Mediums, Monks, and Amulets: Thai Popular Buddhism Today

by Pattana Kitiarsa

Overview

Mediums, Monks, and Amulets is a sophisticated yet accessible study of the state of popular Buddhist beliefs as they are practiced in Thailand today. Using a combination of focused case studies and analysis, Pattana Kitiarsa explores the nature and evolution of popular Buddhism over the past three decades by focusing on those individuals who practice, popularize, and profit from it.

The case studies profiled include prominent spirit mediums and magic monks, the lottery fever surrounding the posthumous cult of folk singer Phumphuang Duangchan, the Chatukham-Rammathep amulet craze, and the cult of wealth attributed to preeminent monk Luang Pho Khun. It also explores the history of both popular and official opinion surrounding supernatural Buddhism, and its clashes with the rationalist, modernizing policies of Thailand's monarchy and government.

Mediums, Monks, and Amulets contests the viewpoint that supernatural elements within popular Buddhism are a symptom of the decline of the religion. Instead, it argues that this hybridity between traditional Buddhist beliefs and elements from other religions is in fact indicative of the health and wealth of Buddhism as it negotiates large-scale commercialization and global modernity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9786162150494
Publisher:	Silkworm Books
Publication date:	12/21/2012
Pages:	196
Sales rank:	990,687
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Pattana Kitiarsa teaches in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies, National University of Singapore.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments v

Note on Transliteration and Thai Names xi

Preface xi

Chapter 1 Introduction 1

Chapter 2 Beyond Syncretism 11

Chapter 3 Magic Monks and Spirit Mediums 3

Chapter 4 Phumphuang: A Singer's Spirit and Lottery Luck 5

Chapter 5 Luang Pho Khun: A Postmodern Monk 81

Chapter 6 The Rise and Fall of the Chatukham-Rammathep Amulet 111

Chapter 7 Mediumship in Focus 125

Chapter 8 Concluding Remarks 145

Notes 151

Bibliography 159

Index 167

Editorial Reviews

"[T]hose who observe, research, and write on Thai popular Buddhism should place this volume at the forefront of their work. . . . Pattana has made Thai religion an exceptional study for folklorists as well as for anthropologists and students of religion." -Leedom Lefferts, Journal of Folklore Research, January 2014

From the Publisher