Asian Geographic-April 2018

above Ruesi Phuttavet

in his living room. It

is here that disciples

come to seek blessings

right Ruesi

Chaichatree displays

a prophecy he has

foreseen, written in

Lanna, the northern

Thai language

12th century

bce

The Vedas, written

by the rishi of India,

form the foundations of

Hindu belief

7th century

bce

Rishi are said to visit the

Lord Buddha as a child,

acting as his teachers

2th century

Hindu beliefs and rishi

practices make their way

to Thailand, Cambodia

and Laos, creating ruesi

10th century

As Theravada Buddhism

dominates Thailand, ruesi

numbers and influence

significantly wane

2018

Thanks to social media

and reconnection with

traditional beliefs, ruesi

are regaining acceptance

and popularity

ruesi reign

“I lived with this for all those years

in the caves,” he says, patting his small bag.

“You can find whatever you need in Nature,

and if I get sick, I can always just heal myself

with herbs.”

Further north, among the foothills of

the Mae Wang district, lies the home of

another ruesi: Chaichatree, who goes

by the nickname “Boo” (shorthand for

“grandfather”). The elder ruesi has a silver

beard and his typical work consists of

performing various acts of sorcery.

“Some people opened a Thai spa in Japan,

but business wasn’t great, so they called me,”

he recounts. “I wrote a spell for them and put

it in a sacred candle. I burnt the candle and

said a prayer for them. Just like that, customers

started to come in, and the business survived.”

Chaichatree claims his staff holds power

from cankama, a form of walking meditation.

The longer he walks with it, the greater the

blessings he can perform.

“Magic is everywhere!” he declares. “You

see that guy in the film Harry Potter? He’s got

DATA SOURCE: FRANCIS WILMER