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relationship, the bond can become one of the looking at the Wai Khru in a metaphysical

most important in his or her life. [...] Teacher perspective, it is more than a ritual to pay
and disciple are ideally as close as, or some- respect to teachers, the Wai Khru is a neces-
[10]
times closer than, father and soné . The task sary condition for the ùpracticeû of the Thai
of the khru is to train the studentsû mind from traditional medical knowledge itself, which
where parents left off, and take them to higher is now discussed.
level of knowledge, cultivating spiritual aware- Translating the term Wai Khru into En-

ness in their mind. glish, it literally means çpay respect to the
Traditionally, the Thai medical knowl- teachersé, however considering other aspects

edge used to remain only on teachersû and in Thai tradition, such as the Thai quality
practitionersû mind, and passed on orally, from katanyu katawaeti (°μ—≠êŸ°μ‡«∑’), which
master to pupil. Due to historical circum- stands for those who are grateful and mani-

stances, such as the fall of Ayutthaya, and fest gratitude to benefactors, the better trans-
the progress of Thai society, the knowledge lation of the term would be çpay grateful re-

begun to be transcript in format of scriptures. spect to the teachersé. Respecting teachers
However, even though Thai traditional medi- is a common value shared in most of the Asian
cal knowledge was compiled, the oral trans- countries, however in Thailand, the Wai Khru

mission was preserved. represents more than a respect. This research
(3) Performance of rites and the use of shows that the Wai Khru rituals contribute
symbols: The performance of rites and the for the preservation of the Thai traditional

use of symbols in Thai traditional medicine knowledge, maintaining the link between
can be summarized in only one term: Wai individuals and teachers of any kind. In order
Khru (‰À«â§√Ÿ). The Wai Khru is commonly as- to understand that, lets first observe the analy-

sociated to rituals performed to pay respect sis of the words wai and khru, which con-
and homage to teachers in any educational tributes to the metaphysical understanding

field in Thailand, from elementary school to of the Wai Khru itself.
university, including fields of Thai traditional Wai (‰À«â) is a Thai verb, translating to
art such as music, dance, traditional medi- English meaning ùpay respectû or ùshow

cine and boxing. Different educational fields respectû. When this verb is manifested, it
have different ways to perform the rituals, transforms to a physical gesture of joining

but all of them have the same purpose: to the palms in front of the chest or face, with a
honor and to remember teachers. However, slight bow. It is used to leave greetings,