Erik W. Davis works as Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. His main research interests are Cambodia, Buddhism, and ritual performance. Address: Macalester College, 1600 Grand Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55105, USA. E-mail:
關鍵詞
Children; Moral Development; Buddhism; Ethnology; Families
摘要
This article deals with the phenomenon of past-life memory among contemporary Cambodian children, using one exemplary case, of a young girl born with memories of her past existence as her own uncle, who predeceased her by 20 years. In contrast to the liberating power attributed to past-life memory among buddhas and arhats, past-life memory among children is considered frightening and abnormal in Cambodia. Investigating the ways in which families deal with such past-life memories in their children, I outline how the concerns of parents are founded in concerns about moral development, autonomy, and dependence. The ethnographic approach taken here is intended to complement and complicate the normative approaches to past-life memory as solely a liberating accomplishment, a requisite part of the trividyā (Triple Knowledge).
目次
Khun in Kompong Cham 125 Models of rebirth memory 127 Past-birth memory and its production 129 Children versus ascetics—memory in children is a sickness to be treated 130 Moral progress requires dependency 130 Eggs, babies, and lineage 135 Conclusion 136 Acknowledgements 137 Disclosure statement 137 Funding 137 Notes 137 References 139
