This is the first monograph-length study of an important Buddhist ritual – the consecration of a Buddha image or "newBuddha" – by which the Buddha becomes present or alive. Based on consecration rituals in northern Thailand, Swearer blends ethnography, analysis, and textual research in his discussions of the Buddha image, its role in Buddhist devotional life, and its relationship to the veneration of Buddha relics (Steven Weinberger 2004-03-08).