“The Disaster Prophecies of Thailand”: Functions, Content, and Discourse of Buddhism in Contemporary Thai Society

Abstract

This research article aimed to 1) investigate the aspects of the disaster prophecies in Thailand, 2) examine the latent Buddhist discourse within the context of the disaster prophecies in Thailand, and 3) analyze the role of disaster prophecies of Thailand in society. Data collection was conducted in 2023. Ten versions of disaster prophecies predicted by sacred monks and magicians in Thailand were collected, their key content and role were analyzed with the discourse theory and function theory. The findings indicated that the most frequently occurring disaster was severe flooding. Furthermore, this prophecy pointed to a new kind of danger in the human mind such as disasters caused by the imbalance of the Earth’s gravitational force. The techniques utilized in the presentation were linked to references to key landmarks and urban lifestyle severely affected by the disasters. The prophecies were substantiated through an examination of the significant calamities that have already transpired, and the inclusion of renowned scholars served to enhance the credibility of the assertion. Furthermore, the discourse of the disaster prophecies served as an intervention into the prevailing ideology surrounding the perceived strength of Buddhism. The cause of the disaster could be attributed to individuals who exhibited a deficiency in moral values. Good individuals were selected by nature to be the survivors when Buddhism was the center of world’s religions. The disaster prophecies served five distinct roles: 1) Reflecting the anxiety of people in society, 2) reproducing Buddhist discourses, 3) a mechanism in the process of social moral cultivation, 4) promoting preparedness and prevention of natural disasters, and 5) building a network of sacred monks and magicians in Thai society who inherit prophecies through different methods to continue to exist widely and influence the minds of people in thai society.