bankei

I've just been to a wedding in Chaiyapum. T-shirt and thongs was the standard attire. some people from out of town dressed up a bit, but none of the locals did, not even the bride's parents

Didn't he also claimed to have cured AIDS?

Lama Govinda!

Buddhism is a religion because there are priests and temples.

"Weird"? I find it fascinating and informative. How is it "weird"?

Sorry, I meant the first opening post.

Firstly the grammar and spelling are weird. Second it is just strange the ideas some people have. "Buddhists don't think about the past!". Totally ridiculous.

Firstly there are billions of Buddhists out there, so making a generalisation like this won't work. You cannot even narrow it down to "Thai" Buddhists because Thailand has such a variety of different cultures, ethnic groups, strains of Buddhism etc. Would a Dhammakaya female layperson think the same as a monk in the Ajahn Chah sect?

And what does thinking about the past entail? Beleiving that the past doesn't matter, forgetting about it, past lives?

What a weird post!

Back to topic.

The OP claimed that when living in Thailand most farangs move towards buddhism.

I wonder what the OP bases this idea on.

I assure you that living in Thailand has made me move away from buddhism.

I claim this is the case for most farangs (my claim is based on what i read in this forum and on conversations).

I must say the same for me. I became a Buddhist over 30 years ago and have moved away from it after a few years in Thailand. I no longer call myself a Buddhist, but am still attracted to the teachings - but not the teachers.

Bankei

Lots of silly replies above. (I stopped reading on page 1).

Firstly, for a minor child to have an Australian passport both parents need to give permission (even if one parent, or both, is a non citizen). The father could revoke permission perhaps. Contact DFAT re this.

Secondly, a court order can be obtained quickly, an urgent interim order to prevent the child leaving can be made.

Thirdly, the Australian Federal Police administers the placing of pass alerts which are then implemented by Customs/Immigration officers at the airport. You will probably need a Court order to have a pass alert which prevents the departure of a child, but you should call the AFP and speak to someone in the family law team about this. Notify them about both Australia and Thai passports and different names or spellings. Once a pass alert is on it won't matter which state or airport they try to depart from.

4th. If there is a custody dispute the wife may be able to get a bridging visa to enable her to stay in the country.

Then come all the other questions regarding spousal maintenance and property settlements which can be worked out down the track.

Bankei

Perhaps you shouldn't have stopped reading after page 1 then.

Just about all of your points have already been covered if you had bothered

to read on.

Regards

Will

Many of the posts are still incorrect and misleading - which will delude others who stumble upon this thread.

Every where in the world women are taking children away from their fathers.

I think that's wrong, but it seems I am in the minority to feel that way.

PS

If the ending to this story is true, then I would suggest the father report the mother and brothers for child abduction and conspiracy to abduct a child to the local Australian police. Under both Australian law and international law, Thailand would likely be required to repatriate the child to Australia and return the abductors for trial/arrest. Each of them would be facing five years in Australian jail. This is a very serious offense in Australia, they should have used the courts and due process. Both parents have to give permission for a child to leave the country (without a court order).

How can a parent abduct their own child?

If there were court orders in place preventing a child leaving then there would be an offense, but none if not.

The father could subsequently apply to the courts for custody, but this won't be enforceable overseas unless the Thai laws provide that it is enforceable. Even if it is legally enforceable then there is the practical side of implementing it. Probably a Thai court would have to assess the custody angle from the Thai legal system and make orders for custody. It would be unlikely that they would award custody to a foreign parent who lives overseas.

Japan is renowned for ignoring Australian custody orders even though it is a signatory to the relevant international conventions. Not sure about Thailand.

Bankei

Lots of silly replies above. (I stopped reading on page 1).

Firstly, for a minor child to have an Australian passport both parents need to give permission (even if one parent, or both, is a non citizen). The father could revoke permission perhaps. Contact DFAT re this.

Secondly, a court order can be obtained quickly, an urgent interim order to prevent the child leaving can be made.

Thirdly, the Australian Federal Police administers the placing of pass alerts which are then implemented by Customs/Immigration officers at the airport. You will probably need a Court order to have a pass alert which prevents the departure of a child, but you should call the AFP and speak to someone in the family law team about this. Notify them about both Australia and Thai passports and different names or spellings. Once a pass alert is on it won't matter which state or airport they try to depart from.

4th. If there is a custody dispute the wife may be able to get a bridging visa to enable her to stay in the country.

Then come all the other questions regarding spousal maintenance and property settlements which can be worked out down the track.

Bankei

unfortunately "half-yak stories" like this are putting off most people who are interested, respectively learn more about Buddhism

I agree. it is ridiculous stories like this that make Buddhists look silly.

Bankei

Slap the person next to you on the face and see what happens.

Bankei

Excellent book by an excellent Pali scholar. It is a collection of evidence collected from the Pali cannon that only those with direct access to the Buddha were able to attain release. The Buddha's charisma or similar was necessary to get them over the line. Very interesting.

Bankei

Monks don't preside at weddings or have anything to do with them in Thailand.

The marrying couple may have some monks over to offer them lunch and receive some so called blessings, but that is about it.

Bankei

Interesting.

Thanks for posting

Bankei

The Buddha would turn in his stupa if he knew this was going on. So far removed from the original teachings that is cannot be called Buddhism in my opinion.

Hi

There is sexism in Thai Buddhism - but is this sexism?

The nuns would have been willingly serving the monks. The monks would not have asked them to do this. It is a hierarchical society with monks at the top, or near it.

In Australia men earn more money than woman on average. Is this sexism?

Bankei

I cannot understand Japan being the most expensive place. I live in Japan part of the year, in Osaka near the city and it is fairly cheap. Nearly as cheap as Thailand. You can eat out at a restaurante for 200B for example - for a hot cooked sit down meal too. Trains everywhere, no need for a car, accomdation is cheap, from $500 US per month in the city for a studio apartment etc.

Good place to retire.

Bankei

Mega business.

Why would you want to go to a WPP temple? You would learn more about Buddhism by going elsewhere I think.

Bankei

If she has 12 years as a full Bhikkhuni then she can now act as preceptor and ordain other Bhikkhuni herself - together with a chapter or 10 or 12 more Bhikkhuni or any monastic age.

Very responsible Fabian. Must have been a good experience but hard knowing your kids needed you too.

Bankei

Hi

I think the Op may be referring to so called Buddhist statues and the brahmanical or Hindu ones such as Ganesh and the like.

Buddhist monks would probably only 'bless' the Buddhist ones, but many Buddhists, including monks, see no difference between Buddhist statues and Brahmanical ones.

Incidently no statue is regarded (by some Thais) as having any 'power' until it is blessed. So praying (yes praying) to an unblessed statue would be regarded as a waste of time.

What would the Buddha think about all this I wonder?

bankei

The Buddha made plenty of predictions - or the suttas have him making predictions. eg. When admitting women as nuns he predicted that this would hasten the disappearance of his teachings.

Posted 2012-04-03 14:24:37

are the teachings of buddha the absolute be all and end all needed to attain enlightenment? has there been any additions in the following 2500 years or so. Is it like islam for example in which the prophecies of mohammad were the last and final word.

from someone interested to learn about buddhism

There have been additions since before the Buddha died. Plenty of additions and deletions since too.

One problem with claiming a 'final word' is which scripture to use. The Pali canon of the Theravada is neither the oldest nor the most accurate, but is often though of as such. There are older versions in other languages but these canons may not be complete.

Bankei

I did that a few trips back. Would never do it again and warn you against doing so.

You will probably have to wait ages for the train and then be cramed in with backpacker types with heaps of luggage and little room. YOu will need to change trains to the BTS somewhere and lug your luggage up flights of stairs, queue up and buy another ticket. Then get into another ice cold airconned train full of people coming home from work. Then when you get to nana you have to take your luggage down the stairs and along the uneven footpaths.

Best to get a taxi for 250B and get it over and done with.