ABSTRACT

Before I last left the meditation monastery in Northern Thailand where my research has been based since 2001, a senior monk and close friend presented me with an amulet, which he instructed me to wear when I returned to England. The amulet was sandy coloured and approximately 2.5 cm by 3 cm in size. On one side was a raised image of the Buddha statue in the main temple of the monastery embossed in gold, with the title and name of the image written beneath it. On the other side was a raised image of the ancient stupa (reliquary monument) at the centre of the monastic compound. Around the edge of the image were inscribed the words ‘run burna ubosot’ (edition/batch for the renovation of the consecrated assembly hall) and the title and name of the original Buddha statue in the ubosot. The amulet had been ritually charged with protective power and I was instructed to wear it while away from the monastery. Later, I showed it to a nun (mae chee), who commented that, while it was right that I wear it, I ought to also remember that I was already protected because I meditate and therefore I ‘carry the Buddha in my heart’.