World Conqueror and World Renouncer: A Study of Buddhism and Polity in Thailand against a Historical Background (Cambridge Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology, Series Number 15)

World Conqueror and World Renouncer is the first comprehensive and authoritative work on the relationship between Buddhism and the polity (political organization) in Thailand. The book conveys the historical background necessary for full comprehension of the contemporary structural relationship between Buddhism, the sangha (monastic order), and the polity, including the historic institution of kingship. Professor Tambiah delineates the overall relationship, as postulated in early Buddhism, between the monk's otherworldly quest on one side and the this-worldly ordinating role of the monarchy on the other. He also examines the complementary and dialectical tensions that occur in this classical relationship, the king's duty to both protect and purify the sangha being a notable example. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 8 Part One......Page 10 1 Introduction: Reconstructing a Journey......Page 12 2 From Kajadharma (the King's "Whole Duty") to Dharmaraja (the "Righteous Ruler")......Page 18 3 The Brahmanical Theory of Society and Kingship......Page 28 4 The Early Buddhist Conception of World Process, Dharma, and Kingship......Page 41 5 Asoka Maurya: The Paradigm......Page 63 6 Thai Kingship and Polity in Historical Perspective......Page 82 7 The Galactic Polity......Page 111 8 The Kingdom of Ayutthaya: Design and Process......Page 141 9 Asokan and Sinhalese Traditions Concerning the Purification of the Sangha......Page 168 10 The Sangha and the Polity: From Ayutthaya to Bangkok......Page 188 11 The Nineteenth-Century Achievements of Religion and Sangha......Page 209 Appendix to Chapter 11: The Symbolization of Monarchy in the Nineteenth Century......Page 234 12 The Sangha Acts of 1902, 1941, and 1963......Page 239 Part Two......Page 262 13 The Composition and Distribution of Religious Personnel: What the Figures Say......Page 274 14 Monkhood as an Avenue of Social Mobility......Page 297 15 Monastic Careers and Monastic Network......Page 322 Appendix to Chapter 15: Monastic Networks in Christian Europe and Thailand......Page 369 16 Patronage of the Sangha and the Legitimation of the Polity......Page 374 17 Reformism and Ideological Transformation Based on Tradition......Page 410 18 Missionary Monks (Thammathud) and National Development......Page 443 Appendix to Chapter 18: The Monks' Universities......Page 473 19 The Politics of National Development and the Symbols of Legitimacy......Page 481 20 Dialectical Tensions, Continuities, Transformations, and the Uses of the Past......Page 524 Bibliography......Page 540 Index......Page 550 Cover 1 Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 Part One 10 1 Introduction: Reconstructing a Journey 12 2 From Kajadharma (the King's "Whole Duty") to Dharmaraja (the "Righteous Ruler") 18 3 The Brahmanical Theory of Society and Kingship 28 4 The Early Buddhist Conception of World Process, Dharma, and Kingship 41 5 Asoka Maurya: The Paradigm 63 6 Thai Kingship and Polity in Historical Perspective 82 7 The Galactic Polity 111 8 The Kingdom of Ayutthaya: Design and Process 141 9 Asokan and Sinhalese Traditions Concerning the Purification of the Sangha 168 10 The Sangha and the Polity: From Ayutthaya to Bangkok 188 11 The Nineteenth-Century Achievements of Religion and Sangha 209 Appendix to Chapter 11: The Symbolization of Monarchy in the Nineteenth Century 234 12 The Sangha Acts of 1902, 1941, and 1963 239 Part Two 262 13 The Composition and Distribution of Religious Personnel: What the Figures Say 274 14 Monkhood as an Avenue of Social Mobility 297 15 Monastic Careers and Monastic Network 322 Appendix to Chapter 15: Monastic Networks in Christian Europe and Thailand 369 16 Patronage of the Sangha and the Legitimation of the Polity 374 17 Reformism and Ideological Transformation Based on Tradition 410 18 Missionary Monks (Thammathud) and National Development 443 Appendix to Chapter 18: The Monks' Universities 473 19 The Politics of National Development and the Symbols of Legitimacy 481 20 Dialectical Tensions, Continuities, Transformations, and the Uses of the Past 524 Bibliography 540 Index 550 9780521211406 Cambridge Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology (No. 15)