Bodhisattva character’s names in the Isan Folk Jatakas

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to study the names of Bodhisattva in the Isan Folk Jataka. Research selected a total of 32 Isan Folk Jatakas that were composed in verse. The analysis divided the nomenclature of Bodhisat-dialect, 3) the names that reflected social statuses and genders, and 4) the names that reflected mixed beliefs. The results found that the names of Bodhisattva were preceded by the title “Thaw”, local words, words in Pali and Sanskit, the names showing statuses and gender, and the names that co-occurred with “Phee” (meaning ghost). The results show that names of Bodhisattva in Isan folk Jataka are diverse. This reflects the knowledge of Isan people. They do not only know their dialect but also Pali,Sanskit and semantics. Their nomenclature conventions are that they named the protagonist according to the shapes and characteristics of him. Moreover, some of the names indicate power relation-ship between the old beliefs in spirits and the newer beliefs of Theravada Buddhism, Brahmanism and Mahayana Buddhism.