Monks and Magic: Revisiting a Classic Study of Religious Ceremonies in Thailand

First published in 1975, B.J. Terwiel’s Monks and Magic remains a widely cited text. This is an absorbing study of Buddhism as practised at that time in a community in rural Central Thailand, describing how esoteric spells and magical diagrams were the main interest of children and adolescents but full ritual knowledge was obtained in adulthood and tempered by life experiences. As death approaches, the Buddhist world view stimulates merit-making. This reproduction of the 1979 second revised edition is augmented by new material on magic and Buddhism in Southeast Asia by Professor Terwiel, a renowned specialist on the social and cultural history of Thailand.

• Barend Jan Terwiel, Author