Nicola Tannenbaum is a professor of anthropology at Lehigh University. Her research focus is on Shan in Maehongson Thailand. Her current research explores Shan Buddhist practices and the ways in which they are similar to or different from other Theravada groups in the region.Address: Professor of Anthropology, Chair, Department of Sociology & Anthropology, Lehigh University, 681 Taylor Street, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, USA. E-mail:
關鍵詞
Ethnology; Reincarnation; Human Beings; Children; Pre-Existence
摘要
In the Shan community of Thongmakhsan, northwestern Thailand, where I have done most of my ethnographic research, children are often identified as so-and-so who was reborn. These identifications are based on appearance, personal proclivities, and dreams around the time the child was born. I begin with the account of Ay Phit and his rebirth since it is this story which piqued my interest in rebirth. I then provide some background information on Shan in Maehongson Province. With this background, I begin the discussion of rebirth by examining local ideas about attachment and its consequences and then go on to discuss the ongoing relationship between the living and the dead, reborn or not, through the transfer of merit. I then describe possible rebirths to argue that rebirth as a human being is the most likely rebirth. In conclusion, I discuss communal karma to raise the question of the relationship between textual analyses and current local practices.
