Jawnie

Tibetan / Vajrayana Buddhist often take their statues and things to high lamas to be blessed and empowered. Maybe this is the PO's thought but I don't think Theravadins do this. True or not?

"Agencies should set up a system and assign officers to examine such practices. This could take the form of a 'war room' monitoring corruption under the Justice Ministry's Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission," she said.

What exactly is "monitoring corruption" supposed to mean? Corruption isn't monitored, it is investigated and prosecuted, pure and simple.

Corruption in Thailand can not be approached publicly in this way. Because there is so much corruption, public efforts are bound to fail because corrupt officials and employees will undermine any such efforts.

Again, the only real, meaningful, and effective methods will be secret, ie., via undercover sting operations. Any other approaches will waste time and erode public confidence further. Thailand needs a series of high-level, high profile 'perp walks' showing corrupt leaders and politicians....just like it does with those low-level street criminals shown on TV all the time.

Do it now!

These are the kinds of policies one gets due to the lack of participatory government, government transparency or accountability, and the lack of active political and civil society.

There is only one way to effectively deal with the graft and corruption inside and out of Thai government: undercover sting operations. They are relatively cheap and extremely effective. Until the Thai government indicates it will and has undertaken such undercover operations, any other initiatives are window-dressing. Or, maybe Thai officials are just that ignorant regarding the use of under-cover operations. There is simply no excuse for corruption to continue so publicly and widely in government.

Further, I don't buy the idea that there aren't enough honest politicians or law enforcement personnel to do it. It would only take a very few committed and honest ones. If you can't find them in Thailand, recruit Thais living and/or studying outside Thailand. Do it....now!

This is the Theravadin view, which Theravadins feel is complete and therefore exclude Mahayana and Vajrayana view points. Mahayana and Vajrayana practitioners don't have these issues because their practice includes Theravada: refuge, the Four Noble Truths, foundations of mindfulness, and the traditional set of sutras, etc.

With regard to rituals, your understanding of them is in significant need of updating. The rituals are skillful means providing practitioners with more rapid methods for accumulating of merit and wisdom.

Thanks Jawnie.

Can you give me specific examples of rituals which allow the accumulation of merit and wisdom?

For 'beginners', there is a standard set of personal rituals one performs: prostrations combined with the Refuge prayer (two separate practices done at the same time); the Mandala Offering; Vajrasattva recitation; and Guru Yoga. Each, except for Guru Yoga is repeating 100,000 times; for Guru Yoga the accompanying mantra is recited one million times. All of them include a fairly complex visualization to be held during the session.

Each of this generate merit which is dedicated to all sentient beings at the conclusion of each session. Life release generates merit.

How do they generate merit?

Acts of praising and honoring the Buddhas, making offerings, and purifying the obscurations generate merit.

This is the Theravadin view, which Theravadins feel is complete and therefore exclude Mahayana and Vajrayana view points. Mahayana and Vajrayana practitioners don't have these issues because their practice includes Theravada: refuge, the Four Noble Truths, foundations of mindfulness, and the traditional set of sutras, etc.

With regard to rituals, your understanding of them is in significant need of updating. The rituals are skillful means providing practitioners with more rapid methods for accumulating of merit and wisdom.

Thanks Jawnie.

Can you give me specific examples of rituals which allow the accumulation of merit and wisdom?

For 'beginners', there is a standard set of personal rituals one performs: prostrations combined with the Refuge prayer (two separate practices done at the same time); the Mandala Offering; Vajrasattva recitation; and Guru Yoga. Each, except for Guru Yoga is repeating 100,000 times; for Guru Yoga the accompanying mantra is recited one million times. All of them include a fairly complex visualization to be held during the session.

Each of this generate merit which is dedicated to all sentient beings at the conclusion of each session. Life release generates merit.

The Buddha most definitely had prophetic abilities, if by use of the term means that he could see the future. Buddha is considered to possess the ability to see everything in the past, present, and future. It seems, however, that he did not include specific insights into the future in his sutras so you can't really call him a prophet. Prophecy didn't seem to be something he did publicly or 'on the record.'

Theravadins believe that a specific set of sutras comprise the entire and authentic teachings of the Buddha. Anything beyond those, such as Mahayana and Vajrayana sutras are not "original" they say. The Mahayanist and Vajrayanist say that the Buddha did in fact teach beyond what Theravadins accept they just were not widely circulated and were somewhat secret because they could be easily misconstrued, so say the Maha-Vajrayanists.

Subsequent to the Buddha was the Indian master Padmasambhava who disseminated the tantric portion of Buddhist teachings. These include an extremely evolved and sophisticated world view that is vastly beyond that propounded in the Theravadin sutras. Padmasambhava's teachings also included many, many of the rituals and practices common in the Tibetan form of Buddhism, especially the wide variety of mantras. Tibetans believe that Padmasambhava was the following reincarnation of the Buddha, an idea rejected by Theravadins.

The Tibetan tradition also claims additional, indigenous texts to be on the same level as sutra, ie., are authentic teachings leading to enlightenment. These were produced by a series of enlightened masters who have appeared over the centuries. Tibetans don't claim these masters are Buddhas but do claim that their teaching, rituals, and practices lead the the same enlightenment propounded by the Buddha. This is something Theravadins reject also.

Whereas Theravadins believe the 'lineage' of sacred sutras began and ended with the Buddha, Mahayana and Vajrayana followers believe masters appearing both before and after the Buddha promulgated teachings which will lead the practitioner to enlightenment. They even say such beings are alive today, with HH Dalai Lama and HH Karmapa being the primary examples, but there a number of others.

Hi Jawnie.

I don't know a lot about Mahayana and Vajrayana, other than, as with Theravada, they all came well after the Buddha and well after the early works of the Buddha.

John Peacock, the Buddhist scholar, said that to learn more accurately what the Buddha was teaching, you must go back to the original/early works.

On the subject of ritual, during the time of the Buddha, John Peacock paints a picture in India of a society governed by religion and steeped in ritual.

Most rituals involved fire, and often involved sacrifice of some kind or other.

Rituals were performed in order to keep the Gods happy.

Sankara (Pali), or Sanskara (Sanskrit) was a ritual or a habit.

Do Sanskara well (do ritual well) and the Gods would be happy, good Kharma.

Do Sanskara badly or not at all and the Gods may not be so kappy, bad Kharma

This was engaging in Sanskara.

The Buddha leveraged off this by replacing Gods with Dhuka.

Live a good life is associated with good Kharma.

Live your life badly is associated with bad Kharma.

Rituals, at the time of the Buddha were linked with appeasing the Gods, and cleansing ones soul in order to be elevated up the classes.

Rituals were associated with the metaphysical.

The Buddha punned this system by using its model to promote cessation of Dhuka by living well and performing your rituals well (eightfold path), which is in the real world.

The Buddha packaged his teachings in a way which was relevant to the society he lived in.

This is the Theravadin view, which Theravadins feel is complete and therefore exclude Mahayana and Vajrayana view points. Mahayana and Vajrayana practitioners don't have these issues because their practice includes Theravada: refuge, the Four Noble Truths, foundations of mindfulness, and the traditional set of sutras, etc.

With regard to rituals, your understanding of them is in significant need of updating. The rituals are skillful means providing practitioners with more rapid methods for accumulating of merit and wisdom.

Abhisit, in his much ballyhooed speech at Centralworld in 2011 immediately before the elected, publicly admitted he signed the order to use deadly force on the street protests. He said he cried. There is a good place to start.

Problem: Having Abhisit involved in the investigation is a complete sham, as is Sonthi's involvement in reconcilliation.

If there were any sort of accountability built into Thai political and civil society, things might change. Until then, all of Thailand will remain under the boot of these men who have rapacious cesspools for hearts.

Theravadins believe that a specific set of sutras comprise the entire and authentic teachings of the Buddha. Anything beyond those, such as Mahayana and Vajrayana sutras are not "original" they say. The Mahayanist and Vajrayanist say that the Buddha did in fact teach beyond what Theravadins accept they just were not widely circulated and were somewhat secret because they could be easily misconstrued, so say the Maha-Vajrayanists.

Subsequent to the Buddha was the Indian master Padmasambhava who disseminated the tantric portion of Buddhist teachings. These include an extremely evolved and sophisticated world view that is vastly beyond that propounded in the Theravadin sutras. Padmasambhava's teachings also included many, many of the rituals and practices common in the Tibetan form of Buddhism, especially the wide variety of mantras. Tibetans believe that Padmasambhava was the following reincarnation of the Buddha, an idea rejected by Theravadins.

The Tibetan tradition also claims additional, indigenous texts to be on the same level as sutra, ie., are authentic teachings leading to enlightenment. These were produced by a series of enlightened masters who have appeared over the centuries. Tibetans don't claim these masters are Buddhas but do claim that their teaching, rituals, and practices lead the the same enlightenment propounded by the Buddha. This is something Theravadins reject also.

Whereas Theravadins believe the 'lineage' of sacred sutras began and ended with the Buddha, Mahayana and Vajrayana followers believe masters appearing both before and after the Buddha promulgated teachings which will lead the practitioner to enlightenment. They even say such beings are alive today, with HH Dalai Lama and HH Karmapa being the primary examples, but there a number of others.

Why do I have the feeling that this government won't even be around in three years to deliver the promised tablets?

Any statistics for how many drunk drivers were stopped, arrested, or otherwise taken off the roads during Songkran?

Girlie pictures? In Thailand? Nooooooo.....

In any case, he should not quit or resign. He should just keep it in his pants when working.

Thai politics needs athorough clean up and ban all the crooks from Thaksin down. I know that won't leave many of the current shower but is that such a bad thing, and start afresh.

Well, we can all dream.

I agree in principle, but politicians "from Thaksin down" are not the main areas in need of reform. No substantive or lasting political reform will occur until the Army is put back in the barracks among other things. Without that, reform within the gov't is window dressing. Yours truly, Mr. Troll.

Anyone with an active brain cell has known from day one that the whole PTP agenda has been about getting Big T off on all charges and allowing him to return and take control of the party officially. All of the smoke screens that people throw up about fairness ( no one else is ever tried for corruption why should he be) are just mudding the waters.

I guess I'm wondering about this and my question is: even if true - so what? What's so catastrophic about a popular politician other than he's not your favorite or in your favorite party.

How can anyone point to one politician in Thailand and say that one is more corrupt than others? Reconcilliation, yes....but the reforms needed elsewhere in Thai society are infinitely more important. Thaksin is merely a convenient distraction for what really needs to change.

This must be a troll. No one can be this ignorant and stupid.

Thank you for that enlightened feedback....

Sadly 'reconcilliation' is a word without meaning as is the word 'democracy'. Thaksin's crew pulled off a master stroke by fighting for 'democracy' even though he is an anti-democrat as his actions, when prime minister, informs us. Similarly the word 'reconciliation' is also a smokescreen and part of a tactic that is now recognisable as emanating from Thaksin's PR advisors. By creating these kinds of diversions the populace are led away from the real issues. Sadly, Thaksin actually appears to believe all this hype even though the whole thing is a PR con trick as was the movement for 'democracy'.

Ironically, it is neither the Dems, PTP, or any PM or MP that makes a mockery of democracy in Thailand. These government officials and representatives are only puppets and bit-part players in that regard. The real anti-democratic forces in Thailand lie elsewhere with others, especially the Army and its MO.

You forgot to mention the man in Dubai with the ability to call the cabinet during it's meetings and instruct them on what to do.

Nonsense.

Anyone with an active brain cell has known from day one that the whole PTP agenda has been about getting Big T off on all charges and allowing him to return and take control of the party officially. All of the smoke screens that people throw up about fairness ( no one else is ever tried for corruption why should he be) are just mudding the waters.

I guess I'm wondering about this and my question is: even if true - so what? What's so catastrophic about a popular politician other than he's not your favorite or in your favorite party.

How can anyone point to one politician in Thailand and say that one is more corrupt than others? Reconcilliation, yes....but the reforms needed elsewhere in Thai society are infinitely more important. Thaksin is merely a convenient distraction for what really needs to change.

Sadly 'reconcilliation' is a word without meaning as is the word 'democracy'. Thaksin's crew pulled off a master stroke by fighting for 'democracy' even though he is an anti-democrat as his actions, when prime minister, informs us. Similarly the word 'reconciliation' is also a smokescreen and part of a tactic that is now recognisable as emanating from Thaksin's PR advisors. By creating these kinds of diversions the populace are led away from the real issues. Sadly, Thaksin actually appears to believe all this hype even though the whole thing is a PR con trick as was the movement for 'democracy'.

Ironically, it is neither the Dems, PTP, or any PM or MP that makes a mockery of democracy in Thailand. These government officials and representatives are only puppets and bit-part players in that regard. The real anti-democratic forces in Thailand lie elsewhere with others, especially the Army and its MO.

It is a complete travesty for Thailand that the Dems continue with their paranoid and idiotic fantasy that amnesty is solely for Thaksin. The real result of this lunatic and absurd lie is that it completely blocks the reconciliation process for all of Thailand. Pathetic.

The failure and inability of Thai politicians to demonstrate any ability for compromise is appalling. All they accomplish is maintaining the Thai government's international reputation as a third-rate, podunk outfit. Good luck with that.

I was looking infos on schools for having ed-visa .

On May 23rd I went to Time Square Walen School and ask informations regarding the processus to obtain one. The office girl give good advise and I had made the choice right away to go to this school. I tell her that I have to go out of Thailand June 8 as my visa expire on this date.. I ask her if the whole process of papers will be ok for this date. She tell me that it may take 2 to 4 weeks to have the papers back to the school. I ask her if she assure me to have the papers on time. She cannot assure me. But she tell me that if I want to speed up the process I have to pay 5,000 bahts more right away and she promise me that the papers will arrive in 10 days. Also I have to give in advance the 25,000 bahts for the course.

I suddenly back off and tell her I want to think about it.

I went to another school . Same good advise for the girl for the infos. I explain my situation & tell her that I have to go out of Thailand June 8. No problems she tell me. The papers will arrive within 10 days. Are you sure I ask. Yes absolutely sure.

So I paid a deposit of 15,000 b ,the rest payable when she received the papers.

8 days later May 31 she call me and said she have received the papers. I was very happy. I went therre paid the rest of the course, went to Laos and come back with my ed-visa

The question is WHY Walen school charge 5,000 b for having a visa in 10 days if other school can have the same visa in 8 days FREE of charge

Anyone?

Regarding the 5,000 extra, I think she was just cheating you and that she would have pocketed the money. This is because they always say it takes 2-4 weeks. They say this because that is what the MOE says. But, the reality is that it only takes 7-10 days. You would have paid her but it was only to make you feel better, it would not have changed the time you finally get the letter. I say she was trying to scam you.

I attend Thai Solutions thai language school. My first year is ending and I'm in the process of getting another approval and ED visa for another year. For this, I had to take an examination at my school, provided by the Ministry of Education (MOE), and go to the MOE for a short interview.

The examination at the school took about 2 1/2 hours and included very basic speaking and listening. There was some writing, but not Thai script as I did not study Thai script during the first your. I had to count 1-100 in Thai, pronounce all the vowel sounds, make sentences, complete questions and answers from the instructor, use various common vocabulary and conjunctions. It was about medium difficulty but I did well. If I had not attended classes, I definitely would have flunked. I was told the test results would be provided to the MOE.

A couple of days later, I traveled to the MOE with staff from the school where we made the application for the MOE letter to grant a one year ED visa. I sat with the school staff person while I was interviewed, in Thai language of course, by MOE staff. I didn't do so well because it was a new environment, a little noisy, and I'm a bad student...haha. The interview lasted only about 5 minutes: she asked me how I found out about the school, have I traveled around Thailand, what do I do in Bangkok, where do I go, etc. In the end, she approved the letter and will send it to the school.

I don't follow this board very closely so I was not completely aware of both the examination requirement or the interview. It was a little stressful, but I managed.

There is a simple and effective way to deal with corruption in government, business, the police, military, etc. And that is good old-fashion undercover sting operations. Nowhere have I ever heard or read about this time-honored and effective police method suggested for Thailand. It's a no-brainer and it works marvelously.

And there is no need to squabble about where to start undercover sting operations - just start. The police forces are an ideal place to start: at gambling halls, motorcycle taxis, you name it. Police departments all over the world use undercover ops and they work. But, again, I've never, EVER heard it suggested for Thailand. This is why it would be so effective, no one is expecting it - they would never see it coming. It's a no-brainer.

I am sure there are enough loyal and honest Thai police officers and candidates for this. If not, get some from other SE asian countries. Just Do It!

Thanks for this thought-provoking post, Sabaijai. Being a follower of Tibetan Buddhism, I find the following somewhat, well....wrong, to wit: "Tibetan lamas arriving in the 1970s seemed to fulfil our Shangri-La fantasies. But, along with inspiration and wisdom, they also brought sectarian disputes, shamanism, the "reincarnate lama" (tulku) system, tantric practices and deep conservatism. Westerners love Tibetans, but we notice the baggage."

In short, I'm not sure why you characterize the tulku system as "baggage"...it is what it is. Buddhism in all its forms espouse multiple lifetimes and reincarnation; the idea of tulkus is a refinement or expansion of that central teaching. Maybe you mean that you don't necessary buy it, but that's a different story.

The "tantric practices" comprise a really huge area of endeavor in Tibetan Buddhism, so you'll need to be more specific. Perhaps you are referring to some of the "sexual" imagery of tantrism and how Westerners have equated sexuality with tantrism? Yes, they've done this, but, frankly, in all my years as a Buddhist, I've never heard a Tibetan lama, Tulku, etc., openly espouse sexual promiscuity or recreational sex as a Dharma path. Nor are there lamas teaching sexual practices to create "bliss" or ecstasy, etc. I was once stunned by a long-time Buddhist with lots of "Buddhist credentials" who cited the Kama Sutra as his justification for his sexual promiscuity. Well, this commonly-known Kama Sutra is not even a sutra, ie, not a teaching of the Buddha, so I was very shocked to hear this. The Buddha did teach a Kama Sutra, but not the one about sexual positions.

Can you say more about this? Beyond that, the tantric practices are skillful means that provide a swifter approach to enlightenment than those found in the Theravada teachings. Many Theravadans think the tantric teaching are not authentic because they don't find them in the sutras. Tibetans claim that there are, in fact, sutras which refer to tantra and, more to the point, Mahayana sutras with tantric teachings. The question of the authenticity of tantrism in Buddhism typically isn't an issue for those who follow Tibetan Buddhism. That is to say, to us, there's no question that they are authentic teachings on the path to enlightenment. It's really a non-issue.

This leads us to the deep conservatism you mention. This is more the reality of Tibetan Buddhism - it is very conservative, hence, all the monks. This is the exact opposite to those who might claim sexuality and/or some type of grand "non-judgmental" mentality comprise the true essence of Buddhist thought and practice. Actually, Buddhism challenges us to make important moral and ethically choices constantly. This is in order to understand and control our mind and emotions.