Speak of the Buddha, Speak of the Buddha (A Study of the Religious History of the Dai People in Xishuangbanna)

Author: Yan Xiang Zai, Editor-in-Chief, Xi Na, Writer
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: The Dai people are a hardworking, kind, intelligent, eager to learn, innovative, and positive nation. Over the long course of historical development, the Dai people have created a splendid and brilliant national culture, and the religious culture of the nation is one of its special cultures. For a long time, many people's concept of Xishuangbanna has been limited to its beautiful scenery, lush forests, tranquil bamboo houses, and graceful Dai girls. In fact, there are many things that are often overlooked. Xishuangbanna is a region where local and foreign religions are perfectly combined. Before eating, the Dai people will gently pour some wine from their cups onto the edge of the table and mutter words of reverence to the gods. Reciting scriptures is a daily for young monks in the temples. Many of them do not understand the content of the scriptures because they contain many Pali words, but their piety is the same. Such things are difficult for a passerby to see. Xi Na's monograph is the result of her long-term research and investigation. Many of the materials in it are now considered extremely precious. Due to historical reasons, only a small part of the Dai historical records have been preserved intact to this day, and many rely on oral transmission from the elders, especially many customs, which are beginning to disappear among the younger generation. I sincerely hope that the preservation of this culture is not solely dependent on one or two monographs like this one. This book studies the origin, development, and interrelationships of various cultural phenomena in the folk religious culture of the Dai people in Xishuangbanna. In the past, research on the folk religion of the Dai people was constrained by various factors and was considered a "forbidden area," receiving insufficient attention and yielding very few academic achievements. To date, there have been some monographs on the topic, but most have only scratched the surface. The publication of this book will be a comprehensive and systematic monograph introducing and studying the folk religious culture of the Dai people. In addition to Theravada Buddhism, readers will gain much more from this book. As a form of social consciousness and spiritual culture, religion holds an important position in the history of human thought development. The completion of this book provides rich anthropological materials for studying the origin and development of Dai thought and Dai religion. It also offers new, more scientific evidence for studying the origins, development, and decline of religion. At the same time, religious belief issues are important social and ethnic issues in the Dai region. This book will be beneficial in addressing religious and ethnic issues in the Dai region and promoting the material and spiritual civilization construction in the area.