Forest Recollections: Wandering Monks in Twentieth-Century Thailand

Thai Names and Romanization

xix Thai Names and Romanization Generally, in Thailand a monk is known throughout his life by a combination of his given name and a Pali name, for example, “Man Phurithat.” Given names are short, usually only one syllable long: Man, Waen, Dun, Fan, Thet, Li, La, Cha, Juan, Wan. Monks receive their Pali names upon entering the sangha. Phurithat , Sujinno, Atulo, Ajaro, Thetrangsi, Thammatharo, Khempatato , Phothiyan, Kulachettho, and Uttamo are all Thai-language versions of Pali names. Siamese monks with or without titles have the word phra (“venerable”) preceding their name. Lao people in the Northeast address their monks as ya khu tham, ya khu, or khu ba (khru ba). To this standard usage I add a few conventions to make monks’ names and titles clear to the reader when necessary. When a monk bears a title conferred by the king, the title is followed by the personal name in parentheses, for example, “Phra Ubali (Jan).” If an administrative monk has held several titles during his life, I use the one that pertained at the time under discussion, for example , “Phra Upatcha Uan (Phra Satsanadilok)” for events in 1915, but “Jao Khun Uan (Phra Phrommuni)” for 1925 and “Somdet Uan (Phra Maha Wirawong)” for 1941. In Thailand’s Northeast, laypeople address monks by their first names, not their Pali names, even when they have an honorific title. They will say, x x T h a i N a m e s a n d R o m a n i z a t i o n for example, “Phra Khru Dilot” (and not “Phra Khru Wirotrattanobon ”), or “Somdet Uan” (and not “Somdet Phra Maha Wirawong”). I follow this tradition. Similarly, in the case of forest monks who in their old age have received a title, I follow their disciples ’ usage by calling them by their personal names: Fan, Li, Thet, Cha. (When writing or speaking in Thai, terms of respect would be attached: Luang Pu Fan, Than Phau Li, Phra Ajan Thet, or Than Ajan Cha.) The spellings of provinces and districts of Thailand correspond closely to the forms standardized by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names and used, for example, on the maps of the National Geographic Society. Minor changes have been made to keep some spellings consistent with my romanization. For example, Naung (“Pond,” commonly found in many village names) is generally used instead of the map spelling Nong. Otherwise, an effort has been made to spell major place names in conformity to the maps, even though my romanization system would suggest a different spelling. For example, Charoen and Kanchanaburi are used instead of Jaroen and Kanjanaburi. Some of the monks’ memoirs and biographies have been translated into English. In these translations, however, many words in local languages are mistranslated, and important details are sometimes omitted. When the English translation is accurate on the whole, I use it, correcting it or adding details from the Thai original when necessary. The accompanying note then cites both the English translation and the Thai original. The romanization I use resembles that of the American Library Association–Library of Congress system but substitutes roman letters for special characters and diacritical marks. The vowels ï and ï are romanized as eu (e.g., neung, “one”), the vowel o as au (phau, “father”), and the consonant ch as j (jan, “dish”). Tones and vowel length are not distinguished. The first appearance of a Thai or Pali word is italicized (e.g., wat, kamma); subsequent occurrences are unemphasized and may take English forms for plurals or adjectives (wats, kammic). The names of several prominent monks have been romanized differently in English-language publications. Bua’s name also appears as “Boowa,” Man’s as “Mun,” Cha’s as “Chah,” Li’s as¯ ¯ ˆ T h a i N a m e s a n d R o m a n i z a t i o n xxi “Lee,” and Thet’s as “Thate” or “Tate.” When referring to these publications in notes and the bibliography, I retain the original romanization. Finally, as in conventional usage, Thai authors are entered in the bibliography and notes according to their first names. ...