From karma to sin: a kaleidoscopic theory of mind and Christian experience in northern Thailand

Abstract

AbstractIn this essay, I argue for a ‘kaleidoscopic’ theory of mind implicit in people's common‐sense awareness of themselves, others, and reality in northern Thailand. Phenomenal experience is here generally understood as contingent on a host of factors, from personal habits to the influence of others, such that sensory perceptions themselves are in part a consequence of prior action (karma) with moral import. When Thai people convert to Christianity, they reject karma in favour of a God who will absolve a believer of all offence. Drawing on both neo‐Pentecostal and Buddhist Thais’ rich descriptions of their encounters with the divine and a host of other ‘supernatural’ experiences, I show how many Thai Christians maintain an abridged sense of karmic contingency. With attention to local theory of mind, non‐monotheistic knowledge formations come into focus, highlighting the unique nature of the individualism emerging among Thai congregants and the stakes such individuation has for them.