BUDDHA’S GEO-BODY AND LANNA LAND: READING TAMNAN PHRA CHAO LIAB LOKE (THE LEGEND OF THE BUDDHA’S TRAVELS AROUND THE WORLD) THROUGH GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS)

Abstract

The book Buddha-bhumikaya and Lanna Land: Reading Tamnan Phra Chao Liab Loke (The Legend of The Buddha’s Travels Around the World) through Geographic Information System (GIS) written by Suddan Wisutthilak and Wallop Thong-on (2021) offers a new dimension in the study of the legend of Phra Chao Liap Lok, a Buddhist literary work prevalent in Lanna, Sipsongpanna, Kengtung, and parts of Laos. The book's highlight is not only its literary interpretation and analysis, but also its integration of geographic information systems (GIS) and field surveys to understand the network of sacred spaces in the legend in relation to the real geography of Southeast Asia, with Lanna as the center of Theravada Buddhism in the region. This academic book thus illuminates the process of meaning-making of sacred spaces through the enshrining of the Buddha's footprints, hair relics, and sacred relics, reflecting the structure of perception between the center and the periphery. It can be said that this book is a contribution to the study of Buddhist literature because it opens up a space to examine the relationship between legend and political geography, culture, and religion in Southeast Asia through a new perspective that powerfully integrates modern science and local studies. However, critics have criticized the interpretation of the footprints as symbols of rural or border lands, and the use of the concept The concept of “Buddha-bhumikaya” remains a controversial issue that deserves further consideration from other conceptual frameworks to gain a more comprehensive understanding of both the historical and socio-cultural dimensions of the local people.