activities remain compatible with monastic conduct, while sati, meaning mindfulness, and appamāda, meaning heedfulness, inform the rationale for measured, careful, and context-appropriate movement. These principles function as contextual foundations for activity design and method development rather than as clinical explanations for the observed outcomes.

Conclusions: The findings did not demonstrate statistically significant physiological improvement or causal intervention efficacy. Rather, they showed that the SADHU Model was implemented within daily monastic routines and was accompanied by favourable directional changes in health-related functional fitness, while participants reported high satisfaction indicative of perceived feasibility. SADHU should therefore be understood as an empirically informed, context-sensitive Applied Buddhist model for organising recreational physical activity within monastic routines. Controlled studies with larger samples, longer follow-up periods, and additional functional outcomes are needed to examine its longer-term implications.