Abstract:
The research of the Wooden Buddha Statue: the Value and Principle on E-
San People's way of life has three objectives: 1) History and characteristics of wooden
Buddha statue, 2) Architectural value of wooden Buddha statue and 3) the value and
principle on E-San People's way of life. This Is Qualitative Research and analyzed data
to research the Wooden Buddha: the value and principle on E San People's way of
Life by descriptive analysis based on Inductive methods.
The Research Result:
1. The history and characteristics of the wooden Buddha: The research found
that the history of the creation of the Buddha to the worship of the Buddha image, it
is not to immitate the real Buddha but to remind the Buddha's goodness as Buddha
Anusati (reminding to Buddha). The creation of the Buddha is to make intangible
Buddha's goodness tangible. E-san wooden Buddha come from E-san people value
that built wooden Buddha then offer to the temples for self merit and happiness.
According to the E-san people will use auspicious wood like Bhodhi tree, Tridian tree,
Laburnum tree, Siamese rosewood tree, Jack tree, Tummy tree, Tamarind tree etc.
They carved wooden Buddha that consists of the Burisalakhana style. They love to
crave wooden Buddha statue for their birthday which can be found mostly at
temples. Some of the wooden Buddha statue are sitting meditation, othey are
standing mediation due to limited dimension of wood.
2. The artistic value of the wooden Buddha statue: the research found that
the value of the wooden Buddha statue of E-san was created by a group of local
villages who have no knowledge and skills to carve the wooden Buddha statue but
they are interested in craving Buddha statue in the energy of pure faith. The popular
work is not exquisite but the value is appears in the wooden Buddha statue. It can be
standard but it is beauty and disguise power with three beautiful elements are:
beauty, Picturesqueness and sublimity and it brings the value from the paying
homage to wooden Buddha statue that is the symbol of doine goodness and way of
living for social welfare.
3. The Value and Dhamma principle on E-San People's way of life, the
research found that the ideology of craving the wooden Buddha statue of E-San
People is medium understanding of doing goodness and it is spiritual anchor for own
self and society to live happily due to the original belief with the Buddhist teachings.
The value that got from wooden Buddha statue makes People in E-san community to
have a simple way of ufe, senerosity, loving peace and sufficient life. It is the prindple
of behavior and a social framework until it becomes a way of life, culture and
civillization that a good culture with basis of Buddhism, molding the characteristics of
manner to be good and it is taneible identity of E San People society.