Trai Phum Phra Ruang
| Author | Maha Thammaracha I |
|---|---|
| Genre | Religion Philosophy |
| Publisher | Fine Arts Department |
Publication date | 1286 CE |
| Publication place | Sukhothai Kingdom |
Trai Phum Phra Ruang (Thai: ไตรภูมิพระร่วง; lit. "Three Worlds According to King Ruang") is a 14th-century Thai Buddhist cosmological treatise attributed to King Lithai.[1] Written around 1345 CE, it is considered the oldest known work of Thai literature and played a central role in shaping Siamese religious thought and kingship ideology.[2]
The text reflects many beliefs of the Thai people, such as descriptions of hells, heavens, rebirth, the four continents (such as Jambudvīpa), kalpa, the kali yuga, the final age of the world, the coming of Metteyya, and the universal monarch. Trai Phum Phra Ruang is among the oldest known works of Thai literature and was widely illustrated in murals on the walls of Buddhist temples since ancient times.
History
Trai Phum Phra Ruang was composed by King Lithai on Thursday, the 15th day of the waxing moon of the 4th lunar month, Year of the Rooster, corresponding to Thursday, March 4, 1321 CE (old era), Chula Sakarat 683, Mahasakarat 1243, in the 6th year of his reign. The king’s intention was to deliver a sermon for his mother and to glorify the Abhidhamma. The work stands as evidence of King Lithai’s profound mastery of Buddhism, as he compiled materials from the Tipiṭaka, commentaries, sub-commentaries, and other treatises into what is regarded as the first cosmological treatise written in the Thai language known today.[3]
Professor Sinchai Krapuansang has argued that King Lithai’s composition of the Traiphum Phra Ruang may also have had political motives.[4] Since the work focuses on the contrast between hell and heaven, teaching that good deeds lead to heaven and evil deeds to hell, it served as a tool to guide moral behavior. As the population during King Lithai’s reign grew larger, governing the kingdom and ensuring peace became increasingly difficult. State administration could not reach everyone effectively. Therefore, the king authored this Buddhist work to encourage his subjects to practice virtue in order to attain heaven, while warning that misconduct would bring hellish punishment. For this reason, the Traiphum served as an effective form of social control, shaping people’s morality without the need for coercive laws.[5]
Content
The Traiphum Phra Ruang is a Buddhist cosmological treatise that describes the three realms: Kāmadhātu (11 levels), Rūpadhātu (16 levels), and Ārūpadhātu (4 levels). It portrays the abodes and origins of humans, beings in hell, hungry ghosts, demons, and deities. At the center stands Mount Meru, surrounded by mountain ranges and seas. The ranges are named: (1) Yugandhara, (2) Isadhara, (3) Karavīka, (4) Sudassana, (5) Nemindhara, (6) Vinataka, and (7) Assakanṇa. These outer mountains are called the seven concentric mountain ranges. The seas encircling them in seven layers are called the Sīdhantara. Beyond the Assakanṇa range lies the great ocean, bounded by an iron mountain called the “Edge of the World.” Outside this boundary lies the uncharted cosmos.
Related works
Other works related to the Traiphum include the Traiphum Lok Winitchai, Stories from the Traiphum, and the Illustrated Traiphum Manuscripts.
References
- ^ Reynolds, Frank E., and Mani B. Reynolds. Three Worlds According to King Ruang: A Thai Buddhist Cosmology. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1982.
- ^ Swearer, Donald K. The Buddhist World of Southeast Asia. 2nd ed. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2010, pp. 75–78.
- ^ Niyada Lausunthorn, Traiphum Phra Ruang: A Study of Its Origin. Bangkok: Maekhamphang Press, 2000, p. 11
- ^ Wyatt, David K. Thailand: A Short History. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003, p. 67.
- ^ Jory, Patrick. "The Vessantara Jātaka and the Buddhist Cosmopolis of Southeast Asia." Journal of Asian Studies 67, no. 4 (2008): 893–920.
- Sthian Ko Set, Stories from the Traiphum. (Bangkok: Klang Witthaya Press, 1975)