DECODING TEACHINGS THROUGH NORA’S “KAM PHRAT” FROM A BUDDHIST PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

This academic article aims: 1) To analyze and interpret Nora kham phrat in relation to the Three Characteristics (Tilakkhaṇa) from a Buddhist perspective; and 2) To examine the strategies for transmitting Buddhist teachings through the performing arts of Nora. The study employs a qualitative approach based on documentary research, relevant academic literature, and symbolic interpretation as an analytical framework. The findings reveal that Nora kham phrat serves as a cultural space for transmitting the Three Characteristics-impermanence (anicca), suffering (dukkha), and non-self (anattā)-through literary language, imagery, metaphors, symbols derived from nature, and the ways of life of Southern Thai communities. Significant kham phrat, including Kham Phrat Saeng Thong Sawan, Kham Phrat Yang Daeng, and Kham Phrat Sokang, reflect the impermanence of time and life, the deterioration of conditioned existence, and the relinquishment of attachment to the self. Abstract Buddhist teachings are transformed into experiences that enable audiences to perceive, contemplate, and recognize the changing nature of life through emotional and aesthetic engagement. The transmission of Buddhist teachings is expressed through an integrated symbolic system of Nora performance, including dance movements, poetic verses, music, and visual arts, which collectively function as a “medium of Dhamma.” This system connects Buddhist philosophy with ritual and community contexts. In the Nora Rong Khru ceremony, kham phrat serves as a means of communicating moral teachings alongside expressions of reverence for teachers and ancestors. This process enables the Three Characteristics to be experienced not merely as abstract doctrines but as shared social and spiritual experiences. The findings demonstrate that Nora kham phrat constitutes an important mechanism for transmitting Buddhist teachings through local cultural heritage. Nora is therefore more than a form of folk performance; it represents a system of knowledge and a spiritual medium that continuously contributes to shaping the worldview, moral values, and wisdom of Southern Thai communities.