Abstract

Traditional Thai educational literature contains Buddhist content that can be considered as attitudes to life. This study aims to analyze the background, current conditions, problems, and morals from twenty-four works by royal Thai poet Sunthorn Phu. Data were collected by inductive and deductive document analysis and was supplemented by workshop and group discussion. The results show that Sunthorn Phu authored twenty-four works that caused a change in the traditional writing styles of Thai literature by adopting new poetry techniques. The literature of Sunthorn Phu has been added to the collection of traditional Thai morals and social regulations. The results show that almost all proverbs in the literature of Sunthorn Phu are about children, male-female relationships, married life, elders, priests, administrators, and the family. The literature is a guide to life and a guide to the management of assets and behavior. Moreover Sunthorn Phu’s work explains Thai traditional culture, beliefs, and faith.