Writing about Thailand and not talking about Buddhism would be ignoring the elephant standing in your living room. Ninety percent of the people are Buddhist and it is a major influence over the lives of people in Thailand. Our guide said many times that Buddhism in not a religion it is a way of life and you see it every day from the monks walking the street to th
e many Wats (temples) and the people visiting with gifts to present. Also almost every house, and hotel, has a spirit house where offerings are place regularly.
We visited many different Wats and most were similar but each had a significant reason for the visit. The Golden Buddha is a must see in Bangkok. The solid gold Buddha weights about 5 tons and was not discovered until 1955 that it was discovered that the plaster was covering a solid gold image. We also visited Wat Pho which contains the largest Reclining Buddha. The highly impressive gold plated reclining Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters high, and is designed to illustrate the passing of the Buddha into nirvana.
What can I say about some of the other Wats? They all have a Buddha imag
e and most are traditional in style and construction, you must take off your shoes before entering, and you will encounter people giving offerings and taking pictures, where allowed. The Wat Rong Khun was perhaps the most unique of the temples. It is completely white and very modern in design. It is designed and financed by and artist Chalermchai Kositpipat. We also visited another wat that I do not remember the name but the anterior was covered with small mirrors that gave it a very interest look. One of the interesting things at this temple was you could buy your offering including your small Buddha image to present inside the temple. The food in the offering was giving to the monks and the Buddha image would be recycled after a day.
We visited the Emerald Buddha at the Grand Palace in Bangkok and also the pagoda where the Buddha was found after a lighting strike.
One morning some of us took part in the traditional Buddhist alms giving. For the one-hour after sunrise the monks will walk through the streets collecting food to eat and to share with other people that come the monastery needing food. Our guide had purchased some non-perishable food to give but you can also buy small trays of food at stands located close to where the monks walk to give to the monks. The trays we purchased where about a dollar and contained small cooked fish and rice, some water and bread.
It is impossible to understand all about Buddhism in such a short time or short story but it was a great experience. I would like to share something of Buddhist thought that our guide gave us. It is more about thinking of others and a better world only in the last line is the work me used.
Spread loving kindness and compassion
May all living beings be free from violence and fear
May all living beings be free from suffering and pain
May all living beings be free from hatred and killing
May all living beings be free from hostility and affliction
May all living beings be free from misery and depression
May all living beings be happy and secure
May all living beings be healing and cured
May peace prevail in the world
May peace prevail in me
e many Wats (temples) and the people visiting with gifts to present. Also almost every house, and hotel, has a spirit house where offerings are place regularly.We visited many different Wats and most were similar but each had a significant reason for the visit. The Golden Buddha is a must see in Bangkok. The solid gold Buddha weights about 5 tons and was not discovered until 1955 that it was discovered that the plaster was covering a solid gold image. We also visited Wat Pho which contains the largest Reclining Buddha. The highly impressive gold plated reclining Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters high, and is designed to illustrate the passing of the Buddha into nirvana.
What can I say about some of the other Wats? They all have a Buddha imag
e and most are traditional in style and construction, you must take off your shoes before entering, and you will encounter people giving offerings and taking pictures, where allowed. The Wat Rong Khun was perhaps the most unique of the temples. It is completely white and very modern in design. It is designed and financed by and artist Chalermchai Kositpipat. We also visited another wat that I do not remember the name but the anterior was covered with small mirrors that gave it a very interest look. One of the interesting things at this temple was you could buy your offering including your small Buddha image to present inside the temple. The food in the offering was giving to the monks and the Buddha image would be recycled after a day.We visited the Emerald Buddha at the Grand Palace in Bangkok and also the pagoda where the Buddha was found after a lighting strike.
One morning some of us took part in the traditional Buddhist alms giving. For the one-hour after sunrise the monks will walk through the streets collecting food to eat and to share with other people that come the monastery needing food. Our guide had purchased some non-perishable food to give but you can also buy small trays of food at stands located close to where the monks walk to give to the monks. The trays we purchased where about a dollar and contained small cooked fish and rice, some water and bread.
It is impossible to understand all about Buddhism in such a short time or short story but it was a great experience. I would like to share something of Buddhist thought that our guide gave us. It is more about thinking of others and a better world only in the last line is the work me used.
Spread loving kindness and compassion
May all living beings be free from violence and fear
May all living beings be free from suffering and pain
May all living beings be free from hatred and killing
May all living beings be free from hostility and affliction
May all living beings be free from misery and depression
May all living beings be happy and secure
May all living beings be healing and cured
May peace prevail in the world
May peace prevail in me
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