THE SIGNIFICANCE OF KHRUBA SRIWICHAI 'S ROLE IN NORTHERN THAI BUDDHISM : HIS SACRED BIOGRAPHY , MEDITATION PRACTICE AND INFLUENCE ISARA TREESAHAKIAT Thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Arts in Religious Studies, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, 29 April 2011 Table of Contents ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ............................................................................................ iii INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER ONE : A LITERATURE REVIEW OF THAI AND ENGLISH MATERIALS ON KHRUBA SRIWICHAI ............................................................................................... 6 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 6 1.1 The definitions of khruba and ton bun ........................................................... 7 1.2 The belief in ton bun , millennialism, and bodhisatta .................................. 11 1.3 The association between ton bun and political authority ............................. 14 1.4 Ton bun , Buddhist revival and construction of sacred space ....................... 17 1.5 The fundamental theory of charisma ........................................................... 19 1.6 The theory of sacred biography and the framework for conceptualizing the history of the monks in Thailand ....................................................................... 21 1.7 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 24 CHAPTER TWO : BIOGRAPHY OF KHRUBA SRIWICHAI ........................................ 26 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 26 2.1 Thailand in the nineteenth century ............................................................... 28 2.2 Background of Lanna ................................................................................... 31 2.3 A survey of sacred biographies of Khruba Sriwichai .................................. 34 2.4 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 51 CHAPTER THREE : KHRUBA SRIWICHAI ’S MEDITATION PRACTICE AND HIS TEACHINGS ........................................................................................................... 53 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 53 3.1 History of ‘orthodox’ Theravāda Buddhist meditation ................................ 55 3.2 History of ‘hetero-orthodox’ Theravāda Buddhist meditation, the Yogāvacara tradition. ......................................................................................... 60 3.3 Khruba Sriwichai’s meditation practice and experience ............................. 62 3.3.1 Evidence from his sacred biographies .................................................. 63 3.3.2 Evidence from his monastic robes ......................................................... 85 3.3.3 Evidence from meditation practices and stories of his disciples and other northern Thai monks ............................................................................. 89 3.4 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 95 CHAPTER FOUR : KHRUBA SRIWICHAI ’S CONTEMPORARY CULT ...................... 97 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 97 4.1 The concept of Buddhist pāramī .................................................................. 97 4.2 The cult of amulets in Thailand ................................................................. 104 4.3 The contemporary cult of Khruba Sriwichai and the miracles .................. 107 4.3.1 Shrines ................................................................................................. 107 4.3.1.1 Shrine at the entrance to the hilltop Doi Suthep............................ 108 4.3.1.2 Shrine at Wat Suan Dok ................................................................ 111 4.3.1.3 Shrine at Wat Phra Singha ............................................................ 112 4.3.1.4 Powerful presence of Khruba Sriwichai through his portraits ...... 112 4.3.2 Museum ................................................................................................ 115 4.3.3 Amulets ................................................................................................ 119 4.4 Conclusion ................................................................................................. 126 CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................... 127 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................. 131 A b s t r a c t Khruba Sriwichai (1878-1938) was a well-known monk in Thailand and especially in the Lanna regions in the northern part of the country. His local fame spread throughout the country among a diverse group of followers. Many people know him for his opposition to the national Thai Sangha and his construction of the 12-kilometre road to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. There have been many books written about Khruba Sriwichai which are mainly based on personal faith and respect for him. There are also works in English on the life of Khruba Sriwichai by Tambiah, Swearer, Cohen, and Thompson which are mainly concerned with the analysis of his role of ton bun , his charisma and his political activities. Few scholars today describe Khruba Sriwichai as a Buddhist teacher, or as a practitioner of meditation. However, it is clear from contemporary accounts of Khruba Sriwichai that during his lifetime his Buddhist charisma was founded on his spiritual practice and his reputation as a meditation master. His level of Buddhist attainment is reflected not just by his ability to challenge Bangkok (and survive) but also by his revival of northern Thai Buddhism. The thesis looks at an important key for understanding Khruba Sriwichai and the source of his Buddhist charisma. This key is the investigation of his monastic lineage, his Buddhist teachings, his Buddhist practice, and cult which are based on many primary and secondary resources in Thai and English, as well as information gathered during field research in northern Thailand. In addition to histories and biographies in Thai and English, and contemporary materials about Khruba Sriwichai preserved in the Thai media and Royal Gazettes, there is also a tamnan (history) composed in 1878 in Lanna Tai language concerning his life and teachings. The investigation of these aspects of Khruba Sriwichai shed some light upon the understandings of the reason for his enduring importance for Thai history. Khruba i Sriwichai was not a charismatic Buddhist saint because he challenged Bangkok, or appeared on the covers of political magazines. He was a Buddhist saint because of his accumulation of pāramī . ii Acknowledgement First of all, I would like to thank the 60th Dhammachai Education Foundation for inspiring me the pursuit of religious studies. Special thanks to Dr.Elizabeth Guthrie for her support and advice. I really appreciate the amount of time that she has given me. Also, I would like to thank Dr.Will Sweetman and Dr.Chaisit Suwanvarangkul for their help and advice. I wish to thank the Lanna people who kindly helped me with my field research and for their guidance. Last but not least, I am truly grateful to my family and friends for always being there for me and supporting me throughout these past three years. Their support and encouragement means so much to me. Thank you very much. iii Introduction 1 In January 2010, a full page colour picture of Khruba Sriwichai , a northern Thai monk (1878-1938) appeared on the cover of a Thai magazine published in support 2 of the former Prime Minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra , called the Voice of Taksin . The title on the cover says: “Lanna challenges the evil from the time of 3 Khruba Sriwichai to Thaksin”. The association of the northern Thai Buddhist saint Khruba Sriwichai and the politician Thaksin raises many questions about the relationship between religion and Thai politics, something analysed extensively in 4 Tambiah’s World Conqueror and World Renouncer. The political implications of Khruba Sriwichai’s challenge of central Thai authority in 1908-1910, 1911- 1921, and 1935-1936 cannot be ignored. However, focusing too much on the political obscures the reason for Khruba Sriwichai’s enduring importance for Thai history, his status as a Buddhist holy man, or ton bun , and the source of his personal power or charisma. In this thesis, I will explore the reasons for Khruba Sriwichai’s status as a ton bun , his Buddhist lineage, his meditation practice, and 1 “Khruba” refers to an abbot or a title used for a highly respected monk. This title is mainly used among Tai people in northern Thailand and Lao people in the northeast. In this thesis I will use this title to refer to Phra Sriwichai because he was widely known as Khruba Sriwichai. In addition, there are two ways to spell his name which are ครูบาศรีวิชัย and ครูบาสีวีไชย . Here I transliterate from the first word by using the Royal Institute’s Thai Romanization system. 2 Here