FOLLOWING THE Introduction BUDDHA’S PATH: THE There are many Buddhist narratives in BUDDHA’S LIFE STORY AS Thailand, including various versions of the THE MODEL FOR Buddha’s life, as well as accounts of the NARRATING THE LIVES OF Buddha’s relics and of important Buddha images. Biographies of Phra Kechi Achan, PHRA KECHI ACHAN monks with mystical powers, are also (MONKS WITH MYSTICAL popular, especially in Central Thailand POWER) IN CENTRAL where many of these monks lived. Some of 1 these monks focused primarily on meditation, THAILAND 3 such as Luang Pu Canta Davaro/ Saipan Puriwanchana2 of Pa Khao Noi temple/ in Phichit province, and Luang Pho Jaran Thitadhammo/ of Amphawan Abstract temple/ in Sing Buri province. Other monks, such as Luang Pho Ngoen/ This article aims at studying the narratives of Bang Khlan temple/ in of Phra Kechi Achan, (monks with Phichit province, and Luang Pu Suk/ mystical power) in central Thailand. Four monks’ life narratives, two from the of Pakkhlongmakhamthao temple/ ก Vipassana group and two from the in Chainat province, focused Vidayagom group, are used as case on the occult sciences. studies. The study reveals that the narratives of all monks follow the These narratives describe the monks’ structure of the Buddha’s life due to the mystical practices and the sacred objects Buddhist tradition of using the Buddha’s they created. For example, the biography life as a paradigm to compose religious of Luang Pho Nogen reports that one day persons’ stories. However, the miraculous while Luang Pho was sitting watching his power of each monk is highlighted in his attendants make an iron collar for an narrative. There is both miraculous power elephant. Luang Pho got up and dropped as found in the Buddhist canon and as his yellow robe in the fire. Miraculously, influenced by Thai cultural beliefs and the fire did not burn the robe. His practices. attendants who saw this miraculous event took the robe and tore it into many pieces. They wore pieces of this robe around their necks as amulets (Buri Rattana n.d.:77– 1 This article is a part of the author’s Ph.D. dissertation in Thai Folklore entitled “Miracles 78). These miraculous events frame the and the Making of Sacred Narratives: questions for this article: should the Convention and Dynamism in the Life History of ‘Kechi Achan’ in Central Thai Society.” The Ph.D. research is granted by The Royal 3 The words Luang Pu (‘big paternal Golden Jubilee Ph.D. Program, Thailand grandfather’), Luang Ta (‘big maternal Research Fund (TRF). 2 grandfather’), and Luang Pho (‘big father’) are Ph.D. candidate, Department of Thai, Faculty pronouns used for addressing or referring to of Arts, Chulalongkorn University senior and venerable monks. Downloaded from Brill.com09/26/2021 09:59:38PM via free access MANUSYA: Journal of Humanities, Special Issue No. 19, 2011 narratives about mystical monks be seen two periods: pre-realization and post- as Buddhist narratives or are they, rather, realization and breaks each period into a narratives of occult sciences, full of number of stages (see the table below) mystical practices? (Ray 1994: 48–58). This article uses Reginald Ray’s notion of Ray’s analysis of the events in the the Buddha Sakyamuni’s life as a paradigm Buddha’s life is as follows. to argue that the Buddha’s life story serves as the template for these accounts of Pre-realization: monks with mystical power (Ray 1994). I 1) Crisis in Gautama’s life would also argue that these accounts 2) Personal spiritual longing that translates incorporate Thai cultural beliefs, especially into a strong sense of religious; vocation the mystical power found in the cult of 3) The formal renouncing of the world amulets. 4) The taking up of the wandering, renunciant life, defined by an ascetic mode The relationship between the of dress, sustaining, and dwelling Buddha’s life, his disciples’ lives and 5) The seeking and the finding of a teacher the lives of important Buddhist or guru monks 6) The formation of aspirations and taking of vows in connection with the quest 7) The intensive practice of meditation, Venerable Phra Dhammapitaka explains which makes up the substance of the Buddhapravati ‘the Lord Buddha’s life’ in spiritual quest and his Dictionary of Buddhism (Glossary of 8) Personal realization of enlightenment Buddhist Terms), as divided into three periods: Post-realization: The Lord Buddha’s life as divided in the 9) Recognition of the Buddha’s exegesis can be separated into three major enlightenment periods: 1) Durenidana, the narratives of 10) Self-declaration of enlightenment his past lives as a Bodhisattava to his 11) Compassion as the central component incarnation in the fourth land of heaven, of the Buddha’s enlightened personality 12) Miraculous phenomena spontaneously Dusita; 2) Avidurenidana, the narratives 4 from his death in Dusita to his surrounding the Buddha’s person enlightenment ; 3) Santikenitana, the 13) Possession of supernatural power narratives from his enlightenment to his 14) The receiving of dassana attainment of nirvana. (Venerable Phra Dhammapitaka 2003: 162) Phra Dhammapitaka provides the classical account of the structure of the Buddha’s life or, in Ray’s terms, “the paradigm of 4 life” (Ray 1994). The life history of From the birth of Lord Buddha to his nirvana, supernatural phenomena occurred Gautama Buddha follows the paradigmatic spontaneously; for example, an earthquake structure of the lives of all Buddhas. Ray’s happened whenever the Lord Buddha analysis parallels that of the early exegetes. performed an extraordinary feat. (Ray 1994: His analysis divides the Buddha’s life into 51) 2 Downloaded from Brill.com09/26/2021 09:59:38PM via free access Following the Buddha’s Path 15) A cult with characteristic features that In the narratives of the Buddha’s life, the develops around the Buddha pre-realization period consists of only eight 16) The teaching of both humans and events, while there are thirty-five events in supernatural beings the post-realization period. The accounts of 17) The acceptance of close disciples and the Buddha’s life emphasize the importance lay followers of the post-realization period because this 18) The lack of scholarly concerns and period provides the core teachings of the textual study in the Buddha’s teaching and Buddha and emphasizes his role as the great practice teacher of his disciples and lay followers. 19) Only oral teachings 20) The making of conversation Ray goes on to analyze the lives of male 21) The defeat of evil beings and female Buddhist Arahants (saints). 22) Association with the lowborn and The narratives in his analysis can also be disadvantaged divided into the same pre- and post- 23) The Buddha’s nonconformity with realization periods. While the number of traditional religious practices and his events in the pre-realization period vary, critique of social and religious conventions there are always thirty-five events in the 24) The Buddha criticized and even post-realization period. This shows that persecuted for his sanctity, these narratives are explicitly modeled on unconventionality, or explicit critique of the life of the Buddha (Ray 1994: 80–95). current practices 25) The danger of the numinous power of This structure also influenced the biographies the Buddha of monks who lived in Thailand in the 26) The Buddha as a principal reference recent past. Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah (1984), point of the dharma for his followers in his analysis of the lives of the students of 27) Possession of a body that is Luang Pu Man Puridatto/ , supermundane in some way argues that these narratives follow the same 28) Longevity and the capacity to live plot and the same structure as those of the even to the end of the kalpa Buddha’s disciples found in the Apadana 29) Association of the Buddha with and the Avadana (Tambiah 1984: 21–23). millennial expectations 30) Anticipation of death Similarly, Taylor’s analysis of Luang Ta 31) Extraordinary death Maha Bua Yannasampanno’s/ 32) Ritual disposition of the body of the biography of Luang Pu Man, Buddha states that, “Man’s life story then becomes 33) The Buddha’s remains enshrined in a symbolically and semantically related to stupa the classical conventional hagiographies of 34) The association of the Buddha with the Buddha and exemplary Buddhist saints” one or more sacred places (Taylor 1997: 292). He suggests that 35) The development of characteristic Luang Ta Maha Bua was familiar with the texts, in particular, the sacred biography narratives of the Buddha’s life and that: and the teachings of the Buddha . .well-known Thai texts such as the Pathamasambodhikatha written by the prince-monk Paramanuchit- chinorot (1790– 1853) and the 3 Downloaded from Brill.com09/26/2021 09:59:38PM via free access MANUSYA: Journal of Humanities, Special Issue No. 19, 2011 later Putthaprawat written by Vidayagom group and have been selected another prince-monk Wachirayaan as the other two case studies. A comparison (1859–1921) may have been of these two groups shows that the conscious or unconscious sources of narrative structure remains the same inspiration for the narrator. Both regardless of the source of mystical power. texts are used in the national ecclesiastical dhamma courses Phra Bhikkhu Phraya (nak tham) with which Mahaa Norarattanaratchamanit (Dhammavitakko Bua would have been familiar, Bhikkhu), Debsirindravas temple 5 having spent the first seven years of his monastic career as a scholar Before he was ordained as a monk, Truk (pariyat) monk. (Taylor 1997: 292) Chintayanon served in the court of King Rama VI (1910–1925). He started as a royal page Taylor goes on to suggest that Maha Bua but rose to become a privy councilor to the was also influenced by the narrative structure King.