An upcoming talk at the Siam Society will be of interest to many New Mandala readers. Thanks to a very long-time contributor for drawing it to my attention.
The details on the talk are:
The Royal Cremation Ceremony
a talk by M.R. Chakrarot Chitrabongs
Date: Thursday 24 May 2012
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: The Siam Society
The Siam Society Members, Members’ spouses and children, and all students showing valid student I.D. cards, are admitted free of charge.
Non-Members Donation B200.
It is universally known that the Thai people believe that their sovereign king is a god-incarnate – the avatar of Lord Vishnu on earth to protect and look after the welfare of his people. Members of the Royal Family are also earthly manifestations of angelic beings from heavenly realms. When they come to end their earthly sojourns, their souls return to heaven leaving the physical remains on earth. It then becomes the duty of the Thai people to mount a royal ceremony to cremate the royal remains with the proper procedure as prescribed by the ancient royal tradition.
This lecture lays out the traditional beliefs that had been accumulated through time and had formed the basis of the Thai belief system: animism, ancestral worship, Brahminism, Hinduism and Buddhism. The Buddhist Cosmology as described in detail in “Traibhumikatha : the Three Planes of Existence” is introduced as the source for all artistic creation and expression pertaining to the Ceremony. There will be a historical account of the Royal Cremation Ceremonies from the Ayudhya Period to the present. The lecture will be illustrated with explanatory charts and photographs that date back to the time that photography was introduced into Siam.
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M.R. Chakrarot Chitrabongs is a Distinguished Scholar of Chulalongkorn University, The Former President of the Siam Society and the Former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture. A grandson of Prince Naris and Prince Damrong, he has been a lifelong advocate of classical Thai culture. His publications on Thai culture and other issues include Selected Articles by M.R.Chakrarot Chitrabongs (2004) and Approaching the Last Quarter of My Life (2004). He has also been an active patron of Thai arts, leading tours of classical Thai musicians, dancers and puppeteers to countries around the world. An architect by training, he has been an influential figure in Thai architecture. Now retired from public service, M.R. Chakrarot continues to be actively engaged in Thai cultural promotion and recently received a decoration from the French government in recognition of his work.
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The Siam Society is deeply grateful to the James H.W. Thompson Foundation for its generous support of the 2011 – 2012 Lecture Series
The above image is from this website — it has a large number of other outstanding photographs of the April 2012 cremation ceremony of Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda Sirisobhabannavadi.
This is merely a flagrant example of wastage of taxpayers’ money. Have any of these demi-gods offered to pay for their cousins’ funerals? After all, we have some Thai demi-gods who are among the richest in the world.
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This (in particular the first paragraph) is a rather unbelievable piece of reactionary and patronizing royalist ideology by an arch member of the ammart’s aristocratic section. People should turn up at the event in large numbers, ask uncomfortable questions, and tell the speaker whether they, as “Thai people,” believe what he claims they believe.
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So its official, its not a monarchy but a theocracy run by a modern Jesus.
Not head of state. Now GOD.
As an agnostic can I constantly question the existence of……………….
Or is it Article 112?
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#Charoenkhwan Sabye Sabye
I don’t mind if we have all sort of Royal Ceremonies, its country’s character and colour as long as they don’t send an invisble hand to interfere our right.
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What do you expect from a bastion of royalism like the Siam Society? I note that it has the same view of “donation” as the royal family does of taxpayers’ money. It is a donation that is required.
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#5
In the government’s draft budget, there is another kind of “donation.” Item 2.1 envisages that 12,5 billion baht of tax payers’ money will be spent on worshipping, protecting and preserving the monarchy. I wonder for what, and by whom, this money will be spent.
Can anybody say whether such a budget item was already included in the budget of fiscal 2012, and how much money was earmarked for this purpose?
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Here is another example of royalist overdrive rhetoric, but not as extreme as the cremation stuff (from the Bangkok Post).
http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/294864/a-day-of-joy-for-the-thai-people
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Non Believer 3
“So its official, its not a monarchy but a theocracy run by a modern Jesus.”
WRONG!!!
If you read the text it states unambiguously that it’s a theocracy run by an avatar of the ancient hindu God Vishnu.
Why can’t you people detach your judao-christian prejudice and frame of reference even when employing sarcasm?
I disagree however that it’s “universally known.” I found this out about 10 years ago. I haven’t yet told my parents about it and my pre-school son is as yet unaware. I also rather doubt “all thai people” as a statistical improbability. These exaggerations would tend to cast doubt on the veracity of the rest of the proceedings. Still we are all entitled to our beliefs, are we not?
That said would the nations large muslim community accede to the concept?
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I unforgiveably also neglected to mention the nations even larger Theravada Buddhist community.
I guess this might be the real reason why there might be problems making Buddhism the state religion. I think we should be told….
“Nearer my God to Thee”
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