Buddhism in Ta Muen Tot Castle

Abstract

In the study titled "Buddhism in Ta Muen Tot Castle," the researcher set three objectives: 1) to study the form, meaning, development, and the belief system behind the construction of Ta Muen Tot Castle; 2) to study Buddhism in Ta Muen Tot Castle; and 3) to analyze Buddhism in Ta Muen Tot Castle. This is a qualitative field research project using in-depth interviews and descriptive analysis. The study found that, in terms of form, Ta Muen Tot Castle is an Arogyasala (hospital chapel) built of laterite and sandstone. In terms of meaning, it signifies a religious sanctuary for healing, commissioned by King Jayavarman VII (B.E. 1724–1761) of the ancient Khmer Empire, as noted in the inscription at Ta Prohm temple in Cambodia. Regarding its development, inscriptions found at Ta Muen Tot Castle (S.R. 1, K.375) are written in ancient Khmer using Sanskrit from the 18th Buddhist century, though they provide limited historical details. Similar inscriptions have been found in four locations across Thailand. The belief system behind the construction stems from Buddhist faith. Buddhist figures found at Ta Muen Tot Castle include the four-armed Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva (Angkor Wat art style), the Buddha, the Jina (Victor), Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūrya (Medicine Buddha), Surya Vairochana Chandrarochi, Chandra Vairochana Rohiniśa, and the Lotus-Footed One—symbolizing heaven, disease, medicine, and merit. The analysis revealed: 1) Symbolic forms, such as Avalokiteśvara representing Mahayana Buddhism, with references to the Buddha as healer in the Trikaya doctrine (Nirmāṇakāya, Dharmakāya, Sambhogakāya), the Jina symbolizing victory over illness, Bhaiṣajyaguru as the supreme healer accompanied by two bodhisattvas—Surya Vairochana Chandrarochi (small medicine pot) and Chandra Vairochana Rohiniśa (large medicine pot), both representing Mahayana beliefs; 2) Symbolic actions, including the use of medicine to conquer illness and merit-making as a moral purification of the mind from unwholesomeness to wholesomeness; and 3) Symbolic thoughts, such as the Lotus-Footed One implying transcendence and purity, heaven symbolizing supreme bliss, and disease representing suffering and affliction.