符號與文化：泰國彩象廟藝術呈現之分析

泰國自古即以佛教立國，所以佛教在泰國具有重要的地位，也是泰國文化構成的基礎。換句話說，泰國寺廟不只是一個信仰場所，也是一個認識泰國信仰與文化的地方。信徒可從建築上的符號與裝飾了解佛法與待人處世的道理，也能藉由寺廟建築藝術的變化發現社會信仰的變化。本次研究對象－彩象廟即是經過現代環境社會與文化相互影響下所產生出來的現代寺廟建築，它背後所代表的是泰國佛教文化的構成形式、運作方法與在地社會信仰活動；而這些信仰活動背後的構成因素又是因地制宜的。所以筆者將透過彩象廟建築的裝飾符號與文獻資料的比對，了解彩象廟建築裝是符號背後的佛教文化意涵與當地的信仰特色。本次研究發現泰國佛教信仰的構成是會隨著時代變遷而有所轉變，這些變動是泰國佛教與異文化交流溝通後所做的調整，是讓佛法能夠更貼近信徒的生活。同時，寺廟建築裝飾符號的增減也能協助當地展示其文化特色，讓人們可從這些莊是符號的差異了解在地信仰特色與生活。

關鍵字

泰國佛教；泰國佛教建築；泰國藝術；泰國傳說故事

並列摘要

Thailand has been founded on Buddhism since ancient times, so Buddhism has an important position in Thailand and is also the foundation of Thai culture. In other words, a Thai temple is not just a place of worship, but a place to learn about Thai beliefs and culture. Believers can learn about Buddhism and the principles of dealing with people from the symbols and decorations on the buildings, and they can also discover the changes in social beliefs through the changes in the architectural art of temples. The object of this study, Wat Banrai, is a modern temple architecture produced under the influence of modern environment, society and culture. Behind it, it represents the composition, operation methods and local social belief activities of Thai Buddhist culture; The factors behind belief activities are also adapted to local conditions. Therefore, the author will compare the decorative symbols of the Caixiang Temple buildings with the literature to understand the Buddhist cultural connotations and local belief characteristics behind the Wat Banrai architectural decorations. This study found that the composition of Thai Buddhist beliefs will change with the changes of the times. These changes are adjustments made after the communication between Thai Buddhism and foreign cultures, so that Buddhism can be closer to the lives of believers. At the same time, the increase or decrease of the decorative symbols of temple buildings can also help the local area to display its cultural characteristics, so that people can understand the local belief characteristics and life from the differences between these village symbols.