The Buddha in Isan People’s Viewpoints

Abstract

In this study, the author has studied the viewpoints of Isan people (North Eastern, Thailand)
on the Buddha by analyzing Isan literatures found in this area. According to the study, it has been found
that the Buddha in Isan people’s beliefs is different from the Buddha scriptures. Isan people believe that
the Buddha is the one close to them, spends time, lives his life, and interacts with the villagers. The author
also studies the way the world is thinking about the Buddha, the interaction between the Buddha and
traditional beliefs, and the symbolic behavior of the Buddha in order to understand the way people
think about the Buddha. In Isan point of views, Isan people had a strong belief in ghosts before Buddhism
existed. When Buddhism introduced to the villagers, there is a mix of traditional beliefs with Buddhism.
So the Buddha interacts with the traditional beliefs perfectly. From studying the symbolic behavior of
the Buddha in the North East, it is found that the Buddha character has many symbolic behaviors;
miracles, the footprints, and the symbol of exuberant. The symbolic behaviors of the Buddha in Isan
literature reveal the villagers’ viewpoints in Buddhism. The belief of the Buddha forms Isan social norms
and values which is more powerful than the original belief, the belief in ghosts. The combination of those
two beliefs produces many interesting stories found in Isan area.