The Vessantara Jataka as a performative text -- The Vessantara Jataka and early state formation -- A Theravada Buddhist theory of monarchy : the ruler as bodhisatta -- The colonial challenge to Buddhist monarchy -- Thai and western Buddhist scholarship in the era of imperialism -- From jatakas to Thai folktales -- Conclusion : the modern Vessantara.
Summary:
Since the 2006 coup d'état, Thailand has been riven by two opposing political visions: one which aspires to a modern democracy and the rule of law, and another which holds to the traditional conception of a kingdom ruled by an exemplary Buddhist monarch. Thailand has one of the world's largest populations of observant Buddhists and one of its last politically active monarchies. This book examines the Theravada Buddhist foundations of Thailand's longstanding institution of monarchy. Patrick Jory states that the storehouse of monarchical ideology is to be found in the popular literary genre known as the Jātakas, tales of the Buddha's past lives. The best-known of these, the Vessantara Jātaka, disseminated an ideal of an infinitely generous prince as a bodhisatta or future Buddha--an ideal which remains influential in Thailand today.
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