Khanti Dhamma in Kampoon Boontawee’s Novel a Child of Isan

Abstract

Khanti Dhamma, or the virtue of patience and forbearance, in Child of Isan by Kampoon Boontawee, was not merely a theoretical religious principle; rather, it was an embodied moral quality elevated to a crucial mechanism for sustaining life amid the deprivation of rural Northeastern Thai society in the past. The novel reflected how Khanti Dhamma functions as an ascetic discipline that forges the spiritual resilience of its characters through endurance of physical hardship and the scarcity of basic necessities within a harsh environment. It also encompassed the cultivation of calm composure in confronting suffering caused by illness under limited public health conditions. Moreover, Khanti Dhamma was manifested in the psychological dimension through the exercise of mindfulness and self-restraint in response to social insult and prejudice, as well as the suppression of sensual desires oriented toward fleeting gratification in order to uphold familial duties and long-term aspirations. This study therefore demonstrated that, within the context of Child of Isan, Khanti Dhamma constituted a foundational principle that transformed poverty into a source of self-reliant strength, enabling individuals to preserve their dignity and to transcend the adversities of fate with grace.