| List of tables |
page ix |
| List of illustrations |
xi |
| 1 Introduction: the particular and the general |
1 |
| 2 The stage and its setting |
6 |
| 3 Cosmology |
32 |
| 4 Primary village concepts |
53 |
| 5 The institution of monkhood in historical perspective |
62 |
| 6 The rules of conduct for monks, novices, and laymen |
81 |
| 7 The phases of monkhood |
97 |
| 8 The monastic routine and its rewards |
116 |
| 9 The ideology of merit |
141 |
| 10 The cycle of collective wat rites and the agricultural calendar |
152 |
| 11 Death, mortuary rites, and the path to rebirth |
179 |
| 12 Liberation through hearing: the sacred words of the monks |
195 |
| 13 Sukhwan rites: the elders summon the spirit essence |
223 |
| 14 The co-existence of the brahman and the Buddhist monk |
252 |
| 15 The cult of the guardian spirits |
263 |
| 16 Myth and rite: the Naga symbol and the rocket festival |
285 |
| 17 The afflictions caused by malevolent spirits |
312 |
| 18 Exorcism as healing ritual |
327 |
| 19 A kaleidoscopic view of the religious field |
337 |
| 20 The parade of supernaturals |
351 |
21 The past and present in the study of religion:
continuities and transformations |
367 |
| Bibliography |
379 |
| Index |
385 |
