Buddha's blessing
One of my most loved holiday destinations is undoubtedly Thailand, the land of sea, untouched beaches and beautiful little islands, not yet spoiled by mass tourism.
The land also of the Hilltribes, the mountain people from the north, who have retained their own clothing and old customs. The northern landscape forms a stark contrast to the more southern part of the country, where beach and sun worshipers can indulge themselves.
Muslim
The inhabitants of the extreme southern provinces of Yala and Patani, bordering Malaysia, are Muslim, in contrast to the vast majority of Thailand, where Buddhism is adhered to. These two provinces are regularly plagued by attacks by an overly fanatical group of Muslims. Even King Bhumibol has so far failed to restore peace in the far south of the country. And that says a lot, because the monarch, who has reigned for more than sixty years, has authority and influence, coupled with a popularity that is unparalleled anywhere in the world.
Former Prime Minister Taksin has tried with a heavy hand and the deployment of the army to restore order there, but that too has ended in a fiasco. An own Muslim state, that's what it's all about and lives are sacrificed for. You wonder what possesses these people. Could a supernatural power like Christ, Allah, Buddha or any other God approve of such acts, every sane person will wonder. The answer to this question will be obvious.
Only the insane, who misinterpret their Creator's message, can commit such misdeeds. And admittedly, more than enough facts are known from the past that not all crimes can be blamed on Islam, although Wilders would still like to see it that way. Other 'believers' have also behaved more than scandalously in the past and have not acted in accordance with the idea of their God.
monks
Thailand is and remains a peaceful country with many temples and a multitude of orange-robed monks. Although the old slogan 'Land of Smile' used by the Thai Tourist Board may be revised, because the population is smiling less and less. Early in the morning you can see monks going out to collect food for the monastic family from the local population. To seize the day you have to get up early and the monks walking one behind the other with their shaved heads form a unique spectacle for beautiful -digital- photo shots. A large part of the day is spent in prayer by the monks, and people are very inventive to get money, which is also indispensable in the life devoted to Buddha.
In many places in the country, new temples are springing up like mushrooms and decaying temples are being restored. The believer, or perhaps frightened Thai, wants to take out his meager purse, if he has one, to make his or her contribution. After all, you never know how you could ever get caught by evil spirits for not contributing. Ghosts play an important role in the lives of many Thai people. It is not for nothing that you see a so-called 'spirit house' at the entrance of many houses, or simple huts, containing offerings to appease the spirits.
monksKoh Samui
During a visit to the larger island of Koh Samui, I visit the most famous temple on the island: the Big Buddha. The temple needs maintenance, which is clearly visible and the colorless statues at the entrance also testify to this. Climbing the stairs you come face to face with the large gold-colored Buddha statue that looks down at you from high above. Actually a little fascinating thing and hardly worth a visit. My attention is more focused on a small group of Thais, who add a few more to a neatly stacked heap of bricks with a pious gesture.
One of the monks, seeing me looking at the scene, beckons to me. He stands like a kind of market vendor behind a stall with the merchandise: bricks. Very soon it is clear to me. For about forty cents I can help build a new temple by buying a stone. Although not exactly very ecclesiastical, I still put those few coins on the table. Promptly I get a felt-tip pen pressed into my hands with which I can write my name on the stone. Be assured that now, freed from all evil spirits, my travel on my motorcycle.
Less than ten paces further I am accosted by another monk. He wants to bless me, together with four Thai people, and of course there is nothing wrong with that. Blessings of any kind in life are not always free. My fellow sufferers give the example and each put a hundred Baht note (about two euros) in a kind of tree with bare branches, which is already nicely decorated with donations. Because I don't want to be left behind, I follow suit. After this offering, we sit together a little later under a kind of heaven on the chairs set up there.
Bunch of branches
The orange-robed monk takes a seat in front of us. He literally looks down on us and starts his -for me unintelligible- prayer. He takes a number of branches tied together in his hand, dips them into a kind of kettle with water, and while muttering a prayer, he waves the water in our direction with the bundle of fagots. He looks at me and asks: 'You Christian?' I make a negative gesture with my head. "You Muslim?" and again my head moves from left to right a few times. 'You, you nothing?'
On my affirmative nod, he gives me a sullen look, grabs the bunch of sticks and lets a kind of rain fall on me. I can barely see through my glasses, my shirt is soaking wet, which even feels pleasant because of the heat, and before I can get angry about so much ignorance, Buddha's preacher has fled. The Thai people, who of course also received the necessary splashes, greet me politely and say: 'Mai die', which means that they disapprove of the monk's behavior.
And so you see that it is always ignoramuses who put a belief in a bad light. That man was created in God's image and likeness must no doubt be regarded as a fable, or else my doubts are further aggravated.