Column – When monks love money more than karma
In Thailand, the monk's robe increasingly seems to be a cover for luxury and fraud. Ferraris, villas and casino deals dominate the news stories about what were once spiritual guides. Buddhism is sold to the highest bidder, while true enlightenment makes way for a golden credit card. A tragicomic reality that raises more questions than prayers.
Faith and religion, themes that apparently always have to lead to strong reactions. But that does not have to be the case. In what follows, the situation in the Netherlands is placed next to that in Thailand in a peaceful, almost religious way. It turns out that there are not that many differences. If you conveniently ignore the time shift of more than half a century. Where does the reader find him or herself in this organically and intuitively told story? Can he or she absorb the analysis unmoved or does he or she still distil from the words a call for a personal crusade to put things in order in this Blog?
In Thailand, ghosts are not fairy tale characters; they are housemates with instructions. From flying heads with dangling entrails to thirsty ghosts slurping red Fanta, every Thai keeps the invisible as a friend and provides a nice place to stay, including drinks and entertainment. Buddha may be a wise counselor, but it is the ghosts who call the shots, with their eternal thirst for sacrifices and rituals in a mysterious, dizzying world full of fear and enchantment.
Temples in Thailand explained
Thailand has many temples. A temple, also called Wat, consists of a complex of buildings in the service of Buddhism.
A conflict in the Thai Buddhist temple in Waalwijk has placed the Dutch chairman, Toine van Beek, under heavy criticism from Thailand. The Thai embassy in The Hague demands his resignation, while Van Beek is accused of fraud and sales plans. The conflict, sparked by financial reforms, led to smear campaigns and legal action. Van Beek is now seeking legal protection in the Netherlands and Thailand.
The Frisian preacher and the Buddha
Just under ninety-five percent of the Thai population is Buddhist to a greater or lesser extent. Buddhism is the religion/philosophy that has been gaining popularity the fastest in the Netherlands in recent years. Two observations that prompt me to take a moment to reflect today on the intriguing figure of the Anabaptist minister Joast Hiddes Halbertsma, who in 1843 published the first Dutch text on Buddhism in more than one respect.
Thailand stands at a crossroads of time, where age-old traditions collide and mingle with the waves of modernization. At the heart of this cultural drama is the deep-seated reverence for the monarchy and Buddhism, which together form the country's social and political backbone, even as the voice of youth for change grows louder.
Phra Mae Thoranee: the revered Earth Goddess
Phra Mae Thoranee or Nang Thoranee, the earth goddess of Theravada Buddhist mythology. She is worshiped and revered in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Sipsong Panna in Yunnan. In Thailand, she is a source of worship, especially in Isan, in the Northeast of Thailand.
Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, a great Buddhist philosopher
Buddhadasa was an influential Buddhist philosopher who made Buddhism understandable for everyday life. Temples, monks and rituals are not necessary to lead a good life and achieve nibbana (salvation), he argued.
Sulak Sivaraksa: 'Loyalty requires contradiction'
Sulak Sivaraksa, 82 years old, is a Thai intellectual with an independent spirit who does not allow himself to be pigeonholed. Perhaps that is why he is viewed with some suspicion by all sides of the political and intellectual spectrum in Thailand.
Ganesh: Belief, superstition, commerce
Ganesh, the elephant-headed Hindu god, is popular in Thailand. The commercial sector eagerly uses or abuses it. What makes this deity so attractive: his eccentric appearance?
The lotus flower, a religious and national symbol
Just as the tulip and hyacinth symbolize the Netherlands, Thailand also has some very special flowers. Jasmine, orchid and lotus are flower species that you will often encounter in Thailand and have a special meaning.
Wat Phra That Phanom: Pearl of the Mekong Valley
Before you know it you've already driven through: The somewhat sleepy town of Nakhon Phanom now seems unsightly, but it was once the center of the mythical principality of Sri Kotrabun that ruled from the 5th to the 10th century AD along both banks of the Mekong asserted. The most important relic that can be found in the area from this glorious period is without a doubt the temple Wat Phra That Phanom.
Wat Pariwat in Bangkok: a special temple
One of the more unique temples in Bangkok is Wat Pariwat Ratchasongkram on Rama III Road. The temple is also known as the David Beckham Temple. There is now a new building that is decorated with even more contemporary works of art.
Something about Buddhist symbolism
Friends sometimes ask me "Lung Jan, tell me about the Buddhist symbols and rituals" and usually I don't take too long to put up a tree about this... I'm not an expert, but I have I have learned a few things over the years that I would like to share.
Visiting Luang Pu Waen
Madame Tussaud in London made a wax figure of him. Every day dozens of people visited the famous monk. But had he really been high up in the sky on a cloud?
Thailand seen through rose-colored glasses
Life in Thailand is as it is stated in all travel brochures: a great society of people with a fine character, always smiling, polite and helpful and the food is healthy and delicious. Yes, right? Well, if you're unlucky, you sometimes see from the corner of your eye that it's not always right, but then put on rose-colored glasses and see Thailand again as it always has been, perfect in every way.
It is often said that Buddhism and politics are inextricably linked in Thailand. But is that really so? In a number of contributions for Thailand blog I look for how both have related to each other over time and what the current power relations are and how they should be interpreted.
At the end of the nineteenth century Siam was, politically speaking, a patchwork of semi-autonomous states and city-states that was in one way or another subservient to the central authority in Bangkok. This state of dependence also applied to the Sangha, the Buddhist community.
The Four Buddhist Holidays in Thailand
Buddhism has four holidays, which fall on a different day each year. Tino Kuis explains how they originated and what their meaning is.
Unconditional trust in Buddha
Unfortunately, there are people who only know setbacks in their lives and carry a kind of magnet with them, with which they only know how to attract misery, loosers and rabble and there are of course many of those people in Thailand.
It divided Thai Buddhism and its connection with the State
Every tourist brochure about Thailand shows a temple or a monk with a begging bowl and a text that praises Buddhism as a beautiful and peaceful religion. That may be (or not), but it does not affect how divided Buddhism is in Thailand at the moment. This article describes the different denominations in Thai Buddhism, and their connection with the State.