Pchum Ben

This is a study about how the killing of almost two million people by the Khmer Rouge brought about the great importance now attached to an annual ritual that emphasizes assisting the dead in their after-lives by transferring merit for their benefit. The chapter provides accounts of how ritual performances on behalf of the dead are performed at major Buddhist temples in Phnom Penh as well as in the rural areas of Cambodia. There are extensive interviews with the relatives of survivors.

Upasampada and Pabbajja

This chapter includes a study of a textual account of the origins of the Buddhist monastic sangha (and thus the beginnings of the the ritual of ordination) in the canonical Vinayapitaka (“Book of Discipline”). It then recounts the dramatic economic and social changes witnessed in Thailand in the late 20th c. before recounting how the seemingly ubiquitous practice of temporary ordination into the sangha by Thai males can be contrasted by a study of its observance in a rural village in northwest Thailand with its observance at a powerful and well-endowed temple in the suburbs of Bangkok.

Kathina

This chapter begins with a study of how the Vinaya (“Book of Discipline”) recounts the origins of ritually gifting robes to members of the sangha annually. It then proceeds to an account about how this ritual became the most important season of giving for the laity to the sangha in contemporary Burma. It discusses in depth the manner in which the heavy-handed presence of the Burmese military junta has impacted public ritual gift-giving.

Asala Perahara

This chapter provides the mythical account and then a detailed history of the origins of the Dalada (“Tooth-Relic”) of the Buddha and its importance as a legitimating device for Buddhist kingship in traditional Sri Lanka. It also traces how the annual ritual procession of the Dalada has changed into a symbolic nationalistic statement regarding the character of the contemporary Sri Lankan state in a time when the nation was facing a 26 year long civil war.

Introduction

The introduction consists of discussions about the meaning and use of the terms “Theravada” and “ritual cultures.” The introduction also provides an overview of each of the chapters making up the book as a whole.

Phra Bang

This chapter provides a discussion about how the power of the Buddha is understood historically and in contemporary times in the little studied country of Laos. The primary focus is on the Phra Bang image, a Buddha image that became the palladium of Lao Buddhist kingship until its disestablishment by the communist Pathet Lao in 1975. This chapter also provides a discussion that demonstrates how the veneration of spirits (phi) has conditioned the manner in which key Buddhist concepts have interpreted by the Lao, especially evident in the New Year’s (pi mai) celebration.