Conclusion: The Thai Cults of Wealth into the Twenty-first Century

Summary

In the early twenty-first century, the Thai cults of wealth have continued to proliferate and diversify, spreading into new forms and finding new followers in Thailand as well as in neighbouring East and Southeast Asian countries. One new figure in the Thai pantheon of wish-granting deities is Thep Than-jai, the “Deity [who grants wishes] immediately”. Thep Than-jai is the Thai name given to the Burmese spirit being called a bobogyi, a generic spiritual figure that in Burma is believed to guard treasures buried beneath pagodas and whose name means “great-grandfather” (Brac de la Perrière and Munier-Gaillard 2019). In Thailand, Thep Than-jai is represented as a grandfatherly figure dressed in regal Burmese attire standing and pointing his index figure towards the faithful. In Burma, this figure is linked to the foundation of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, where he is believed to be pointing to the location where relics of past Buddhas are supposed to have been enshrined.

The cult of the Hindu deity Ganesh has also expanded rapidly since the turn of the new century and increasing numbers of white-robed lay ascetics called reusi, from the Sanskrit rishi, now offer spiritual advice for wealth and wellbeing (see McDaniel 2013). New digital media and social networks have quickly become central features of the expanding field of Thai popular ritual and belief across the region. In 2017, The Nation reported how a fortune teller reusi in Northeast Thailand named Toon used the internet to provide divinatory commercial advice to clients in several countries:

Using Facebook and [smartphone application] Line to advertise his services, he has tapped a deep well of overseas intrigue, especially among ethnic Chinese, for rituals and charms aimed at boosting business prospects…. He now has hundreds of followers in … Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Malaysia and Singapore, and travels far and wide to offer spiritual solace…. A lot of customers, especially business owners, now come to Thailand to seek auspicious power. It is undoubtedly a lucrative business for people like Toon, whose clients pay hundreds of dollars for ceremonies. Thanks to the power of the web, he now has more foreign customers than Thais.