Building a culture of peace in Thai families using Jataka tales

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to 1) study and analyze the Jataka Tales, 2) study the use of Jataka Tales in building a culture of peace in Thai families, and 3) study problems related to promoting a culture of peace through the use of the Jataka Tales. The research methodology employed was Action Research with 20 participating families chosen intentionally. The Jataka tales used were stories with contents and morals that promote a culture of peace, selected from the 547 Jataka tales in the Tripitaka. These selected tales emphasize generosity of spirit without expecting reciprocity, tolerance towards provocations and control of one’s own anger, capacity for forgiveness towards those who have caused us pain, and respect for the dignity of all people. The research instruments used were Jataka tales, interview forms, and observation forms. The descriptive analysis method was used in the analysis of data. The research finds that (1) Of the 547 Jataka Tales, 20 tales have contents that help promote a culture of peace. (2) The use of these Jataka Tales results in significant changes in family relationships. In particular, in situations of conflict, family members are more willing to forgive each other, show increased mutual respect for each other both inter- and intra-generationally, and are more able to control their anger, thereby reducing the potential for violence in problematic situations, leading to an increased expression of love and care towards one another and a culture of peace within the families. (3) Problems relating to the use of Jataka Tales to promote a culture of peace include the facts that, firstly, some family members were not literate; secondly, some members of the test groups were not seriously interested in telling stories to their family members; thirdly, most families never tell stories to their children or grand-children; and fourthly, the story-tellers have yet to develop story-telling skills that would capture the attention of their audience.