Religious Ontology: A Tool of Interpretation and Self-reliance of Elderly in Thai Society

Abstract

          This research had three objectives: (1) to study the ontological interpretation of religion and the self-reliance of the elderly, (2) to develop an ontological interpretation tool concerning religion and the self-reliance of the elderly in Thai society, and (3) to drive the ontological interpretation of religion in building self-reliance among the elderly in Thai society. This research was a qualitative study employing documentary research and in-depth interviews with 30 key informants, selected through purposive sampling. The findings were as follows: 1) The concept of ontology, which is rooted in Western philosophy and has been applied through the ontological turn in the anthropological study of religion, can explain Buddhism as a way of seeing through from the level of conventional designation (sammati-paññatti) to ultimate designation (paramattha-paññatti). Four characteristics of interpretation emerged: the interpretation of the inner nature of human beings, the interpretation of the relationship between form (rūpa) and mind (nāma), the ontological interpretation concerning the preservation of life, and the ontological interpretation of living that values old age as a space for understanding the essence of life. In this regard, the self-reliance of the elderly is grounded in the Buddhist teaching that "one is one's own refuge" (attā hi attano nātho), encompassing the physical, mental, and holistic dimensions. A structural contradiction was found in that spiritual self-reliance still continually requires a structure of physical care provided by others. 2) The development of the Interpretation tool arose from synthesizing knowledge of Buddhism and Thai traditional medicine through two interconnected processes: the application of Buddhist principles led by monks through a four-party collaborative structure, and the application of Thai traditional medicine activities that classify illness according to age range and promote self-observation skills of the body, leading toward holistic care encompassing the physical, mental, social, and spiritual dimensions. 3) The driving process was carried out through the integration of knowledge into actual practice in two activities: a workshop on anatomy in scripture presenting the concept of the five levels of the body, and a seminar on health healing in Buddhist scripture connected to Ayurvedic concepts and the six temperaments (charita 6), which generated results at both the level of understanding and the level of implementation. This reflects that the ontological interpretation of religion can be transformed into concrete and sustainable practices that strengthen the self-reliance of the elderly in Thai society.