Illuminating the Life of the Buddha

An Illustrated Chanting Book from Eighteenth-Century Siam

Appleton Naomi, Shaw Sarah, Unebe Toshiya

This lavishly illustrated book investigates an outstanding eighteenth-century example of a samut khoi, a type of beautiful folding book found in Southeast Asia, which became particularly popular as a repository for the Buddha's teachings. Written in Pali and produced in the Kingdom of Siam, its finely executed pictures, painted on khoi paper, show key incidents from stories of the past lives of the Buddha as he prepares for Buddhahood. These tales, historically one of the principal means whereby Buddhist teachings were communicated, known as Jatakas, are a favourite theme for manuscript art. Uniquely for such manuscripts, however, this samut khoi also offers an extensive series of scenes from the last life of the Buddha, including his final awakening and teaching, which is distinctive to the region. These related narratives all contribute to a superb example of eighteenth-century manuscript and calligraphic art. As well as affording great artistic opportunities for expressing the beauty of the Buddha's words and achievements, samut khois are repositories for popular chants and short distillations of doctrine.This book describes the context to this unusually rich expression of Thai Buddhist creativity and, in retelling the stories depicted, reveals the continued appeal of its closely related art and narrative traditions.

About the Author

Naomi Appleton is Chancellor's Fellow in Religious Studies at the University of Edinburgh.

Sarah Shaw is a member of Wolfson College and the Oriental Institute and an honorary fellow of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies.

Toshiya Unebe is Associate Professor in the Department of Indian Studies at Nagoya University, Japan.

Reviews

"'Illuminating the Life of the Buddha' is a milestone in the study of Thai manuscript culture. Sumptuously illustrated, it presents an illuminated eighteenth-century paper manuscript from central Thailand. ...Three authors combine forces to present balanced and authoritative perspectives on the visual and textual representations of Jatakas and the final life of the Buddha. Their meticulous work proves that texts are not inert or static, but are transformed by the creative forces of living tradition – and by scholarly attention. 'Illuminating the Life of the Buddha' enhances our understanding of the ritual, literary, and artistic world of Thai Buddhism. This splendid presentation of one of the Bodleian's treasures is a welcome contribution to Thai and Buddhist studies and to the understanding of world narrative art" – Peter Skilling, French School of Asian Studies (EFEO), Bangkok

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