The Saint with Indra's Sword: Khruubaa Srivichai and Buddhist Millenarianism in Northern Thailand

Abstract

Despite a growing literature revealing the presence of millenarian movements in both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist societies, scholars have been remarkably reluctant to consider the role of messianic beliefs in Buddhist societies. Khruubaa Srivichai (1878–1938) is the most famous monk of northern Thailand and is widely revered as atonbun, or saint. Althoughtonbunhas been depoliticized in the modern context, the term also refers to a savior who is an incarnation of the coming Maitreya Buddha. In 1920 Srivichai was sent under arrest to the capital city of Bangkok to face eight charges. This essay focuses on the charge that he claimed to possess the god Indra's sword. Although this charge has been widely ignored, it was in fact a charge of treason. In this essay, I argue that the treason charge should be understood within the context of Buddhist millenarianism. I note the saint/savior tropes in Srivichai's mytho-biography, describe the prevalence of millenarianism in the region, and detail the political economy of the decade of the 1910s prior to Srivichai's detention. I present evidence to show that the decade was characterized by famine, dislocation, disease, and other disasters of both natural and social causes. Such hardships would have been consistent with apocalyptic omens in the Buddhist repertoire portending the advent of Maitreya. Understanding Srivichai in this millenarian context helps to explain both the hopes of the populace and the fears of the state during that tumultuous decade.

Of Dhammacārinī and Rematriation in Post-Genocidal Cambodia

“…Rather, it resonates with the Turnerian analysis of Theravada Buddhist societies in Mainland Southeast Asia. From the historical perspective, when the countries went into a liminal period of political turmoil, insurgency and socio-economic downturn, the Buddhist millenarian movement will make manifest in several local messianic leaders claiming to be the future Buddha (Maitreya) who will appear to subvert all challenges into the prosperity and sustainable peace (Keyes 1977;Bowie 2014). The Dhammika ruler as a messianic leader will also present himself in the face of catastrophe in Cambodia: "Ghosananda's own return to Cambodia through the Dhammayietra inspired a rumor that circulated for several years that Ghosananda was the fulfillment of an old prophesy that after the brutal reign of the thmil (infidels), a "holy man from the west, a light skinned Khmer would appear.…”

Wait and the Sky Will Change: Anticipation and Revolution in Northeastern Thailand

“…And there, the reaction to Siamese centralization led to an armed revolt framed along ethnic lines (Sarasawadee 2009; Walker 2014). While a local monk, Sriwichai, became a rallying figure and was often cited as holding magical powers (see Bowie 2014), the North's rebellions were legible to outsiders as that of discontented feudal subjects (see also Sarasawadee 2009; Tej 1981).…”

Introduction

“…Critics and reformers may also appeal to the laws of dharma to call for political change (Bowie 2014;Ladwig 2014). Sulak Sivaraksa (2007), for example, has invoked dharma as a source of principles of justice to guide judges and as a grounding for substantive freedoms of thought, speech, and action, as well as the notion of equality before the law.…”