162 CHAPTER SEVENceremonies connected with them, are classified by the official Thai Sangha
text on rituals as avamangala (inauspicious). This is purely a Brahmanical con-
cept, for there is nothing inauspicious about death from a Buddhist point of
view. Contemplation of death and even of corpses is one of the original Bud-
dhist meditation themes for counteracting lust and complacency. However,
from a Brahmanical point of view, any involvement with a corpse is polluting
and a cause for bad luck. Thus there are a variety of taboos observed by those
who attend funerals. They may repeat charms to themselves-similar to the
animist charms mentioned previously-to ward off ritual pollution; they are
careful not to visit sick people on the way home from the funeral; and they
may leave a small bowl of lustral water next to the door of their home com-
pound before leaving for the funeral, using it to sprinkle their heads before
entering the compound on their return.
Merit making is the main component of the funeral rites, although here
the merit making serves a dual purpose: to comfort the living and to dedicate
the merit to the deceased so as to improve his/her chances for a good rebirth.
Donations are presented to monks, sermons are given, and, in particular, the
monks chant. The chants they use are an entirely different set from that used
on auspicious occasions. Here, so soon after a death, chants referring to good
fortune are judged inappropriate, so the Pali passages deal w.ith the Three Char-
acteristics, the ineffectiveness of spells and other human powers in the face of
death, and the efficacy of good karma in leading to a happy rebirth-topics
that are consoling for those who have been devoting their life to the pursuit of
merit. Passages from the Abhidhamma are also chanted, on the grounds that
they are the highest level ofDharma and that listening to them will produce
the highest level of merit, which is then passed on to the deceased.
Their inauspicious-~ess aside, funerals are among the main social occasions
in the life of Thai peasants. If the deceased was well loved or highly respected,
the body may be kept for several months in a temporary mausoleum until the
family-or the community as a whole, if the deceased was a monk-has been
able to save up enough money for a lavish funeral ceremony that will fittingly
express its regard for the person who has passed away. When this is the case,
the funeral is a remarkably cheerful affair. The bereaved have had time to get
over their loss and can take satisfaction in the conviction that they are helping
the deceased to a favorable rebirth. The communal nature of the bereaved's
merit making guarantees that even their own upcoming death is domesticated
somewhat, as they are assured of enjoying the fruits of their good karma to-
gether with friends and family in the next life.
7.5.2 Buddhism in the ForestThe question arises as to whether this domesticated mix ofBuddhisrn, ani-
mism, and Brahmanism is really Buddhism. The answer for an anthropologist
is yes: Anything that Buddhists do or believe counts as Buddhism; orthodoxy
carries no more weight than do the heterodox elements that coexist with it.
But for many Buddhists, the answer is no, or at best a yes that is heavily quali-