Abstract:
This dissertation aims to collect and transliterate the Subin Kuman literary texts written in Thai and other languages in mainland Southeast Asia, to study the shared features and the difference between each version, and to analyze these texts through the concept of vernacular Buddhism. Data used in this research consist of 38 versions of Subin Kuman, both published works and manuscripts. It is found that the 38 texts can be divided into 4 groups, namely texts composed in Thai, Tai, Lao, and Khmer language. These texts are written in Thai, Tham, or Khmer scripts. The versions of Subin Kuman can also be categorized into 5 genres: Anisong, Klon Suat, Sastra Lbaeng, Lae, and folk tales, and another version of Pathom Kap Luang. In the comparative study of all versions, the shared features can be seen in the plot, the characters, the settings, and the main idea. Concerning the plot, the conflict between the parents and the son on Buddhist ordination appears in every version, resulting in the tale type of Subin Kuman which consists of 2 motifs, namely the son leaving his non-Buddhist parent/s to enter the monkhood and the parent/s being rescued from hell by the sons merit of ordination. The plot of Subin Kuman can be differentiated in 4 types. The most prevalent one contains the incidents that the parents are both rescued from hell by the merit of the son. The characters which appear in all versions consist of the son (the protagonist), the mother and/or the father (the antagonists) as well as Phraya Yom (the god of death) and Yommaban (the hells protector) as the supporting characters while the shared settings are the city during the Buddhas lifetime and the hell. In term of the main idea, the shared theme is that the merit of ordination is the mutual merit which helps save the monks parents from hell and is beneficial for the son himself as well. The teaching on Karma also appears in all versions. As for the literary techniques, each genre of Subin Kuman employs various techniques borrowed from different literary conventions, such as the Suttanta Pitaka, the Buddhist literature of Thailand and neighboring countries, the court literature as well as the local literature. It is also found that the texts of Subin Kuman have three important processes of vernacularization: 1) the compilation of elements from Buddhist literature and local narratives, 2) the interpretation of ordination as making a merit and the connection of Karma with the kinship to negotiate with local beliefs and values, and 3) the use of Buddhist literary conventions to create faith and persuasiveness. The local characteristic of each version and the use of various intertextuality reflects the different meaning and value of ordination given in each area, such as the preference of novice ordination for education among the Tai ethnic groups, the monk ordination for spiritual cultivation among the central and southern Thai society, and the ordination for education and to show gratitude to parents in central Thailand and Cambodia. The story of Subin Kuman as a vernacular Buddhist literature also reflects the concept of ordination as a merit which is difficult to achieve and the concern of the people about hardship in the next life.