ABSTRACT

                        The objectives of this thesis are: to study the belief and cremation rites and ritual in Buddhism, to study the practice of Buddhist cremation performed by the people in Khonkaen-Nuea Villagers, and to study the impact of belief in Buddhist cremation ritual of Khonkaen-Nuea Sub-district people to the change of modern Thai society.

                        The result of the study found that the rite of cremation in India was generally performed by burning the death body beside the Coast of Ganges River. It was believed that this was the way of expiating sin and led the departed to be born in the heaven. For the Buddhist cremation ritual during the time of the Buddha was performed by burning the death body and then collecting the left bone and preserve in the pagoda StirpaThis later became the honorable and memorial object for the people to worship and respect. The procedure of cremation ritual in Northeast of Thailand nowadays had some difference from the past. Obviously, after there was a modern funeral pyre called Meru, the traditional funeral no existed anymore.

                        For the people in Khonkaen-Nuea Villagers, when there was news about the death, they would broadcast the news to their council and neighbor. Then, they would help each other to organize the death ceremony by inviting the Buddhist monks to chant, normally, for three days, and then move to the temple to perform the cremation rite.

                        The negative social change that came with the age of InformationTechnology was that of economic pursuit and public opinion. These factors totally changed the traditional funeral rite of the people. For instance, they had to buy an expensive coffin, fees for renting stereo-amplifier, wreath, and fees for the temple. Unlike in the past, people just share what they have to organize the death ceremony in a simple way. Moreover, the following problem was gamble which held in the death ceremony. This finally led the people to unwise practice and misunderstood of Buddhism. And, environmentally garbage was another problematic matter that came with this unwise practice of cremation ritual.