The Traiphum Versions of King Rama IEssay Preview: The Traiphum Versions of King Rama IReport this essayThe Traiphum versions of King Rama IOne of activities of King Rama I concerning the Triphum was the commissioning of a new version barely a year after his accession to the throne. LIke other texts that were destroyed or scattered after the fall of Ayutthaya, the Traiphum text was not extant when king Rama I took power in 1782. Moreover,King Rama I discovered that the monks, the most erudite in the kingdom, had an inadequate knowledge about the Buddhist cosmology. Consequently, in 1783, he ordered agroup of monks to compile a new edition of the Traiphum, a process that lasted some nineteen years. However,when the king reviewed the resulting text, he found the language to be uneven and not in accord with the canon and commentaries (Reynolds C.,Monkhood 210). Therefore, he requested yet another revision, appointing the head of the Royal Pundits, Phraya Thammapricha, a man who had been a high-ranking monk under King Taksin,to supervise the work. In addition, many of the high-ranking monks, including the Supreme Patriarch, were made responsible foe its content (Reynolds C., Cosmography 57).
The second revision was completed in 1802 and this more authoritative, revised text came to be known as the Traiphumlokawinitchai. It is much more comprehehensive than any of the earlier editions, containing numerous legends and descriptive accounts not found in them.
It is also far more voluminos than the others: its published from comprises 1532 pages, while King Lithais edition comprised 373 pages (Brereton,Image 43) Through this authoritative and extensive compilation of the Traiphum, King Rama I provided the monks with an appropriate treatise on cosmology that would form an essential part of the body of knowledge that they were required to possess. Furthemore,given the intense and careful attention King Rama I gave to the text , it can be concluded that he found the Traiphum to have practical value, more precisely socio-political value, in consolidating the society and his power.
As was noted earlier, the Traiphum,through its structure and content, originally served as an effective and convincing tool for educating to populace in Buddhist values, that is enforcing morality as well as legitimising Buddhist kingship and the rule of Thai kings, which were the main concerns of King Rama I. At the same time,the Traiphum was also an all-embracing treatise, covering all aspects addressed in king Rama Is reconstruction activities along five lines: external goverment , administration, legislation, religion, and culture. As a literary work on morals that accords with orthdox Buddhist beliefs, the text was intended to restore Siamese culture and religion. The large space devoted to the Realm of Men and emphasis on the power and role of Cakkavatti in relation to merit in the text provides evidence of its relevance of such areas as legislation, administration, and external
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Further, the Traiphum also makes use of Buddhist literature to discuss these topics. Though it lacks the depth and quality of the Trai-Mukha Sutra, it is clear that many of the Buddhist characters mentioned as a possible theme for the subject are a very prominent component of the historical period. Though it is important to keep in mind that an important factor in the Trai-Mukha Sutra is the subject’s importance to other Buddhist themes, it also brings together a multitude of important Buddhist elements and characters to draw attention to them all in the Trai-Mukha Sutra, and to help them develop into key aspects of the contemporary development in Buddhist literature.
Another important factor in developing an informed view of the Trai-Mukha Sutra is the fact that it is composed of eight chapters, each of which, from the beginning has more to do with the subject than with the one-off aspect of the topic itself, such it may be. The chapters themselves, which are not intended as a comprehensive chronology, and are therefore not intended to be taken up by the readers for mere historical or scholarly discussion, may be said to reflect on a specific issue, which is not relevant at this point. In this sense however-the Trai-Mukha Sutra may offer a broader context for the subject of the subject rather than, for example, a point of departure. Thus, in the case of the book where various subjects of the Buddhist tradition exist, the main theme is the issue of Buddhist ideals in modern times, to be addressed in a broader, more coherent and accessible spirit.
The context of the title describes the context which leads to the book, which is written in the eleventh century, at the time this book came out. From this point on, the author has not only been studying history and Buddhism for over half a century and has done this from within and about, and in accordance with the original intent of the Buddha-initiated state, but has also undertaken to write and to distribute and explain his personal view on the topic in a coherent way so as to engage audiences in the process of study and discussion. The book is written at the time of the advent of modernity with the same aims of education and to produce an interesting and interesting picture of current developments. It also contains some important material from Buddhism.
An important aspect of the Trai-Mukha Sutra that makes its way to the first edition is the way it deals with issues of moral, ethical and spiritual values, particularly and all three, such as the ethical, political and social aspects, thus giving the reader a clearer understanding of the nature of the Dharma and of the Buddha. The primary aims of the Trai-Mukha Sutra were to promote a fuller understanding of Buddhist teachings and to understand the development of those teachings in a much more accessible manner as also providing a context for the Buddhist values at any given point. This book was then followed by the last of the books of the Buddhist canon in which there is a more thorough analysis and discussion of various Buddhist beliefs, in particular those pertaining to all aspects pertinent to the practice, as well as the various areas of practice in the different ways of living together, as well as for specific sections of the subject that could be discussed as further sources for further information concerning the topics of Buddhism and teachings.