สำนักราชบัณฑิตยสภา

The Journal of the Royal Institute of Thailand Volume III - 2011 93 Pathom Hongsuwan a Buddha image also reflects Lanna thinking (Udom Rungriangsri, 1990: 1239). Based on different Lanna Buddha myths, the constructors consisted of different groups of beings i.e. human: ordinary people, rulers, and royal family; non-human: deva, and supernatural beings. Such concept signifies the miracle and the supernatural power attached to the image. The last point obtained from the study of these myths is about the meaning of the Buddha image symbol in Lanna culture as signified through the image designation. The designation of any image in Lanna culture is made based on the posture, the unique characteristic, the material used for construction, and the method of construction. The addresses for Lanna Buddha images also signal the local identity. The words used for designating the images are from Pali and Sanskrit languages, dialects, and languages used by any ethnic groups which had an important role in Lanna land since the ancient time. Those words could be classified from the ordinary ones to the more powerful with sacredness. The sample of dialect designation of the images are Kaew Khao ( ·°â «¢“« ), Kao Tue ( ‡°â “μ◊È Õ ), Kha King ( §à “§‘ ß ), Khaeng Khom ( ·¢à ߧ¡ ), Ton Luang ( μπÀ≈«ß ), Nung Kone ( π—Ë ß‚°ã π ), Than Chai ( ∑— π„® ), Tab Tao ( μ— ∫‡μ“ ), Khon Muang ( ¢Õπ¡à «ß ), Pu Kha ( ªŸ §“ ), Pa Ket Thi ( ªÉ “‡°Á ¥∂’Ë ), Khao Kard ( ‡¢â “°“¥ ), Doi Jong ( ¥Õ¬®â Õß ), Pan Tong ( ªí πμÕß ), Lan Tue ( ≈â “πμ◊È Õ ), Pha Ng-ao (º“‡ß“), Kwan ( °«ä “π ), Nung Din ( π—Ë ß¥‘ π ), Phon Saen Ha ( Ωπ· πÀà “ ), Hua Kud ( À— «°ÿ ¥ ), Phra To ( æ√â “‚μ â ), Aun Muang ( Õÿà π‡¡◊ Õß ) and Saen Saew ( · π·´à « ) . These aspects are signs of an effort to form a local identity with combination of the Buddha image as the representative of the Lord Buddha to become a çlocal godé representing the local belief for local people, Lanna people to concentrate their faith in the same symbolic object of sacredness. The Value and Power of the Buddha Myths towards Lanna Society The analysis showed that there are many different aspects of the value and the power of the Buddha myths towards Lanna people: the value of the explanation of ethnic identity, the value of the explanation of custom and tradition, the value of the explanation of the relation in religious belief, and the value of the explanation of the relation in gender of male and female. The value of the explanation of ethnic identity, it was found that the important aspects repeated in Lanna Buddha myths are the explanation of identity through the way to choose a suitable location for settlement, Buddhist way of 86-97_mac9 4/26/12, 9:08 PM 93