Phra Lersi

Thai Healing Alliance International LIVING TRADITIONS Volume 6, 2008
Phra Lersi (The Reusee of Thailand)

Text & photos By Chris Jones of www.thaiamulets.com
The religion of the Thai population is by and large Buddhist, and

decidedly of the Southern Hīnayānic School of Theravāda, or
Doctrine of the Elders. But it would properly be referred to as
Sinhalese Buddhism as Sri Lanka is the place where it first took form.
It may also be described Pāli Buddhism for its strict adherence to the
Pāli Language literature compiled by the ancient Sinhalese.
But for a period extending about nine hundred years before the
thirteenth-century arrival of Sinhalese Buddhism, a multitude of
religious approaches coexisted in Thailand. These ranged from the
Brahmanistic styles of ascetic endeavours to the sundry systems of
Shiva-Shakti worship, from the Vaishnava and Krishna bhakti schools
to the Pure Land cults of the Mahāyāna.
A great multiplicity of religious forms flourished in the Thai region

before the 14th century. There once existed an awe-inspiring variety
of independent religious figures such as shamans, sādhus, yogins
and the rishī, that dwelt beyond the pale of any specific community or
social convention. These indigenous wisdom-knowers roamed about
as free as the breeze and practiced now-vanished forms of
Photo above: A modern day Phra lersi (reusee),
with an electric fan in his cave.
asceticism. Such holy men were often skilled healers, as well, and
commanded high respect from prominent sectarian leaders.
In the Thai language a hermit is called a reusee, (lersi) (in Khmer, rosei) from the Sanskrit rishī, that is, a forest dwelling
visionary. In fact, in the oldest surviving Buddhist scriptures, the Buddha himself is referred to as “the Rishī.” In general
lersi are known as ascetics and are characterised by refraining from worldly pleasures. Those who practice this lifestyle
hope to achieve greater spirituality. Essentially they believe that the action of purifying the body helps to purify the soul,
and thus obtain a greater connection with the divine. Originating in India before the time of Buddha, most lersi are
hermits and live, study and meditate in caves or forests. In Thailand one of the most famous ascetics is Lersi Tarfai,
(photo above) who lives in the region of Nakhon Ratchasima.
The stone-hewn bas-relief of two Brahman sādhus (ascetics) joyfully worshipping the Hindu god Shiva bears
testament to early Thailand's affinity with the religious culture of India. The two bearded sādhus wear only
loincloths. Their hair is tied in a topknot. They sit on the ground in a casual manner and lean back against a
low decorative pillar. Each of them holds in their two joined hands a chilum, or ritual clay pipe, as they
perform the quintessential Vedic rite of honoring Shiva with sacramental smoke offering. The pipes are filled
with the herbal offering typically consisting of cannabis-derived substances.
There existed an opulent fabric of religious diversity that had formerly been woven between the ancient
ruling houses of Lopburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Srivijaya, Pan Pan, Grahi, Sathing Phra, Phatthalung,
Pattani, Nakhon Sri Thammarat and others. Stretching across a near one thousand-year period beginning as
early as the 5th century CE, a broad range of Brāhmanical and Buddhist schools flourished in the
independent kingdoms and principalities that once comprised the Central Plains of Thailand and the
southern Isthmus of Kra.
Numerous forms of Indian religions had thrived there. Brāhmanic, Mahāyānic, Tantrayānic, Vajrayanic and the Pure
Land Amitabha and Avalokitesvara sects flourished side by side throughout the overlapping states. Before the
thirteenth-century arrival of Sinhalese Buddhism, a great variety of religious traditions flourished in Thailand.
Independent figures such as shamans, sādhus, yogins and rishīs (reusee) roamed about as free as the
breeze and practiced now-vanished forms of ascetic technology. These holy men were often skilled healers
too, and commanded high respect from sectarian leaders. They dwelt in a spirit of mutual appreciation with
no one heritage having authority over another. The fifth-century Hindu kingdom of Sathing Phra (present day
Songkhla) is an interesting little-known case in point. This extremely ancient city is one of the earliest and
most fascinating kingdoms on record. It was a purely Hindu society and an important port from the 5th to the
8th centuries. A Hīnayāna Buddhist school prospered there in the 7th and 8th centuries. During the late 9th
to the early 11th centuries, Mahāyāna Buddhism from Nalanda and Java took root and flowered. Khmer-
influenced sculptures of Avalokiteshvara and Maitreya dating from the7th to 9th century were found further
in Lopburi (an old Mon capital) and in villages around Nakhon Ratchasima and Buriram in the region known
today as northeastern Thailand.
Essentially Phra Lersi are Indian hermits

who are credited as founders and patron
saints of various professions such as
doctors, religious tattooists, white magic
practitioners, herbalists and many others.
There are currently 108 sacred hermits that
are recognised by name and many others
who are not. More often than not, the Lersi
is generically represented as an older man
wearing a conical head dress and a tiger
skin robe. In Indian mythology, Phra Lersi
received worldly knowledge from the Gods
and taught this to mankind. Thus, Phra Lersi
are known as masters of knowledge and are
frequently worshipped by students and
others in academic pursuits. As Phra Lersi
are also credited to be founders of the Thai
magical arts, they feature prominently on the
altars of magic practitioners in Thailand and
are often invoked in rituals. Detail of a bhikkhu and a rishī (Thai Reusee )
from a Thai temple mural
One of the most famous current-day black magic

practitioners is Ajahn Noo Kamphai. His temple is filled with hundreds of statues and images of the Thai
reusee which comprise his signature tattoos. He is particularly well known for a reusee with a tiger’s face
called 'Phor Gare, Na Sua.' By carrying or displaying an image of Phra Lersi it is believed that you will be
protected from black magic and evil spirits.

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Thai Healing Alliance International LIVING TRADITIONS Volume 6, 2008

Phra Lersi (The Reusee of Thailand)

The religion of the Thai population is by and large Buddhist, and

A great multiplicity of religious forms flourished in the Thai region

Essentially Phra Lersi are Indian hermits

One of the most famous current-day black magic

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