Michael K. Jerryson
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199793235
- eISBN:
- 9780199897438
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199793235.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter examines the symbolic power of southern Buddhist monks and its connection to the violence. By its tactical use of Buddhism as a state religion, the Thai government politicizes Buddhist ...
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This chapter examines the symbolic power of southern Buddhist monks and its connection to the violence. By its tactical use of Buddhism as a state religion, the Thai government politicizes Buddhist monks through state rhetoric and official programs, thereby transforming monks into embodiments of Thai nationalism and Thai Buddhism. As political entities, monks physically become military targets in the conflict. Because of his significance, an attack on a Buddhist monk is a defacement of the sacred. The combination of a politicized representation, a defacement, and a conflict over space becomes a catalyst for religious violence. This equation of Buddhist violence is tested in different conflicts such as in Vietnam, Myanmar, and Arizona.Less
This chapter examines the symbolic power of southern Buddhist monks and its connection to the violence. By its tactical use of Buddhism as a state religion, the Thai government politicizes Buddhist monks through state rhetoric and official programs, thereby transforming monks into embodiments of Thai nationalism and Thai Buddhism. As political entities, monks physically become military targets in the conflict. Because of his significance, an attack on a Buddhist monk is a defacement of the sacred. The combination of a politicized representation, a defacement, and a conflict over space becomes a catalyst for religious violence. This equation of Buddhist violence is tested in different conflicts such as in Vietnam, Myanmar, and Arizona.
PARICHART SUWANBUBBHA
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195160017
- eISBN:
- 9780199849611
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195160017.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter presents Buddhist teachings and visions to help people make conscientious decisions regarding family planning, contraception, and abortion in Thailand. It elaborates the position that ...
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This chapter presents Buddhist teachings and visions to help people make conscientious decisions regarding family planning, contraception, and abortion in Thailand. It elaborates the position that Buddhist teachings support the nonviolent methods of birth control and family planning both in individual and national policy. It also explores some important Buddhist teachings in order to define the situation clearly, to give faithful interpretations of Buddhist teaching, and to present some illustrations to support the right to family planning and to express toleration in Buddhism for abortion. The popular merit making and the law of kamma are important in Thai Buddhism and play a vital role in shaping the attitudes of Buddhism toward abortion.Less
This chapter presents Buddhist teachings and visions to help people make conscientious decisions regarding family planning, contraception, and abortion in Thailand. It elaborates the position that Buddhist teachings support the nonviolent methods of birth control and family planning both in individual and national policy. It also explores some important Buddhist teachings in order to define the situation clearly, to give faithful interpretations of Buddhist teaching, and to present some illustrations to support the right to family planning and to express toleration in Buddhism for abortion. The popular merit making and the law of kamma are important in Thai Buddhism and play a vital role in shaping the attitudes of Buddhism toward abortion.
Michael K. Jerryson
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199793235
- eISBN:
- 9780199897438
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199793235.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
For many people, the concept of Buddhist violence is an oxymoron. The image of a Buddhist monk holding a handgun or the view of a militarized Buddhist monastery challenges our popular images of ...
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For many people, the concept of Buddhist violence is an oxymoron. The image of a Buddhist monk holding a handgun or the view of a militarized Buddhist monastery challenges our popular images of Buddhism. However, these sights actually exist in southern Thailand. One of the lesser known but longest running conflicts of Southeast Asia is in Thailand’s southernmost provinces. Among the various causes of the conflict is religious division. Although Thailand’s population is 92% Buddhist, over 85% of the people in the southernmost provinces are Muslim. Since 2004, the Thai government has imposed martial law over the three provinces in this territory and fought with a grassroots militant Malay Muslim insurgency. Buddhist Fury examines five different Buddhist dimensions of the conflict and places them within a global context. Through fieldwork conducted in the conflict area, the book follows the southern Thai Buddhist monks and their practices in Thailand’s deep south. Many Buddhist practices remain unchanged. Buddhist monks continue to chant, counsel the laity, and accrue merit. Yet at the same time, some monks zealously advocate Buddhist nationalism, act as covert military officers, and equip themselves with guns. The book examines the methods by which religion alters the nature of the conflict and the dangers inherent in this transformation.Less
For many people, the concept of Buddhist violence is an oxymoron. The image of a Buddhist monk holding a handgun or the view of a militarized Buddhist monastery challenges our popular images of Buddhism. However, these sights actually exist in southern Thailand. One of the lesser known but longest running conflicts of Southeast Asia is in Thailand’s southernmost provinces. Among the various causes of the conflict is religious division. Although Thailand’s population is 92% Buddhist, over 85% of the people in the southernmost provinces are Muslim. Since 2004, the Thai government has imposed martial law over the three provinces in this territory and fought with a grassroots militant Malay Muslim insurgency. Buddhist Fury examines five different Buddhist dimensions of the conflict and places them within a global context. Through fieldwork conducted in the conflict area, the book follows the southern Thai Buddhist monks and their practices in Thailand’s deep south. Many Buddhist practices remain unchanged. Buddhist monks continue to chant, counsel the laity, and accrue merit. Yet at the same time, some monks zealously advocate Buddhist nationalism, act as covert military officers, and equip themselves with guns. The book examines the methods by which religion alters the nature of the conflict and the dangers inherent in this transformation.
Justin Thomas McDaniel
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231153775
- eISBN:
- 9780231527545
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231153775.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This introductory chapter narrates the story of “Mae Nak Phrakhanong” (Mother Nak of Phrakhanong District), and discusses its influence in Thai Buddhism. In the story, a female ghost terrified a ...
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This introductory chapter narrates the story of “Mae Nak Phrakhanong” (Mother Nak of Phrakhanong District), and discusses its influence in Thai Buddhism. In the story, a female ghost terrified a small village in Bangkok. With her long fingernails she gutted any person who attempted to tell her husband that she was merely the specter of his wife. All the while her husband, Mak, lived unaware that his beautiful and caring wife was indeed a ghost. When he realized her true nature, he was torn between the love for his departed and the fear of her ghost. In the end, a Buddhist monk Somdet To used Pali incantations to release the ghost, thus freeing Mak and his village. The story can be considered one of the central concerns of Thai Buddhism with its numerous images, stories, rituals, and amulets associated with Somdet To and Mae Nak.Less
This introductory chapter narrates the story of “Mae Nak Phrakhanong” (Mother Nak of Phrakhanong District), and discusses its influence in Thai Buddhism. In the story, a female ghost terrified a small village in Bangkok. With her long fingernails she gutted any person who attempted to tell her husband that she was merely the specter of his wife. All the while her husband, Mak, lived unaware that his beautiful and caring wife was indeed a ghost. When he realized her true nature, he was torn between the love for his departed and the fear of her ghost. In the end, a Buddhist monk Somdet To used Pali incantations to release the ghost, thus freeing Mak and his village. The story can be considered one of the central concerns of Thai Buddhism with its numerous images, stories, rituals, and amulets associated with Somdet To and Mae Nak.
Justin Thomas McDaniel
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231153775
- eISBN:
- 9780231527545
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231153775.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter critiques one of the many standardizations of Thai Buddhism—Theravada Buddhism. Many studies posit that starting in the late eighteenth century and continuing until today, Buddhist ...
More
This chapter critiques one of the many standardizations of Thai Buddhism—Theravada Buddhism. Many studies posit that starting in the late eighteenth century and continuing until today, Buddhist practice, texts, and administration have been much standardized. Many have argued that there has been a concomitant homogenization of Buddhist belief and practice since the introduction of printing presses, a growth in “canonical fundamentalism,” greater administrative capabilities, and social control methods assisted by improved roads, communication, tax collection, as well as the ossifycation of national languages, borders, symbols, and shared histories. However, there is neither a national, standardized Buddhist ritual calendar nor a standard national Buddhist liturgy. These rituals and liturgies have no prescriptive cultural repertoires. Moreover, these repertoires have a way of self-corralling and pacifying diversity. Thus, organizers of rituals and liturgies at various monasteries do not need to follow state-sanctioned regiments, even though there are cultural and religious expectations.Less
This chapter critiques one of the many standardizations of Thai Buddhism—Theravada Buddhism. Many studies posit that starting in the late eighteenth century and continuing until today, Buddhist practice, texts, and administration have been much standardized. Many have argued that there has been a concomitant homogenization of Buddhist belief and practice since the introduction of printing presses, a growth in “canonical fundamentalism,” greater administrative capabilities, and social control methods assisted by improved roads, communication, tax collection, as well as the ossifycation of national languages, borders, symbols, and shared histories. However, there is neither a national, standardized Buddhist ritual calendar nor a standard national Buddhist liturgy. These rituals and liturgies have no prescriptive cultural repertoires. Moreover, these repertoires have a way of self-corralling and pacifying diversity. Thus, organizers of rituals and liturgies at various monasteries do not need to follow state-sanctioned regiments, even though there are cultural and religious expectations.
Justin Thomas McDaniel
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231153775
- eISBN:
- 9780231527545
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231153775.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter discusses the significance of art in Thai Buddhism. Thai Buddhism is lauded for its age and precious objects, which are honored for their connection to certain powerful monks, their ...
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This chapter discusses the significance of art in Thai Buddhism. Thai Buddhism is lauded for its age and precious objects, which are honored for their connection to certain powerful monks, their relics, their power to heal, or their power to protect. Many of these highly revered and powerful images are reproduced on resin or wood, crudely and mass-produced bronze, plastic, copper, resin, or clay. Moreover, these images demand a response and reaction. Patrons do not merely look at or prostrate before images; they affix gold, insert relics, draw holy water, as well as comfort images with robes, pillows, food, and flowers.Less
This chapter discusses the significance of art in Thai Buddhism. Thai Buddhism is lauded for its age and precious objects, which are honored for their connection to certain powerful monks, their relics, their power to heal, or their power to protect. Many of these highly revered and powerful images are reproduced on resin or wood, crudely and mass-produced bronze, plastic, copper, resin, or clay. Moreover, these images demand a response and reaction. Patrons do not merely look at or prostrate before images; they affix gold, insert relics, draw holy water, as well as comfort images with robes, pillows, food, and flowers.
Justin McDaniel
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231153775
- eISBN:
- 9780231527545
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231153775.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
Stories centering on the lovelorn ghost (Mae Nak) and the magical monk (Somdet To) are central to Thai Buddhism. Historically important and emotionally resonant, these characters appeal to every ...
More
Stories centering on the lovelorn ghost (Mae Nak) and the magical monk (Somdet To) are central to Thai Buddhism. Historically important and emotionally resonant, these characters appeal to every class of follower. Metaphorically and rhetorically powerful, they invite constant reimagining across time. Focusing on representations of the ghost and monk from the late eighteenth century to the present, the book builds a case for interpreting modern Thai Buddhist practice through the movements of these transformative figures. It follows embodiments of the ghost and monk in a variety of genres and media, including biography, film, television, drama, ritual, art, liturgy, and the Internet. Sourcing nuns, monks, laypeople, and royalty, he shows how relations with these figures have been instrumental in crafting histories and modernities. Establishing an individual’s “religious repertoire” as a valid category of study, the book explores the performance of Buddhist thought and ritual through practices of magic, prognostication, image production, sacred protection, and deity and ghost worship, and clarifies the meaning of multiple cultural configurations. The book suggests that concepts of attachment, love, wealth, beauty, entertainment, graciousness, security, and nationalism all spring from engagement with the ghost and the monk and are as vital to the making of Thai Buddhism as venerating the Buddha himself.Less
Stories centering on the lovelorn ghost (Mae Nak) and the magical monk (Somdet To) are central to Thai Buddhism. Historically important and emotionally resonant, these characters appeal to every class of follower. Metaphorically and rhetorically powerful, they invite constant reimagining across time. Focusing on representations of the ghost and monk from the late eighteenth century to the present, the book builds a case for interpreting modern Thai Buddhist practice through the movements of these transformative figures. It follows embodiments of the ghost and monk in a variety of genres and media, including biography, film, television, drama, ritual, art, liturgy, and the Internet. Sourcing nuns, monks, laypeople, and royalty, he shows how relations with these figures have been instrumental in crafting histories and modernities. Establishing an individual’s “religious repertoire” as a valid category of study, the book explores the performance of Buddhist thought and ritual through practices of magic, prognostication, image production, sacred protection, and deity and ghost worship, and clarifies the meaning of multiple cultural configurations. The book suggests that concepts of attachment, love, wealth, beauty, entertainment, graciousness, security, and nationalism all spring from engagement with the ghost and the monk and are as vital to the making of Thai Buddhism as venerating the Buddha himself.
Michael K. Jerryson
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199793235
- eISBN:
- 9780199897438
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199793235.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
The conclusion provides an alternative to the Buddhist-Muslim polemics and tensions in southern Thailand. Over the last several centuries, Buddhists and Muslims have coexisted peacefully, and this ...
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The conclusion provides an alternative to the Buddhist-Muslim polemics and tensions in southern Thailand. Over the last several centuries, Buddhists and Muslims have coexisted peacefully, and this model of religious pluralism is still present within the conflict zone. While the Thai government's policies and actions politicize the role of Thai Buddhism, which further exacerbates the violence, a minority of monks work to retain Thai Buddhism's communal and interfaith characteristics in the southern provinces. By reducing their political roles and increasing their community ties, these monks offer hope to the region and, more importantly, a platform of action that can be emulated throughout the southernmost provinces.Less
The conclusion provides an alternative to the Buddhist-Muslim polemics and tensions in southern Thailand. Over the last several centuries, Buddhists and Muslims have coexisted peacefully, and this model of religious pluralism is still present within the conflict zone. While the Thai government's policies and actions politicize the role of Thai Buddhism, which further exacerbates the violence, a minority of monks work to retain Thai Buddhism's communal and interfaith characteristics in the southern provinces. By reducing their political roles and increasing their community ties, these monks offer hope to the region and, more importantly, a platform of action that can be emulated throughout the southernmost provinces.
Eugene Ford
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780300218565
- eISBN:
- 9780300231281
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300218565.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This introductory chapter reveals the contours of a Buddhist political history in which Southeast Asia's national borders are transcended by connections and perceptions formed among Buddhists of ...
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This introductory chapter reveals the contours of a Buddhist political history in which Southeast Asia's national borders are transcended by connections and perceptions formed among Buddhists of different nationalities, as well as other international protagonists. The monkhood's relations with Washington were based on a mutual keeping up of complementary appearances: that one side was avoiding religion while the other was staying out of politics. Despite appearances, the Buddhist clergy in fact grew more politically internationalized under the U.S. embrace. So, too, was Thai Buddhism growing more religiously internationalized through institutions such as the World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB). It was through involvement in this group, seen by some as a “miniature Asian U.N.,” that Thailand's lay Buddhist leadership contended with the major international Buddhist issues of the day.Less
This introductory chapter reveals the contours of a Buddhist political history in which Southeast Asia's national borders are transcended by connections and perceptions formed among Buddhists of different nationalities, as well as other international protagonists. The monkhood's relations with Washington were based on a mutual keeping up of complementary appearances: that one side was avoiding religion while the other was staying out of politics. Despite appearances, the Buddhist clergy in fact grew more politically internationalized under the U.S. embrace. So, too, was Thai Buddhism growing more religiously internationalized through institutions such as the World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB). It was through involvement in this group, seen by some as a “miniature Asian U.N.,” that Thailand's lay Buddhist leadership contended with the major international Buddhist issues of the day.
