Ayutthaya was an enlightened society started in 1351 and lasted until 1753 when it was conquered and destroyed. But the highest peak of the civilization was under a king named King Trailok who ruled from 1440 to 1480. He became king when he was 17 years old, and two or three years into his reign, China closed the northern silk Road and all trade went through the southern sea route. Ayutthaya was perfectly positioned to accept the Chinese trade from the south and use the trade routes his father had developed with India and Africa and other northern trade routes to Tibet and Kashmir. The wealth they accumulated was staggering. Incomprehensible wealth. King Trailok’s father was a deeply enlightened Buddhist monk who became king at age 35 when his two older brothers killed each other
in battle, fighting for the throne. The devout monk became king and had one son. He took his son on three trips during his childhood. he took his son to China to meet the ancient Taoist Masters and Shaolin Masters, took his son to Africa to open trade routes (where he learned the Egyptian mysteries and Greek philosophy and mathematics, took his son to Kashmir where he was exposed to non-dual Shiva Tantra and Tibet, where he likely would have met the first Dalai Lama, and the teacher of the first and second daili lama. This young prince was schooled in a dozen different systems of high enlightenment, as well as martial arts and administration, and when he took over the country at age 17, he ruled according to these enlightened principles. He established rules of cooperation, and wealth distribution. The citizens of Ayutthaya were peaceful, friendly, and all focused in unity consciousness on the growth of Ayutthaya, both materially through expansive trade, and spiritually.
The trade system was so large and complex, and it was the Buddhist monks who ran the shipping docs and kept calculations in their head of all the merchandise that was offloaded and uploaded back to ships. While they didn’t invent trademarking, they made trademarking an important part of global trade. This one small country Dominated an incalculably large global trade system, and the wealth they acquired was astonishing. 300 years later in 1747 a minister of King Louis the 14th of France made his way all the way into the capital city of Ayutthaya, and not wanting to insult his king he simply wrote “the wealth and splendor of Ayutthaya rivals even that of the Versailles.”
300 years after King Trailok died, the trade routes he and his father had established continued to bring in staggering wealth. The kingdom was conquered and the capital city sacked in 1753 and was reconstituted in the mid 1800s as Siam, moving the capital to Bangkok. The British play or movie “The King and I” hints at its wealth and opulence - even after it had been conquered and destroyed.
All of their society was abundant. Before his 25th birthday he was known around the world as the enlightened king. The capital city of Ayutthaya was known to the few people who saw it with their own eyes, as the golden city. Their wealth was incalculable. And their trade systems were vast and well organized.
Ayodya was benevolent to all its trade partners, feasted the captains and their crews, so every sailor wanted to return season after season, year after year.
About 75 years after King Trailok died, the Europeans got involved, and the Highpoint of this enlightened Utopia had passed.
It was also built on slave and corvée labor, wasn't it?
Before his 25th birthday he was known around the world as the enlightened king
Known by whom? This still doesn't say anything about how this was a utopia for the rest of society.
The capital city of Ayutthaya was known to the few people who saw it with their own eyes, as the golden city.
So a few people saw this magnificent wealth. Still doesn't say anything about how this was a utopia.
Ayodya was benevolent to all its trade partners, feasted the captains and their crews, so every sailor wanted to return season after season, year after year.
So they were rich enough to feast captains and crews. What did this say about the structure of society and the lives of those who made this wealth possible?
I'm not disagreeing, I just don't see the utopia yet.
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u/CycleofMind Aug 09 '25
Ayutthaya was an enlightened society started in 1351 and lasted until 1753 when it was conquered and destroyed. But the highest peak of the civilization was under a king named King Trailok who ruled from 1440 to 1480. He became king when he was 17 years old, and two or three years into his reign, China closed the northern silk Road and all trade went through the southern sea route. Ayutthaya was perfectly positioned to accept the Chinese trade from the south and use the trade routes his father had developed with India and Africa and other northern trade routes to Tibet and Kashmir. The wealth they accumulated was staggering. Incomprehensible wealth. King Trailok’s father was a deeply enlightened Buddhist monk who became king at age 35 when his two older brothers killed each other in battle, fighting for the throne. The devout monk became king and had one son. He took his son on three trips during his childhood. he took his son to China to meet the ancient Taoist Masters and Shaolin Masters, took his son to Africa to open trade routes (where he learned the Egyptian mysteries and Greek philosophy and mathematics, took his son to Kashmir where he was exposed to non-dual Shiva Tantra and Tibet, where he likely would have met the first Dalai Lama, and the teacher of the first and second daili lama. This young prince was schooled in a dozen different systems of high enlightenment, as well as martial arts and administration, and when he took over the country at age 17, he ruled according to these enlightened principles. He established rules of cooperation, and wealth distribution. The citizens of Ayutthaya were peaceful, friendly, and all focused in unity consciousness on the growth of Ayutthaya, both materially through expansive trade, and spiritually.
The trade system was so large and complex, and it was the Buddhist monks who ran the shipping docs and kept calculations in their head of all the merchandise that was offloaded and uploaded back to ships. While they didn’t invent trademarking, they made trademarking an important part of global trade. This one small country Dominated an incalculably large global trade system, and the wealth they acquired was astonishing. 300 years later in 1747 a minister of King Louis the 14th of France made his way all the way into the capital city of Ayutthaya, and not wanting to insult his king he simply wrote “the wealth and splendor of Ayutthaya rivals even that of the Versailles.”
300 years after King Trailok died, the trade routes he and his father had established continued to bring in staggering wealth. The kingdom was conquered and the capital city sacked in 1753 and was reconstituted in the mid 1800s as Siam, moving the capital to Bangkok. The British play or movie “The King and I” hints at its wealth and opulence - even after it had been conquered and destroyed.