402 Part V: Southeast Asia
For instance, who exactly is Phra Uppakrut? According to villagers, he is a
Naga (cobra) whose mother, a mermaid, gave birth to him after Buddha, in an
act of questionable propriety for the Enlightened One or any monk, forced his
seed into the water where she swallowed it and became pregnant. Being the son
of Lord Buddha, he later was ordained as a monk. The monks also have a story
about who Uppakrut was. At the Third Buddhist Council convened by
Ashoka, the monks gathered but had no one to preside. Phra Uppakrut, who
was in the water meditating, was invited to serve in this role. On the way he
encountered a king who let loose an elephant to attack Uppakrut in order to
test his strength. He vanquished the elephant and then went on to preside over
the council, resolve controversies about the dharma (dhamma), and thus con-
tributed to the success of Buddhism. Every year in Baan Phraan Muan, Phra
Uppakrut is invited to Bun Phraawes to renew his role as defender of Buddhism
and protector against storm, lightning, and murder and other acts of Mara
(Tambiah 1975:168–175).
Even though the principal deity is a snake, Bun Phraawes is a major wat rite
for making merit, chiefly through listening to sermons and recitations of Bud-
dhist texts and stories. From the audience’s point of view, the benefit is not just
merit for the next life; it is also meant to ensure a good and healthy life, and
plentiful rain. Thus Buddhist and non-Buddhist themes and goals intertwine.
A couple of months after the great harvest festival is the festival called
“merit from firing rockets” (Bunbangfai). According to villagers, this festival has
nothing to do with Buddhism,
yet even here, links to Buddhism
can be found. Again the princi-
pal deity is neither the Buddha
nor even Phra Uppakrut, but a
benevolent guardian spirit of the
village who has his own shrine
on the outskirts; his name is
Tapubaan, “grandfather of the
village.” There is also the spirit
or phii of a Buddhist novice who
has his own small wooden
statue in the wat right beside the
image of Buddha. This phii is
offered only vegetarian offer-
ings of rice and sugar, since he is
a dead monk, but Tapubaan is a
meat eater and a drinker who is
given chicken, pork, liquor, and
hot curries. The rockets are fired
specifically to pay honor and in
return to receive prosperity andNon-Buddhist “spirit houses” are found widely,
where offerings are made to a variety of spirits, help-
ful and harmful, that offer protection to villagers.