Jawnie

well just go away along with rest of your evil clan hardly wanting peace when they put up all clan members as MP's in party list and stuff every important post with their own family members and cronies

I just hope whole rotten evil lot would sink into slime they came from

Wow, that was a really constructive and useful comment.

Let's see, Puea Thai won the last elections, meaning that most Thais still wanted this government.

Just because a minority who has lost elections for the past 23 years, well before Thaksin ever came to power, wants to overthrow an elected government, doesn't mean that the whole country has to follow it.

My suggestion, go to the polls if you want to change something. It's what grown ups in civilized countries do.

You are so right. Any evidence that the Democrat Party is working on a reform platform to put forward for people vote on? It seems not - they are only trying to obstruct the election. The best way forward for the Democrat Party is to propose a better agenda and platform and run a campaign with real alternatives for change.

Yingluck continues to handle this difficult situation extremely well and has guided her responses and those under her in a way that has minimized violence and destruction. Bravo and hats off to her!

The Democrat Party already has a black eye from its handling of the 2010 protests. Suthep's current escapades are going to be another black eye for them when history looks back at today.

That we may never really know fully what the Buddha taught is your interpretation of how the teaching abide and were/are maintained. I don't hold that view. The Dharma is indestructable and not subject to the circumstances of time and place. The 16 Arhants, who were direct disciples of the Buddha, vowed to stay in the world to assist sentient beings. According to Tibetan sources, the reincarnation histories of each of the 16 Arhants has been recorded including up to the present.

Hi Jawnie.

Then why is Buddhism currently in such a mess in terms of?:

• Significant division amongst Sanghas/Sects.
• Wildly conflicting Interpretation of Dharma .
• Extensive disagreement of the validity of texts.

If there are those who are providing assistance, what have they offered in terms of clarifying interpretation of what the Buddha actually taught and which specific practices to follow?

Check my auto-signature phrase, "If two scholars agree, one is not a scholar; if two siddhas disagree, one not a siddha." This is a Tibetan proverb meaning that there will always be disagreements on philosophy, it's what keeps inquiry alive, fresh and meaningful. Fortunately, Buddhists don't go to war with each other over their differences. For the other part, a siddha is someone who has achieved a high state of realization and, according to the proverb, that realization is unmistakeable and beyond fault. Hence, if someone claims to be a siddha but there is a dispute about the quality of that realization, then one of them is not truly realized, ie., is not a siddha. That is to say, there is no mistake in Buddha nature; if someone perceives a mistake in Buddha nature, it is really the impure perception of the one who finds fault.

Hmmm I wonder why the Buddha would die, but the Arhants would be alive to this day? Something seems fishy there. According to the texts, Buddha said he did not have a "closed fist" system: there were no secret doctrines or any of that. Now we can guess all sorts of motives why these "secrets" may have been added later, if it was, etc til the cows come home. My view is keep it simple, do your practice as best you can, and leave the hair splitting to those who are attached to all that sort of "gospel" disputes.

The Buddha did not die, he demonstrated impermanence.

Your biggest mistake was moving to Thailand with your husband. Would he have moved to Italy or Greece for you?

"Not sure how many US professors you've encountered who actually use ghetto slang as you claim, very few I'd image." None, that was my point. You don't meet people that are not eloquent in their native language in higher fields because we are judged in our language profiecency as a basis of our intelligence. NOt always fair but still happens. I wasn't trying to sound defensive or aggressive, just stating that it grows pretty old that people blame the Thai education system but forget that they are actually apart of that. Education is as good as the teachers regardless of how insane the department of education/MOE is. A school is only as good as its teachers. Even in a restrictive environment good/effective teachers do what is needed for their students to prosper. Thailand doesn't have an English heartbeat as you say, because it has never been a colony or occupied by an English speaking country. But compared to other countries like mainland China, Korea, Japan, Thai students do relatively the same. I know that my experiences are not the standard but I have had some very diligent and effective learners in Thailand that compare quite well with my students in those other countries. I am currently, past 4 months, teaching at an international school in Beijing and my students here in grade 10 aren't any better in English than my grade 8 M2 students at Montfort College in CM. I have been teaching in Thailand for over 12 years. In all that time I have got to know quite a few Thai people that were educated only in Thailand and are excellent in their field. Where the system fails is for those parents that trust the system and don't spend the time and effort assessing their own children's progress. I do get a little tired of hearing Thai education sucks over and over. I have taught in the US for 4 years, in many asian countries and a few euorpean countries. One thing that I can tell you is that every system has problems. You cannot compare systems becaus the goal of education for each country is and needs to be different. The fault in your argument and logic is that you believe education is for people to study, live and work abroad. Why should that be the goal? I love these other statistics like 70% of foreign teachers dont' have degrees. I really don't know where people pull these statistics out from. First of all, there has never been any research done on this. If 70% of the teachers that one knows don't have degrees, move towns and go to different places. I have met many ineffective teachers but never worked with any that didn't have a degree.

I did not say the Thai education system "sucks". Stop being so defensive.

"Thai educational system sub-par (placing students at a disadvantage per se)"

What I find ironic is the fact you can say this and be a teacher. Perhaps you don't see it but if you teach then you are a part of the Thai educational system and are in fact saying that you place students as a disadvantage.

"Thai is not a useful language anywhere other than in Thailand. This is not the same for English, Chinese, Spanish, etc."

This is another StrawMan argument. It really isn't a valid statement. First of all language is important no matter which it is. For the majority of people from any country will primarily live, work and study in only that country. Traveling abroad isn't the goal for all people, nor should it be. There are advantages but also disadvantages.

"they are stuck in Thailand and subject to things like what is going on in the streets of Bangkok now."

Apart of the issues being faced in Thailand are from the people who have traveled, studied, worked abroad and are fluent in English.

For the average person in Thailand speaking broken English at the expense of having eloquence in Thai will hurt them more. People are judged by langauge. If someone cannot speak academic/precise/higher level language in their native tongue, they will be judged as lower.

University professors in the US who say "YO DOG< You, dun yu homwark?" "I axed you a question" Probably wouldn't be considered as intelligent as someone more eloquent in a standard academic vernacular.

I have had many Grad students who were forced to write their thesis and dissertations in English. Their papers were mediocre at best, the worst part was they weren't developing those high levels of written That that would make them stand out as academics.

Not sure why your are being so defensive about some factually true statements. I'm not trying to 'talk down' about Thailand...I taught English in Bangkok for a few years, I didn't design and implement the Thai public education system over the last 30 years - chill out. I said I believe that keeping one's native tongue is important but, as you yourself prove, those Thais who speak English well typically studied outside of Thailand. It is well and good for those Thais who read, write, and speak Thai on a high level...it's just not going to help them anywhere outside of Thailand. English study doesn't yet have a 'heart beat" in Thailand as opposed to countries such as India, many African countries, and soon, China, where many people speak and write on a level approaching native speech.

Not sure how many US professors you've encountered who actually use ghetto slang as you claim, very few I'd image.

This is better poetry than an expression of truth. I doubt it is a sutra verse and I'd guess it is merely a poetic (and incorrect) opinion. The Dharma is always available to sincere seekers, it can not be destroyed or lost...it is your own nature.

"I still have a nagging suspicion that the TEFL industry possibly serves the needs of the TEFL industry better than it does the needs of the students in some cases."

Tell that to the millions upon millions of non native English speakers that now study abroad, do business and travel the globe.

I think that you actually should do some research into the field of education in general, language acquisition, and TESOL before you make such bold claims.

Personally, the only problem that I have is when parents push students to study a foreign language when they have no desire or lack the skill sets. Or when their native language skills suffer because they are forced to replace it with English.

I am fully proponent of multiculturalism and multilingualism, but hate when people put more value on English than their own native language. Being eloquent in your native language both in writing and speaking is better than being sub par in 2 languages.

"hate when people put more value on English than their own native language. Being eloquent in your native language both in writing and speaking is better than being sub par in 2 languages."

I agree with this only to a point, especially for Thais. Not only is the Thai educational system sub-par (placing students at a disadvantage per se) but because Thai is not a useful language anywhere other than in Thailand. This is not the same for English, Chinese, Spanish, etc. While I agree with the cultural importance of retaining one's native tongue, if Thais aren't learning other languages well enough to go elsewhere and thrive (other than marrying a westerner, Chinese, etc.) they are stuck in Thailand and subject to things like what is going on in the streets of Bangkok now.

I have a CELTA certificate and I'm not sure of the difference with regard to TEFL in practice. I wasn't a teacher when I got the certificate but had lots of years in professional environments in the US. The one month of training for the CELTA was very valuable in that it made me understand making lesson plans and simply giving lessons. Soon after, I spent 2.5 years teaching adults in business settings in Bangkok.

The point I want to make is that Thai and English are very, very different. That is to say, English is a difficult language for Thais and Thai is a very difficult language for English speakers. This really needs to be kept in mind and should moderate criticism of English-speaking Thais. As I said, I taught Thai professionals in many different fields: scientific, business, banking, the sciences, etc. All had studied English for many years, all were college graduates and most in technical or advanced business areas. Most still had great difficulty with word order, verb tenses, compound nouns, and pronunciation.

Maybe this is a little off topic, but the point is not the certificate but rather what you can bring to the classroom knowing and remembering that you are teaching a difficult subject.

You need a teacher in order to learn how to meditate properly. The teacher doesn't need to be Buddhist (I recommend Buddhist meditation over Christian meditation as Christian is more contemplation, ie., thinking about various topics). Anyway, an accomplished teacher is necessary in order for you to deal with the subtle obstacles that inevitably arise. There is an 'orientation' to meditation which needs to be balanced with the 'no effort' aspect. Only an experienced teacher can help with this - it's very unlikely you can do it yourself because you'll be relying on your same mental state for advise on how to get out of that mental state, a conflict of interest, so to speak, one which the ego will win every time.

It's a little difficult to find meditation outside the religious context because that's the context it is most widely taught in. At a certain point, progress in meditation requires that you adopt, or let go of, certain beliefs about yourself and your world view. You say you want it for relaxation and concentration but meditation is much, much bigger than that so to approach it like that is somewhat limiting. In short, you can't change while thinking nothing needs to change. If your interested in relaxation and attention span, maybe yoga is better than meditation for you.

Hi J.

How does one find a teacher who also isn't trapped by ego?

Hi R. You find a teacher who isn't trapped by ego through studying and understanding the teacher's lineage and by observing the quality of the teacher's students.

You need a teacher in order to learn how to meditate properly. The teacher doesn't need to be Buddhist (I recommend Buddhist meditation over Christian meditation as Christian is more contemplation, ie., thinking about various topics). Anyway, an accomplished teacher is necessary in order for you to deal with the subtle obstacles that inevitably arise. There is an 'orientation' to meditation which needs to be balanced with the 'no effort' aspect. Only an experienced teacher can help with this - it's very unlikely you can do it yourself because you'll be relying on your same mental state for advise on how to get out of that mental state, a conflict of interest, so to speak, one which the ego will win every time.

It's a little difficult to find meditation outside the religious context because that's the context it is most widely taught in. At a certain point, progress in meditation requires that you adopt, or let go of, certain beliefs about yourself and your world view. You say you want it for relaxation and concentration but meditation is much, much bigger than that so to approach it like that is somewhat limiting. In short, you can't change while thinking nothing needs to change. If your interested in relaxation and attention span, maybe yoga is better than meditation for you.

Yes,let's all speak perfect English in a BBC estuary accent,what an interesting place the world would be then!

Er...uh, I'd say mid-western American English is the way to go...hahaha. I have no idea how Thais manage to learn a word of English from some of you Brits and especially Germans and French.

Seriously, though. Avoid pidgen English and 'dumbing down' your English, it sound childish. It sounds even worse when English speakers have gotten so used to speaking pidgen English that they continue using it when speaking to other English speaker (good god, man, get a hold of yourself). The OP will be doing her a favor by helping her get the he/him/his and she/her/hers pronouns right (all Thais mess these up) and helping get the a/an/the correct occasionally. Best of luck.

My god, can't anyone keep him away from a calendar??!!

"I run the country on my own without listening to my brother."

Does anybody know of a PM uttering what is considered to be lies by most of the country and retaining their position?

Yes, many US Presidents have said such lies and retained their positions, including Bush the Lesser, Clinton, Nixon -- and add quite a few Tony Blairs in there too.

Correct. ALL politicians - everywhere - lie...period. Why would YL be any different and why would her lying surprise anyone? It's what they do.

If it interrupted a soap opera, I'm all for it.

It would be a soap opera interrupting a soap opera.

Frankly, I don't see a reason in the world why the PM should resign. Better governance, sure, but resign...I don't think so.

Can anyone reconcille the idea of an unelected "people's council" and returning power to the people? Because I don´t see how that is supposed to work.

Yeah, and does anyone actually believe that such a "People's Council" will be dissolved after just three months? Suthep, oh yeah, now I remember him. He's the guy who said the protesters "ran into the bullets" in 2010....

Hello

I am also interested to know about some good agencies in Thailand who would assist Non Natives as well.

Hi Avrockx. I see you aren't getting too many responses. Probably because you are Pak and westerners are somewhat wary. But, then, the schools will probably be wary, also. It's probably best for you to come to Thailand and go around to schools in person and make applications that way. The schools all want native English speakers and some even list specific countries: UK, AUS, US, etc. If you've got a month or two, take a holiday in Bangkok and other cities. Again, I think people may be unfamiliar with Paks as English teachers. You'll need to market yourself a bit more. Question: did you study outside of Pak, such as UK or US?

If you aren't going to Thailand within the next 3-4 months, getting the teaching certificate will be a definite plus, and not just for teaching in Thailand, but for teaching elsewhere, too. I took the one-month CELTA course in the US and it is recognized worldwide. The course also gets you focused on teaching English (grammar, lesson plans, handouts, etc.) which are all things you'll need to have. I'd also suggest going to a local ESL non-profit school and sign on as a volunteer tutor.

With 90k baht, you'll need to go to work right away...and stay employed. As another poster mentioned, forego the idea of moving in with the girl, Thai-western relationships are notoriously volatile and fickle, so make plans to get a place of your own, you can always move in together later. CM is definitely competitive for jobs because there are sooo many westerners there. My thoughts about that is that you either need to go to Bangkok, where there are lots of jobs, or be satisfied teaching in a smaller, 'second-tier' city. The difficulty in the smaller cities is that you will be culturally and linguistically isolated, ie., not many westerners, western food, culture, English-speakers,etc., which can become very over-powering after a year or two.

Definitely do it, though. I am another person who wishes I had done it much sooner and now wouldn't trade the experience for anything. I'm back in the US after almost three years in Bangkok. After six months here, I'm fairly unhappy about being back - no job, cold weather, and definitely no Thai ladies running around in short skirts. I mean, what's it all about if you can't have that? Lol.

You know, I dare say that in most countries in the world, if a crowd breaks into the Army HQ, the response from the Army/government is to start cracking heads. These protesters are just beginning for it. They are completely out of control now.