From Lokiya to Lokutara: The Reinterpretation of Buddhist Messages in the Television Adaptation of Thong Neu Kao (The Pure Gold)

Abstract

This article aims at exploring Thong Neu Kao (The Pure Gold)—the television series as a Buddhist narrative for the modern media. The study employs both Botan’s Thong Neu Kao (the source text) and the screenplay developed by Yingyos Panya in 2013. The study reveals that Thong Neu Kao—the television series expands the Buddhist ideas in the novel: from Lokiya to Lokutara. It presents some Buddhist core concepts: the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, the Three Characteristics, ordination and Nirvana. The transmission of the Buddhist messages is practiced through changes in the plot, elaborate characterization; intertextuality used for characterization and Buddhist symbols, as well as the paratext and narrative techniques of the television media. The massages and adaptation process manifests characteristics of Buddhist narrative in the digital age in relation to the function of didactic literature. Thong Neu Kao—the television series asserts the dynamic of Buddhist narrative and the importance of Buddhism in contemporary Thai society.