Informal Northern Thai Group Bulletin February 8, 2015

Transcription

1 Informal Northern Thai Group Bulletin February 8, MINUTES OF THE TALK (386 th ) : TUESDAY, 13 JANUARY, 2014: 'HOLY MAN' (TON BUN) TRADITION OF LANNA BUDDHISM. A TALK BY PAUL T. COHEN. 2. NEXT TALK (387 th ) : TUESDAY, 10 FEBRUARY 2015, 7:30 PM : STATESMAN, ZOOLOGIST, MISSIONARY, SPY: THE LIFE OF HAROLD YOUNG IN THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE. A TALK BY DAVID LAWITTS. 3. ANNOUNCEMENT OF A CHARITY SHOW FOR DISABLED CHILDREN ON VALENTINE DAY 4. LOOKING BACK: 30 YEARS OF TALKS WITH THE INFORMAL NORTHERN THAI GROUP 5. LIST OF FUTURE INTG MEETINGS. 6. INTG CONTACTS: CONVENOR - SECRETARY - WEBSITE. MINUTES OF THE TALK (386 th ) : TUESDAY, 13 JANUARY, 2015: 'HOLY MAN' (TON BUN) TRADITION OF LANNA BUDDHISM. A TALK BY PAUL T. COHEN PRESENT : Jim Anthony, Lyn Bailey, Hans Bänziger, Dianne Barber-Riley, Mark Barber-Riley, Karin Bode, Bonnie Brereton, John Butt, Martha Butt, Paul Chambers, Marc Edmonds, Eric Eutasche, Peter Hoare, Brenda Joyce, Jumpol Chutima, Francois Dor, Jean-Marc Dubosc, Louis Gabaude, Trevor Gibson, Janet Illeni, Janejira Laosunthara, Bruce Kennedy, Jason Lubanski, Rao Mallampati, David McPhee, Richard Miller, Patrick Morel, Pauline???, Geoffrey Pimlott, Lorri Pimlott, Aileen Roantree, Tani Sebro, Gizele Shivacz, Angelie Sitsch, Horst Sitsch, Stephan Szawrowski, Renee Vines, Anthony Walker, Chobi Walker, Richard Weatherley, Hedva Weiner, Rebecca Weldon, Leslie Woodhouse. A total of at least THE TALK by Paul T. Cohen The Holy Man (Ton Bun) Tradition of Lanna Buddhism Ton Bun: Its Meaning and Characteristics Literally, a person of merit, the term is common to Lanna Buddhism spread by Tilokaraja in the 15 th century to Chiang Tung, Sipsongpanna and Northern Laos. It denotes a person who has accumulated great merit in past lives and is often identified as a bodhisattva. Keyes (1982) defines a ton bun as a saviour saint but there is also a sacral kingship dimension i.e. in Lanna texts (tamnan) terms ton bun, bodhisattva, dhammaraja ( righteous ruler ) and cakkavatti ( universal ruler ) are used interchangeably. There are also millenarian and messianic associations. These are linked to the perception that the current age is marked by immorality, the decline of Buddhism (kalayuga) and the need to regenerate and propagate Buddhism. The process of regeneration is commonly linked to the prolific building of Buddhist monuments (vihara, cetiya, dhatu) and the creation of a Buddha-land (Buddhadesa) as a precursor to the advent of the

2 Future Buddha (Ariya Metteyya). The building of monuments is an act of compassion (metta) and the sharing of merit (bun) with the laity who assist in the construction. Buddhadesa refers to a reproduction of the primordial Buddha-land established by Gautama Buddha in his legendary travels throughout North Thailand and neighbouring regions, as described in Lanna texts. In his travels, the Buddha is accompanied by saintly monks, Ananda (his chief disciple), gods such as Indra, and even the Emperor Ashoka. The Buddha gives directions concerning the future burying and worship of his relics: hair, collar bones, footprints, etc. (Swearer et al. 2004). The Buddha also gives names to certain places and creates features of local landscape, thereby sacralizing the land as a Buddha-land. The Lanna ton bun differ from the phu mi bun rebels of Isan/south Laos of the early 20 th century who promoted a type of militant, magical and apocalyptic form of millenialism. Rather, the Lanna ton bun tradition is a form of religious revivalism and active utopianism. Lanna ton bun: Khruba Siwichai ( ) was born in Ban Pang village, Li district, Lamphun. After ordination as a monk he acquired a reputation for strict asceticism (dhutanga) - vegetarianism and meditation. His asceticism was linked to a popular belief that he possessed the supernatural powers of a bodhisattva. In the 1920s and 1930s he built and restored more than 100 Buddhist monuments with volunteer labour of laity, recreating Northern Thailand as a Buddha-land. He also built the 11 km road from Chiang Mai city to the temple up on Doi Suthep. This was an early example of the link between religious construction and development activities of public benefit. He came into conflict with the Siamese state and was subjected to multiple arrests in Lamphun, Chiang Mai and Bangkok arising from his efforts to protect the traditional independence of Northern Thai sangha from state control. Khruba Siwichai thus created a precedent for subsequent ton bun to resist state authority and also to function outside the control of the centralized, national sangha. This independence was linked to the popularity of Lanna ton bun with marginalized highland minorities (Karen, Lahu and Palaung), often victims of state injustice and oppression. Khruba Khao Pi (The White Monk) ( ) was ordained by Khruba Siwichai and became his principal disciple. He was vehemently opposed to the Siamese state and national sangha (including lax morality). He was disrobed three times and subsequently wore only white clothes. He had a wide following among Northern Thai and highland minorities (Karen and Lua) who considered him a ton bun possessing supernatural powers and skill in magic (yantra, katha). Khruba Khao Pi assisted Khruba Siwichai in the building of religious monuments and later built many himself. Some of his extensive writings predict the coming of the Ariya Metteyya, which was preceded by the current age of moral deterioration and ushered in by a ton bun. Khruba Wong ( ) was a disciple of Khruba Khao Pi and founded Wat Phra Bat Huay Khao Tom in 1971 in Li district of Lamphun province. The sacred area (daen saksit) is constructed like a kingdom (muang) with 4 gates and a city pillar (lak muang) to protect the inhabitants. It is a moral community with strict vegetarian rules and bans on alcohol, gambling and drugs. Under Royal patronage since 1973, state land was given to the community inferring protection against bureaucratic interference. Only Buddhist Karen are allowed to live and own land there. Noi Pan the Hermit (Ruesi) of the New Heavenly Village, A. Mae Wang, was a Buddhist novice, opium trader and hermit (for 3 years). Elected dam chief in 1965, he is active in local development, establishing independent farmers groups and irrigation associations. Noi Pan is not a ton bun but a devotee of Khruba Khao Pi. In 1971 Pan created Ban Mai Sawan ( New Heavenly Village ), in Mae Wang District, as a utopian land-reform village for poor farmers. The village is governed by religious committees and strict moral rules. Pan is considered only the leader ; authority is based on village laws, rather than those of the state (Cohen 1984). Noi Pan the Hermit (Ruesi) in

3 In 1997 Pan, now sometimes called Old Man Pan the Hermit (Pu Ruesi Pan), established a forest hermitage at King s Mountain in It is a utopian moral community comprising Buddhist monks and hermits (male and female). King s Mountain (Khao Phra Racha) refers to Righteous Ruler (Dhammaraja/Phaya Tham): a precursor to Ariya Metteyya and often identified with holy men. The sacred site comprises an incongruous mixture of monuments: pagoda, images of Ariya Metteyya, the god Indra, the Earth Goddess, Hindu deities, Khruba Siwichai and others all a product of Pan s visions (nimit) including horses, cows and buffaloes. King s Mountain is a refuge for hermits to practice meditation outside Buddhist order (sangha). Ariya Metteyya statue (King s Mountain) Khruba Bunchum s Buddha Kingdom has been characterized by reliquary-building tours in the 1990s throughout Lanna Buddhist world. The purpose is to create a Buddha kingdom in an immoral region (daen atham) of communism and drug-traffickers. The centre of the Buddha Kingdom (Muang khong Phra Phuthacao) was the enclave of Wat Phrathat Donreuang in Muang Phong in Eastern Shan State, Burma. Khruba Bunchum s charismatic reputation enabled him to gain the patronage of high-ranking Burmese army officers. Consequently Burmese army refrained from conscripting his Shan entourage as soldiers, porters and field workers. Support from the Burmese military was also encouraged by Khruba Bunchum s development activities, in particular roads, schools and hospitals (Cohen 2000, 2001). Khruba Bunchum (ca. 2000): However, in 2004, Khruba Bunchum was exiled from Burma on suspicion of supporting Shan insurgents. He subsequently established a temple complex at Doi Wiang Kaew at Chiang Saen in Chiang Rai province in Thailand. Following this, he meditated in a Lampang cave for three years and three months, between April, 2010 and July, 2013 and thus acquired the reputation as a new saint (arahant). 3

4 There have been changes in the tradition over time. They have included the nationalisation of Lanna holy men (ton bun). At Wat Phra Bat Huay Khao Tom (Li district, Lamphun province) charismatic monks have been amalgamated into a national pantheon and memorialized at Chedi Sri Wiangchai. The temple committee is composed mostly of Bangkok military or businesspeople. The committee chair of the Khruba Bunchum Foundation at Doi Wiang Kaew is General Chatri Dhatti. Other committee members are mostly wealthy businesspeople from Bangkok. Possible motivations of elite supporters include the promotion of careers and legitimization of power as well as the perennial search for new Buddhist saint (arahant). Khruba Bunchum has become a popular culture icon (Amporn 2015). His exit from more than three years of meditation became a media event for wealthy and middle class Thais, commemorated by videos, and on Youtube and Facebook. References Amporn Jirattikorn (2015) Buddhist Holy Man Khruba Bunchum: The shift in a millenarian movement in the Thailand-Myanmar border. Paper presented at seminar on Charismatic Monks of Lanna Buddhism, Center for Ethnic Studies and Development, Chiang Mai University, 28 January. Cohen, Paul T. (1984) The sovereignty of Dhamma and economic development: Buddhist social ethics in Northern Thailand, Journal of the Siam Society, 72: Cohen, Paul T. (2000) A Buddha kingdom in the Golden Triangle: Buddhist revivalism and the charismatic monk Khruba Bunchum The Australian Journal of Anthropology, 11(2): Cohen, Paul T. (2001) Buddhism unshackled: The Yuan Holy Man tradition and the nation-state in the Tai world, Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 32(2): ). Keyes, Charles F. (1982) The death of two Buddhist saints, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Thematic Studies,4 (3&4), Swearer, Donald K., Sommai Premchit & Phaitoon Dokbuakaew (2004) Sacred Mountains of Northern Thailand and the Legends, Silkworm Press, Chiang Mai. 2. NEXT TALK (387 th ) : TUESDAY, 10 FEBRUARY 2015, 7:30 PM : STATESMAN, ZOOLOGIST, MISSIONARY, SPY: THE LIFE OF HAROLD YOUNG IN THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE A TALK BY DAVID LAWITTS The Talk: When the United States entered WWII, it lacked significant international intelligence networks on which to draw. Unlike the European colonial powers whose residents served for decades in Africa and Asia, the only Americans with on-the-ground experience and contacts abroad were missionaries. Harold Young, born and raised in the mountains of the Sino-Burma border, was one of dozens of these missionaries recruited by the OSS and early CIA to shed light on the darkest fringes of US national security. Harold was the son of the pioneer missionary William Young, who preached for decades to the Wa and Lahu hill tribes of eastern Burma. Both the Wa and Lahu held traditions that foretold of a White Man, carrying a White Book, who would one day arrive to bring salvation to the lost souls of the mountains. When the lightskinned Baptist, William Young, raised up his white Bible, the Wa and Lahu immediately began converting by the tens of thousands. To this day, many Wa and Lahu regard the Youngs as a dynasty of prophets, and have looked to them for both spiritual as well as political guidance. During WWII, Harold commanded two battalions of Shan warriors to fight the Japanese invading Burma. In the Korean War, he trained the Thai Border Patrol Police in jungle survival tactics and sent Lahu spy teams to gather intelligence on communist troops movements in 4

5 southern China. During the Secret War in Laos, he assisted his son Bill in recruiting a pan tribal army, establishing a line of mountain strongholds to block communist incursion into Thailand. As his CIA cover, Harold worked for decades as a zoologist, and citizens of Chiang Mai remember him as the creator of the Chiang Mai Zoological Gardens. To his hill tribe people, he was the first effective ambassador to the mountains, liaising between tribal leaders and the elite strata of northern Thai society. The Speaker: David Lawitts is an American who has lived on and off in Chiang Mai since During undergraduate (B.A., East Asian Studies, University of Madison in Wisconsin) and graduate research (M.A., Sustainable Development, Chiang Mai University), he has studied ethnic minorities in the Mekong region and the relationship between hill tribes and their respective host governments. Close friend of the Young family, David spent 10 months interviewing Harold s son, Bill, just before his death in 2011, and has since amassed an unprecedented body of research on the legacy of the family and their impact in Thailand, Laos and Burma. 3. ANNOUNCEMENT OF A CHARITY SHOW FOR DISABLED CHILDREN ON VALENTINE DAY THE LOVE SHOW Written by the Interact Theater from Minnesota USA, the world-premier production of The Love Show features internationally known playwright / storyteller / author Kevin Kling and music composed by award winning Aaron Gabriel and Pong Ketkeawmangkon. New songs, stories, and scenes about love in all its forms starring kids and adults transforming their disabilities into abilities. In the Grand Piano Building at the Rajanagarindara Institute of Child Development (RICD) Just off Canal Road past the 700 th Anniversary Sports Complex in Chiang Mai 13 February at 7pm and 14 February at 2pm (English and Thai) 200 Baht 14 February, 2015 at 7pm (Special English Show) 500 Baht For more information in English, please contact Mike at or Jenny at LOOKING BACK: 30 YEARS OF TALKS WITH THE INFORMAL NORTHERN THAI GROUP Want to know more about the birth and development of the Informal Northern Thai Group? Please read «Talking for 30 Years: The Informal Northern Thai Group» in Citylife Chiang Mai, Vol. 24, No. 2 (February 2015), p , written by Pim Kemasingki in conversation with John Cadet, Hans Bänziger, Louis Gabaude and Rebecca Weldon. Also available on line at: 5

6 5. List of FUTURE INTG MEETINGS 387 th Meeting : Tuesday, 10 February 2015, 7:30 pm : Statesman, Zoologist, Missionary, Spy: The Life of Harold Young in the Golden Triangle. A Talk by David Lawitts. 388 th Meeting : Tuesday, 10 March, 2015, 7:30 pm : How often does the Mae Chan Fault generate large earthquakes?. A Talk by Ray Weldon. 389 th Meeting : Tuesday, 28 April, 2015, 7:30 pm : Sex Trafficking in Nepal: the Connection between Public Health and Human Rights. A Talk by Constance Mudore. 390 th Meeting : Tuesday, 12 May, 2015, 7:30 pm : Delta to Delta: the Vietnamese Move South. A Talk by Jim Goodman. 6. INTG CONTACTS : Convenor - Secretary - Website 1) Convenor : Rebecca Weldon : < rebecca.weldon@gmail.com>. Mobile : ) Secretary : Louis Gabaude : <gabaudel@yahoo.com>. Mobile : ) INTG Website : Clarence Shettlesworth: Thank you for posting the following announcements wherever you can! 6

7 Informal Northern Thai Group (INTG) 30 years of Talks! Statesman, Zoologist, Missionary, Spy : The Life of Harold Young in the Golden Triangle A Talk by David Lawitts Tuesday 10 Feb., 2015, 7:30 pm At the ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE 131, Charoen Prathet Road, Chiang Mai, opposite the EFEO

8 Informal Northern Thai Group (INTG) 30 years of Talks! How often does the Mae Chan Fault generate large earthquakes? A Talk by Ray Weldon Tuesday 10 March, 2015, 7:30 pm At the ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE 131, Charoen Prathet Road, Chiang Mai, opposite the EFEO

9 Informal Northern Thai Group (INTG) 30 years of Talks! Sex Trafficking in Nepal: Public Health and Human Rights A Talk by Constance Mudore Tuesday 28 April, 2015, 7:30 pm At the ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE 131, Charoen Prathet Road, Chiang Mai, opposite the EFEO

10 Informal Northern Thai Group (INTG) 30 years of Talks! Delta to Delta: The Vietnamese Move South A Talk by Jim Goodman Tuesday 12 May, 2015, 7:30 pm At the ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE 131, Charoen Prathet Road, Chiang Mai, opposite the EFEO