AN INVISIBLE COMMUNITY CONTRACT THROUGH THE BELIEF IN RAISING THE SPIRITS OF BAN NONG LOENG'S ANCESTORS

Abstract

Thai society's animism combines beliefs from ghosts, Brahmins, and Buddhists. The belief in ghosts does not have multiple interconnected dimensions. Animism is a traditional belief system that has a strong foundation through training and is transmitted from generation to generation through ways of life, ceremonies, culture, and traditions. Unique social contracts and promises are made between various entities, such as the state and the people, parents and their children, leaders and followers, and communities with their members. One way of contracting the heart is through faith, belief, or by contracting the unseen. Most people create contracts, establish faith, and build symbols of community belief, such as the Pu Ta Shrine. The process of building sacred objects is a way of predicting the rain in agriculture, building social control, morale, and improving work morale. Cultural traditions and animistic worship are used to reward promises, and Kingdom Building ancestral courts provide entertainment. The sacred areas also help maintain the abundance of various resources.