# Barami

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{{short description|Thai sociological concept}}
{{For|the Buddhist term|Pāramitā}}
{{Culture of Thailand}}
'''Barami''' ({{langx|th|บารมี}}; from Pali {{IAST|pāramī}}) is a deeply ingrained and significant sociological and political concept in [Thai culture](/source/Thai_culture), particularly within its [Theravada Buddhist](/source/Theravada_Buddhist) framework. While often translated as "prestige," "charisma," "virtue," or "moral perfection," barami encompasses a broader sense of innate, superhuman power and influence derived from accumulated good karma and virtuous actions over many lifetimes. It is analogous to the Burmese concept of [hpone](/source/hpone).<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Thiha |first=Amara |date=December 2024 |title=Rituals, Lore and Legitimacy in Post‑Coup Myanmar |url=https://edizionicafoscari.it//it/edizioni/riviste/annali-di-ca-foscari-serie-orientale/2024/2/rituals-lore-and-legitimacy-in-post-coup-myanmar/ |access-date=2025-06-04 |journal=Annali di Ca' Foscari. Serie Orientale |issue=2 |language=en |doi=10.30687/annor/2385-3042/2024/02/009|doi-access=free }}</ref> The concept of barami has been attributed with enabling the escalation of power of Thailand's judiciary and other elite institutions in the modern era.<ref name=":6">{{Citation |last=Tonsakulrungruang |first=Khemthong |title=Thai Constitutions as a Battle Ground for Political Authority: Barami versus Vox Populi |date=2022 |work=Buddhism and Comparative Constitutional Law |pages=161–180 |editor-last=Schonthal |editor-first=Benjamin |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/buddhism-and-comparative-constitutional-law/thai-constitutions-as-a-battle-ground-for-political-authority/C5FC2039DB9F40C989DBE685C49ED7E0 |access-date=2025-06-04 |series=Comparative Constitutional Law and Policy |place=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/9781009286022.012 |isbn=978-1-009-28602-2 |editor2-last=Ginsburg |editor2-first=Tom|doi-access=free }}</ref> These entities have increasingly steered [Thailand's constitutional](/source/Constitution_of_Thailand) regime away from [liberal democracy](/source/liberal_democracy).<ref name=":6" />

== Characteristics ==
Barami is an enigmatic characteristic, that is accumulated over numerous lifetimes and [rebirth](/source/Rebirth_(Buddhism)), built up through continuous virtuous actions, often spanning many existences. While cultivated, it refers to an inherent capacity within certain individuals to embody [dhamma](/source/Dharma). Those with barami exert influence not just over people but, in a traditional belief system, even over illness and the environment. Unlike mere power or charisma, barami is inherently linked to goodness, purity, and ethical conduct.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Veal |first=Clare |date=2013-04-01 |title=The Charismatic Index: Photographic Representations of Power and Status in the Thai Social Order |url=https://doi.org/10.1215/215820251_3-2-207 |journal=Trans Asia Photography |volume=3 |issue=2 |doi=10.1215/215820251_3-2-207 |issn=2158-2025|doi-access=free }}</ref> Individuals who wield power but engage in evil acts are generally not considered to possess true barami. Barami is an invisible force, but its effects are tangible in the respect, admiration, and positive outcomes it brings to those who possess it.<ref name=":0" /> Individuals with barami are believed to have a larger network of influence, wealth, and physical beauty.<ref name=":0" />

== Origins ==
The term barami originates from the Pali word {{IAST|pāramī}} (or {{IAST|[pāramitā](/source/p%C4%81ramit%C4%81)}}), which in Buddhist contexts refers to the "perfections" or "virtues" cultivated by a [Bodhisattva](/source/Bodhisattva) (a Buddha-to-be) on their path to enlightenment.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Jory |first=Patrick |date=2002 |title=THE VESSANTARA JATAKA, BARAMI, AND THE BODHISATTA-KINGS: The Origin and Spread of a Thai Concept of Power |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40860799 |journal=Crossroads: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Southeast Asian Studies |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=36–78 |jstor=40860799 |issn=0741-2037}}</ref> In the Thai context, barami is understood as a beneficial and protective force that accrues from these good deeds, thoughts, and actions.<ref name=":1" /> It is seen as an intangible power that radiates from individuals who embody these virtues, allowing them to attract followers, exert influence, and bring about positive outcomes.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Funahashi |first=Daena |date=September 2017 |title=In the Name of the People: Magic and the Enigma of Health Governance in Thailand |url=https://kyotoreview.org/issue-22/magic-enigma-health-governance-thailand/ |journal=Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia |issue=22}}</ref> The monarchy, divinities, monks and the [Buddha](/source/The_Buddha) are all considered repositories of barami.<ref name=":3" /> Political relationships were even described using the language of barami, with submission to the king being "phun phrabarami" (พูนพระบารมี, 'coming under the protection of his barami').<ref name=":0" />

==Barami in Thai society==
=== Kingship and political legitimacy ===
[[File:Three Kings Monument, Chiang Mai (I).jpg|thumb|[Three Kings Monument](/source/Three_Kings_Monument) in [Chiang Mai](/source/Chiang_Mai), depicting the founding fathers of the [Lanna Kingdom](/source/Lan_Na).]]
Historically, the concept of barami has been central to the legitimacy of Thai kingship.<ref name=":1" /> Kings were considered to possess immense barami due to their exceptional merit accumulated in past lives, making them worthy rulers and protectors of the Buddhist faith.<ref name=":3" /> The [Vessantara Jātaka](/source/Vessantara_J%C4%81taka) was commonly invoked an exemplar of a leader's barami.<ref name=":1" /> Since dynastic succession was not always guaranteed in the [Ayutthaya](/source/Ayutthaya_Kingdom), [Thonburi](/source/Thonburi_Kingdom), and [Bangkok periods](/source/Rattanakosin_Kingdom_(1782%E2%80%931932)), the representation and maintenance of barami was vital for gaining and keeping political and social influence.<ref name=":0" /> The historical Siamese taboo against publicly depicting the royal personage reinforced the link between barami and the power of sight.<ref name=":0" /> This changed in 1856 when [King Mongkut](/source/Mongkut) (Rama IV) allowed himself to be photographed, marking a shift in how royal barami was represented and perceived.<ref name=":0" />

''Trai Phum Phra Ruang'' ("Three Worlds of King Ruang"), written by [King Lithai](/source/Maha_Thammaracha_I) in the fourteenth century, is a pivotal work of literature concerning barami. Initially intended as a Buddhist reading for his mother, it also holds significant value as a political text.<ref name=":6" />

The royal anthem of Thailand, "[Sansoen Phra Barami](/source/Sansoen_Phra_Barami)," literally translates to "Glorify His Prestige" or "Glorify the Royal Barami," highlighting its importance.<ref name=":1" /> The king's barami was believed to influence not only people but also natural phenomena like rain and agricultural production, ensuring peace and fertility for the kingdom. Through patronage of Buddhism and adherence to the "royal virtues" (thotsaphit ratchatham), monarchs were seen to continuously accumulate and increase their barami in their present lives, aspiring to be a [Bodhisattva](/source/Bodhisattva) in their next.<ref name=":0" />

During the 1950s and 60s, [Sarit](/source/Sarit_Thanarat)'s government boosted its own legitimacy by forging a close relationship with the Thai monarchy.<ref name=":0" /> It heavily promoted the monarchy's barami by reviving royal ceremonies, widely disseminating royal photographs, and conducting royal tours.<ref name=":0" /> This association with the monarchy, in turn, enhanced Sarit's own perceived barami and allowed other [military leaders](/source/Royal_Thai_Armed_Forces) to accumulate theirs.<ref name=":0" />

The concept of barami continues to play a role in political discourse and analysis in the modern era, in describing charismatic political, religious and business leaders.<ref name=":1" /> There is often a call for "good people" (khon dee) to lead, with the underlying implication that such individuals possess barami, contrasting with those perceived as lacking moral standards or acting for self-interest.<ref name=":4">{{Citation |last=Leelapatana |first=Rawin |title=The Thai-Style Democracy in Post-1932 Thailand and Its Challenges: A Quest for Nirvana of Constitutional Saṃsāra in Thai Legal History before 1997 |date=2021 |work=Thai Legal History: From Traditional to Modern Law |pages=217–232 |editor-last=Harding |editor-first=Andrew |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/thai-legal-history/thaistyle-democracy-in-post1932-thailand-and-its-challenges/0A278525263661EAF24A1D1B0E7397DD |access-date=2025-06-04 |place=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/9781108914369.016 |isbn=978-1-108-83087-4 |editor2-last=Pongsapan |editor2-first=Munin|url-access=subscription }}</ref> This moral authority derived from barami can provide a powerful source of legitimacy, sometimes even challenging conventional democratic processes.<ref name=":4" />

===Monks and spiritual authority===
Beyond kings, highly revered [Buddhist monks](/source/Bhikkhu) are also believed to possess significant barami.<ref>{{Cite web |last=D |first=Alexander |date=2021-12-03 |title=More on Barami |url=https://fundforeducationabroad.org/journal/more-on-barami/ |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=Fund for Education Abroad}}</ref> Their ascetic practices, moral conduct, and spiritual attainments are seen as manifestations of their accumulated merit. Devotees often seek to make merit by supporting these monks and their construction projects, believing that doing so allows them to partake in the monk's barami and accumulate merit for themselves. The physical presence of such monks, and even their relics, are thought to radiate this benevolent energy.

=== Everyday life ===
While prominent figures like kings and senior monks are seen as having extraordinary barami, the concept is not exclusive to them. In everyday Thai life, individuals are encouraged to cultivate barami through good deeds and virtuous conduct.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Subpawanthanakun |first=Kritsada |date=2016-06-13 |title=Thai Buddhism serves the state, teaches people to be complacent: academic |url=https://prachataienglish.com/node/6249 |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=Prachatai English |language=en}}</ref> This is closely related to the broader Buddhist concept of [merit-making](/source/Merit_(Buddhism)) (''tambun''), where actions like giving alms, observing precepts, and practicing meditation contribute to one's accumulated merit and, by extension, their barami.<ref name=":5" /> A person with strong barami is often seen as fortunate, successful, and commanding natural respect and goodwill from others. The concept of barami has been used as fatalistic explanation for people to accept their socio-economic status.<ref name=":5" />

==See also==
*[Hpone](/source/Hpone)
*[Culture of Thailand](/source/Culture_of_Thailand)

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Thailand topics}}

Category:Culture of Thailand
Category:Human communication
Category:Thai words and phrases
Category:Social concepts
Category:Power (social and political) concepts
Category:Cultural concepts

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Barami](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barami) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barami?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.