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Lessons from yesteryear: How the quiet roots of Songkran can help us today
Lessons from yesteryear: How the quiet roots of Songkran can help us today
It was the biggest water festival in the world. The party lasted all night long. Every year, it attracted over 500,000 foreign tourists; to say nothing of the millions Thais who perennially returned to their hometowns in anticipation of the celebration. It brought in revenue of over B22 billion and, well, I suppose you really could say “it was the biggest show on Earth!”
All About Buddhism: From patchwork to nanoparticles: The journey of the cloth
All About Buddhism: From patchwork to nanoparticles: The journey of the cloth
I was recently asked why there are so many different colours of Buddhist robes in Thailand and Asia? It seems like a simple question, but in reality, the answers are complicated and sometimes even contradict each other.
All about Buddhism: Phra Siam Devadhiraj the Deva of protection for the people of Siam
All about Buddhism: Phra Siam Devadhiraj the Deva of protection for the people of Siam
Those of us who are a little older and a little more grey, have witnessed a lot of changes in how we get our news every day. Thirty years ago, it was quite common to see throngs of people reading the morning newspaper and clutching a cup of coffee as they took in the headlines of the day.
All About Buddhism: Dem’ Dry Bones
All About Buddhism: Dem’ Dry Bones
Recently, we had some events in Phuket that had me thinking more about my family’s deep American roots than about Patong Beach. You see, America’s Old South and modern-day Phuket actually have more in common than it may appear because they are two places that clutched their religious traditions tightly even as society grew more permissive in general.
Holiday Miracles
Holiday Miracles
It has often been said that the power of music is universal. For some reason, certain songs just have a way of staying with us and we’ve all experienced plenty of holiday songs which somehow managed to touch our souls; even though we couldn’t literally understand the words.
Loy Krathong Festival: Give people the light and they will find their own way
Loy Krathong Festival: Give people the light and they will find their own way
Loy Krathong has often been called “the festival of the lights” and it is one of South­east Asia’s most recognisable holidays. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tiny, hand-sized candlelit boats are sent out on Thai waterways to light up this very special evening.
The Buddhist Pilgrimage: How ghosts of the past drive the believers of today
The Buddhist Pilgrimage: How ghosts of the past drive the believers of today
Today, ardent devotees to Buddhism come from just about every corner of the world. Yet they often make a pilgrimage to India and Nepal, and it could be argued that one possible motivation for doing so is to seek out memories from the religion’s early days (ghosts of the past, so to speak).
Community in action: The merits of the Sufficiency Economy philosophy: Part 2
Community in action: The merits of the Sufficiency Economy philosophy: Part 2
Imagine for a moment that you are running for your life from a huge predator. Imagine that you are being chased down a seemingly endless cor­ridor by a mortal foe who is hot on your fleeing heels.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? The merits of the Sufficiency Economy philosophy: Part 1
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? The merits of the Sufficiency Economy philosophy: Part 1
Managing money is not an easy business in today’s world, and the past 40 years have truly seen a challenge for many middle-class peo­ple. Wage growth has been slow. More and more jobs are being automated. Many pensions have been eliminated almost altogether. Higher-education costs have gone up and health insurance benefits have gone down.
The forgotten women living in the time of Buddha part 4: Queen Khema
The forgotten women living in the time of Buddha part 4: Queen Khema
Queen Khema’s exact royal status is somewhat hazy in ancient Buddhist records. Some Southeast Asian records imply that she may have been of royal birth. Other sources sometimes describe her as a queen. And there are other re­cords which document her as a consort.
The forgotten women living in the time of Buddha part 3: The never-crowned queen Ambapali
The forgotten women living in the time of Buddha part 3: The never-crowned queen Ambapali
If the stories of Queen Samavati and Queen Mal­lika in Trailblazers parts one and two taught us anything, it’s that the age of Buddhist kings was far more than just an age of great men. The age of Buddhist kings was equally an age of Buddhist queens.
The forgotten women living in the time of Buddha part 2: Queen Mallika
The forgotten women living in the time of Buddha part 2: Queen Mallika
Which comes first: music or magic? That’s the quintessential question eternally abeat at the centre of one of Buddhism’s most enduring love stories.
The forgotten women living in the time of Buddha part 1: Queen Samavati
The forgotten women living in the time of Buddha part 1: Queen Samavati
Margaret Thatcher once said, “If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a wom­an.” Well, at least in regards to the rise of ancient Bud­dhism, truer words could not have been spoken.
All About Buddhism: An exclusive interview with Phra Maha Tongmee Supanla part 2
All About Buddhism: An exclusive interview with Phra Maha Tongmee Supanla part 2
In part one of the interview with Phra Maha Tongmee Supanla, senior monk at The Flat Temple in Bangkok, we discovered that a Thai monk’s day usually starts at 5am. A normal day features morning alms collecting, morning chanting, breakfast, Buddhist studies, lunch, daily chores and evening chanting.
All About Buddhism: An exclusive interview with Phra Maha Tongmee Supanla part 1
All About Buddhism: An exclusive interview with Phra Maha Tongmee Supanla part 1
Each year, Thailand is discov­ered by tens of millions of tour­ists. Love arrives. Marriages happen. Families start. Babies are born. Children smile. Hearts are changed... and spir­ituality is sought.
All About Buddhism: Eastern teachers and Western students mix like oil and water
All About Buddhism: Eastern teachers and Western students mix like oil and water
This year, it is expected that over 30 million tourists will come to Thailand. If you’re a tourist reading this, then chances are you’re thinking at least a little bit about extending your stay. If you’re like some of us expats in Thailand, you might even be thinking about making that stay permanent.
Guru Prep Academy - Studying for ‘The Thamasooksa Test’
Guru Prep Academy - Studying for ‘The Thamasooksa Test’
In America, the Church and State have been staunchly separated for centuries. The United States was never a religious Kingdom and, these days, most traces of its Christian roots are being purged out of the government classroom entirely.
An eternal Halloween - A Buddhist view on evil
An eternal Halloween - A Buddhist view on evil
In a child’s world, the worst acts of man go largely unseen. But, all adults know that evil is a sad fact of life. We also know that it exists in all times and in all places.
Everything Possible: What Buddhism does and does not say about gay marriage
Everything Possible: What Buddhism does and does not say about gay marriage
Okay readers, pick the best of one of these statements: ‘I’m better than you’, ‘I’m worse than you’, ‘I’m the same as you’.
All for one, one for all - Why gay marriage has been a no-go in Buddhist Thailand
All for one, one for all - Why gay marriage has been a no-go in Buddhist Thailand
Although once thought of as a ‘gay man’s paradise,’ Thailand has done a lot in recent years to dispel that notion. There is still no gay marriage to be found here and many foreign guests, dignitaries and tourists would like to know why… and, as usual, the answer all comes down to culture.