Thailand's Theory of Monarchy: The Vessantara Jataka and the Idea of the Perfect Man

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Since the 2006 coup d'etat, Thailand has been riven by two opposing political visions: one which aspires to a modern democracy and the rule of law, and another which holds to the traditional conception of a kingdom ruled by an exemplary Buddhist monarch. Thailand has one of the world's largest populations of observant Buddhists and one of its last politically active monarchies. This book examines the Theravada Buddhist foundations of Thailand's longstanding institution of monarchy. Patrick Jory states that the storehouse of monarchical ideology is to be found in the popular literary genre known as the Jatakas, tales of the Buddha's past lives. The best-known of these, the Vessantara Jataka, disseminated an ideal of an infinitely generous prince as a bodhisatta or future Buddha-an ideal which remains influential in Thailand today. Using primary and secondary source materials largely unknown in Western scholar- ship, Jory traces the history of the Vessantara Jataka and its political-cultural importance from the ancient to the modern period. Although pressures from European colonial powers and Buddhist reformers led eventually to a revised political conception of the monarchy, the older Buddhist ideal of kingship has yet endured.

Patrick Jory is Senior Lecturer in Southeast Asian History at the University of Queensland and the editor of Ghosts of the Past in Southern Thailand: Essays on the History and Historiography of Patani.

In December 2014, as the ailing King Bhumibol lay in hospital, Thai- land's military dictator, Gen. Prayut Chanocha, led his cabinet ministers and a group of foreign ambassadors to attend a performance of "Phramahachanok the Phenomenon Live Show," in honor of the king's eighty-seventh birthday. The show is based on the king's work, The Story of Mahajanaka, his version of the Mahajanaka Jataka, one of the many stories of the Buddha's former lives as a bodhisatta, or "Buddha-to-be," in the Theravada Buddhist tradition. The book had originally been published as part of the 1996-97 Fiftieth Jubilee celebrations, in both English and Thai, complete with lavish illustrations. It was heavily promoted by various agencies of the bureaucracy, in the mass media and the schools, and met with great public acclaim. Several editions of the book have been published, including a cartoon version for younger readers. Tapes and CDs with readings of the story were released, and commemorative medallions were also available with purchases of the book. There is a musical version of the story and public performances have been held with some of the princesses involved in the production. Another princess created a mural on the theme of the story for a temple in Chiang Mai. The tale is of Prince Mahajanaka (Thai: Phra Mahachanok) who, having been forced into exile, through his practice of the "Perfection of Perseverance" (wiriya barami) is able to return to his kingdom, rightfully claim his throne, and bring prosperity to his subjects.

Although official promotion of the story in the wake of the 1997 financial crisis focused on the theme of perseverance and determination, it is not difficult to see the story as a thinly disguised allegory of the king's own career-and perhaps that of Thailand's modern monarchy more generally.