{"product_id":"thailands-theory-of-monarchy-patrick-jory-9781438460888","title":"Thailand's Theory of Monarchy: The Vessantara J\u0026#257;taka and the Idea of the Perfect Man","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDiscusses the origins and cultural history of the Theravada Buddhist ideals behind the Thai institution of monarchy.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e2016 \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCHOICE\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e Outstanding Academic Title \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSince the 2006 \u003ci\u003ecoup d'état\u003c\/i\u003e, Thailand has been riven by two opposing political visions: one which aspires to a modern democracy and the rule of law, and another which holds to the traditional conception of a kingdom ruled by an exemplary Buddhist monarch. Thailand has one of the world's largest populations of observant Buddhists and one of its last politically active monarchies. This book examines the Theravada Buddhist foundations of Thailand's longstanding institution of monarchy. Patrick Jory states that the storehouse of monarchical ideology is to be found in the popular literary genre known as the \u003ci\u003eJātakas\u003c\/i\u003e, tales of the Buddha's past lives. The best-known of these, the \u003ci\u003eVessantara Jātaka\u003c\/i\u003e, disseminated an ideal of an infinitely generous prince as a \u003ci\u003ebodhisatta\u003c\/i\u003e or future Buddha-an ideal which remains influential in Thailand today. Using primary and secondary source materials largely unknown in Western scholarship, Jory traces the history of the \u003ci\u003eVessantara Jātaka\u003c\/i\u003e and its political-cultural importance from the ancient to the modern period. Although pressures from European colonial powers and Buddhist reformers led eventually to a revised political conception of the monarchy, the older Buddhist ideal of kingship has yet endured.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Patrick Jory\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1438460880\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781438460888\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e State University of New York Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/02\/2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 302\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.90lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.80d","brand":"Patrick Jory","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48449596522751,"sku":"9781438460888","price":36.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_600ec7ad-2ab5-46f3-97cd-049e730723ce.jpg?v=1777264091","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/thailands-theory-of-monarchy-patrick-jory-9781438460888","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}