THE RITUAL THERAPY OF TAI KHEUN BUDDHIST IN KHAN BASIN

Abstract

This Thesis as a qualitative research entitled, “The Ritual Therapy of Tai Kheun Buddhists in Khan Basin”, consists of two objectives: 1) to study the context of the Tai Kheun Buddhist communities in Khan basin, and 2) to study the ritual  treatment of disease of Buddhists.  Those who provide the data are 45 monks, the ritual leaders, the traditional healers (therapist) and the local scholars. There were 30 main informed participants of the recent or former treated patients who have participated in the therapeutic ritual.

          The result of the first objective found that Buddhist communities in Khan Basin immigrated from Chiang Tung due to the civil war and seek for the new fertile land to settle. The communities in Khan river basin is in lowland along Khan River. Now, the river is dried with less of the tree which was cut to build houses.

          Regarding the ritual treatment of disease, it is found that there are three groups of ritual therapist e.g. monks, the ritual leaders and the traditional healers. In this research, the nine rituals are studied namely the suttakuambāta rite, the suebjātā rite, the nine groups of gods offering, the food-offering of fate decreasing rite, the former fathers and mother offering, the Connā-conlang offering, the offering to THAN grandfather and grandmother, the nine celestial bodies rite and the SonKwan– HongKwan rite. These different rituals are mainly performed to children, the accident victims, the misfortune fate or the chronic ill-one. The verses of chanting are used to make the holy water. On the ritual, they inaugurate to give offerings to the Triple Gem, preserve the five precepts, and make offering for ill relieving.  Food charity not only for monks but for all also. The herbal medicine is used and food must be only for good health which is not against the Disease and the chanted water is used to heal as the therapy. The ritual performer performs the multiple methods for the purpose and all the above therapeutic rituals are linked to the principles of Buddhism.