First published in 1975, B.J. Terwiel’s Monks and Magic remains a widely cited text. This is an absorbing study of Buddhism as practised at that time in a community in rural Central Thailand, describing how esoteric spells and magical diagrams were the main interest of children and adolescents but full ritual knowledge was obtained in adulthood and tempered by life experiences. As death approaches, the Buddhist world view stimulates merit-making. This reproduction of the 1979 second revised edition is augmented by new material on magic and Buddhism in Southeast Asia by Professor Terwiel, a renowned specialist on the social and cultural history of Thailand.
目次
Preface Acknowledgements A Note on Transliteration 1. Two Orientations in the Practice of Buddhism 2. The Setting and the Fieldwork 3. Children and Religion 4. Adolescents, Amulets and Tattooing 5. The First Period in the Sangha 6. Leaving the Order, Courtship and Marriage 7. Building a House 8. The Precepts and Ritual 9. The Pursuit of Beneficial Karma 10. Old Age, Death, and the Hereafter 11. Conclusions Postscript Glossary of Thai, Pali and Sanskrit Words Bibliography Index.
