The Two Khruba Lue: Buddhist Place Makers of the Upper Mekong

Authors

  • Wasan Panyagaew Chiang Mai University, Thailand

Abstract

Since the 1980s, the mobility of people in the borderlands of the upper Mekong region has been reactivated, simultaneously regulated by the state’s changing policy on borders and regional development. This paper traces the respective life stories of two charismatic Lue monks, Phra Khru Weruwanpithak, or ‘Khruba Khuen Kham’ (1929-2005), and Chao Khun Phra Rathanarangsri, or ‘Khruba Saeng Lha’ (1928-), and their Buddhist practices across borders, showing their religious journeys from the early 1980s to the beginning of the 21st century; this led these two Khruba Lue to play a significant part in Theravada revivalism in northern Thailand, the eastern Shan state of Myanmar, and in Sipsong Panna of south-west China. These activities not only restored Theravada Buddhist sites and developed extensive and influential networks among Buddhist monks and laities across borders, but also created a new sense of belonging among the Lue, who have long lived across national borders in the upper Mekong region.

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Published

2018-11-28

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Research Highlights