It is the purpose of the present thesis to study the meaning of Preta in its development in the Theravada Buddhist Canon, its Commentaries and the influence of the concept on Thai beliefs and customs. The research reveals that Preta has two meanings: a dead man and a man who is gone to the Preta-realm, an existence where the dead reaps the result of their bad deeds, which is on a higher plane than animal-birth and hells. This Preta-realm is one of the five realms of beings in their cycle of rebirths, namely, the realm of gods, of man, of preta, of animals and of hell denizens. In the Commentaries, there is an obvious tendency to interpret Preta as the denizen of the Preta-realm. As result, the Preta in sub-commentaries and in Thai Buddhist literature is often described as a suffering being with frightful and deformed appearance. This Preta belief has direct influence on Thai beliefs and customs, as seen in the funeral ceremony, in the layman’s offering to the Buddhist Order, the monks’ acceptance of charity, water-throwing ceremony (Mesasamkranti), and Thai Sarada Festival, for instance. It is a direct encouragement on the Thai values with respect to gratitude, conscience, generosity and the close ties existing within Thai families. It also refects the close relation between Buddhist Order and Thai laymen from a longtime past.
