Khao-Sor Nang Uthara: The Violence and Its Retribution According to the Teaching of Buddhism

Abstract

Khao-sor Nang Uthara is Lanna literature that was originally derived from Jataka outside Nibat “Suwan Jataka”. The literature is well-known among Tai ethic groups and other countries groups including Shan, Lue, Mon, Lawa, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thai. Khao-sor Uthara presents the violence of both good characters and bad characters. The cruelty is against Buddhist teachings such as a daughter murders a mother, a father murders a daughter, and a mother murders a daughter. The violence occurring is the violence with process. It consists of direct violence. The characters aim to harm the opponents to death by multiple methods such as crushing, tearing, piercing and burning. In structural violence, the literature presents the status of characters who are abused unavoidably by higher status characters. In culture aspect, the literature shows that the violence is acceptable in the Lanna society.