A Fast-Moving Cosmos: The World of Bangkok Diviners

Siani, Edoardo

This essay approaches Thai Buddhist cosmology so as to account for the multiplicity and fluidity of cosmological narratives. Based on extensive fieldwork research carried out with divination practitioners (mo du), their clients (luk kha) and their critics in Bangkok, it demonstrates that, irrespective of social and educational background, Thai Buddhists constantly engage in the construction of highly personal accounts of the cosmos, creating wondrous variation. Basic notions originating from the concept of karma, which remains ubiquitous in cosmological narratives, are also fluid as their usage changes according to time and context. Thus, in a fastpaced market society, cosmology, too, is dynamic, ofttimes controversial and always irreverently vibrant.

This essay approaches Thai Buddhist cosmology so as to account for the multiplicity and fluidity of cosmological narratives. Based on extensive fieldwork research carried out with divination practitioners (mo du), their clients (luk kha) and their critics in Bangkok, it demonstrates that, irrespective of social and educational background, Thai Buddhists constantly engage in the construction of highly personal accounts of the cosmos, creating wondrous variation. Basic notions originating from the concept of karma, which remains ubiquitous in cosmological narratives, are also fluid as their usage changes according to time and context. Thus, in a fast-paced market society, cosmology, too, is dynamic, ofttimes controversial and always irreverently vibrant.