ABSTRACT
This essay stems from my research into the cult and history of the Buddhist earth deity, known in Thailand as Mae or Nang Thoranee, “mother” or “lady earth”. This deity is a minor character in the story of the Enlightenment. The story of how she witnesses for the Bodhisattva against Ma¯ra the Evil One by wringing a deluge of water from her long hair can be found in a life of the Buddha called the Pat
˙ hamasambodhi known throughout
mainland Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Burma and Sipsong Panna).1
