Thailand, land of Buddha, but above all land of spirits. Wherever you go, you cannot escape the countless spirit houses, full of incense sticks, offerings of fruit, and red lemonade bottles that are carefully placed for the invisible inhabitants. You would think that a nation with more than 90 percent Buddhists would mainly seek their salvation in meditation and the teachings of the Enlightened One. But no, something much more fascinating is taking place here: an absurd dance between the belief in Buddha and a deep-rooted worship of the supernatural, where the demons sometimes get more attention than the monks.
Every corner of the street seems to be teeming with ghosts. Ghosts that inhabit houses, ghosts that protect the rice fields, and even ghosts that have set their sights on a specific traffic light. The solution? A ghost house, of course, and not just any old one. It has to be nicer than your own home, because otherwise the ghost runs the risk of feeling misunderstood. It is as if an absurd competition has been started here to offer the most extravagant home to an invisible friend.
And that's just the beginning. Every Thai driver has an amulet hanging from his rear-view mirror, not because he's taken a driving course, but because the amulet, according to the seller, has a "protective power." Right next to it, in the taxi, hangs a picture of a deceased monk who is considered so holy that people believe even his nail clippings can perform miracles. The absurdity here is not just the belief itself, but the belief that all these forces are constantly competing with each other, each with their own domain and specialism. For safety's sake, an amulet and a monk and a spirit house. You never know.
Buddha, meanwhile, is pushed somewhat into the background, as if he were just one of many figures in the supernatural spectacle. Sure, temples are still visited and monks are honored, but the real focus is on the spirits and amulets. And the most ironic thing? Even the monks get in on the act. They consecrate amulets, cast magic spells, and give blessings as if they were shamans rather than followers of Theravada Buddhism. It almost feels like a spiritual sale: for every worry or problem, there is an amulet made for it, straight from the hands of a monk who swapped Buddhism for superstition.
It is not unusual to meet a highly educated Thai who deeply believes in the existence of Phi Tai Hong, the spirits of people who have died a violent death, and who does not even dare to drive along a certain road because an accident once happened there. “The spirit is still there,” they say with a straight face, as if this were an irrefutable fact. And so it is that in Thailand people are more afraid of a ghost than of karmic consequences. Ghosts are feared and Buddha is worshipped, but always with a wink at the idea that the spirits can get you into trouble faster than your own actions.
It is a paradoxical world, where ancient folk beliefs and Buddhist teachings merge in a bizarre way. The result is an absurd spiritual cocktail in which Buddha must accept a place between the amulets and the spirit houses, while the Thai population arms itself against the supernatural with all the means at its disposal. It is a belief that far exceeds the rational, but in Thailand that is precisely what makes it so commonplace. Here the supernatural is not an exceptional phenomenon, but an everyday reality, and perhaps that is the most absurd thing of all.
About this blogger
- The Expat (66) has been living in Pattaya for 17 years and enjoys every day in the land of milk and honey! Previously employed in road and hydraulic engineering, but fled the capricious weather in the Netherlands. Lives here with his Thai girlfriend and two dogs just outside Pattaya, a 3-minute walk from the beach. Hobbies: enjoying life, going out, sports and philosophizing with friends about football, Formula 1 and politics.
Read the latest articles here
ColumnDecember 10 2024Column – Longneck suffering and short-sighted tourists
ColumnDecember 8 2024Column – “No money, no honey”: the absurd boundary between love and business
ColumnDecember 6 2024Column – Hypocrisy under the tropical sun is the new normal
ColumnDecember 4 2024Column – Koh Phi Phi gone crazy: A tourist drama on wheels
It is certainly true Expat that ghosts unfortunately often play a bigger role in Thai life than Buddhism. But I do not believe that this is absurd or paradoxical. Buddhism is very compatible with other views on the supernatural world.
By the way, it is “THE Buddha”. It is a title, just like the Expat, the King and the Monk. In the past there were many Buddhas and there will be more. .
My comment at 14:33pm was for another article, sorry.
As for faith, I am not surprised that all kinds of customs and beliefs come together. Sometimes to a melting pot, sometimes more of a mosaic of complementing or just abrasive, clashing combinations. In our cold country we still set off fireworks to chase away evil spirits (although hardly anyone believes in that). Or we search for eggs in the field and that is connected to the death and rebirth story of someone from the old world. If you want to sell a new faith a little, you mix it with what people already know. So it is no wonder that old ideas about spirits (animism) have mixed with Buddhist principles.
It's just a shame when some people get behind the wheel completely drunk and think "nothing will happen to me", but you don't even need an amulet in your car to think that...
As a down-to-earth Dutchman, I still find it funny every time that they claim with a straight face that they don't believe in ghosts, but that they always have to turn on the light everywhere as soon as it gets dark, that their daughter-in-law doesn't dare do the laundry alone in the dark, that she always sleeps with a blanket pulled over her head, just like her granddaughter, etc. Everyone will know enough of such examples.
The spirit houses are indeed more often 'honored' than the temple or the monks.
We can be surprised by all these “superstitions” such as amulets, monks who cast spells or incantations on you and many more. But look at us, relics of saints, holy water, scapulars and medals. It wasn’t that long ago that we had all this too. A rosary with a few grains of sand from … Bethlehem or from some holy place. Lourdes water, blessed palm branches against thunderstorms and blessed bread on Saint Hubert’s Day against rabies. You could fill dozens of pages with such oddities. It has all been reduced a lot, but it still exists. Has the IT (r)evolution tempered this a bit or have we become a bit more realistic. It all depends on what you feel comfortable with. There are even overpaid football stars who cross themselves when they enter the field or have to touch the grass. Superstitions exist and will always exist, I think.
Now first I have to chase that black cat away from in front of my door because it brings bad luck… they say.