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Religion or Spirituality

This distinction is one way I have been able to remain apart from ideological conflict. Religion is basically a social institution based on a 'metaphysical' belief system and subject to the influence of good and bad social needs and forces. It's intrinsic purpose is to comfort and morally guide. Spirituality is one's personal journey to a deeper understanding and transformation. Obviously, they can and often do overlap but can also be far apart. Often they are equated and both summarily rejected. Most of the problems of religious persecution, conflict, politicization and commercialization seems to be centered in Religion. But, one's spirituality, while it can be misguided can also be clarified and adjusted except in some disturbed or mentally ill persons....I guess that also begs the question of whether a religion can become disturbed or mentally ill.......

Due to the ongoing political situation, Burmese monks had to, and became at the basis of change in the country. This group has clearly taken things too far and should read the Thipitaka a bit better. Especially the part about right conduct for monks and the tolerance of other religions.

Islam is not a religion it is a political ideology.

Islam is a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion articulated by the Qur'an.... - From Wikipedia

2000 civilians? Sounds like you actually believe the Hamas propaganda about the percentage civilians killed vs. combatants. Like I've said before, in the recent Israel - Gaza war, Israel won the military conflict but Hamas won the propaganda PR conflict.

I stand corrected. I misread...

"More than 2,200 Palestinians, including hundreds of civilians, were killed during the fighting, according to U.N. and Palestinian officials, while 73 people, including six civilians, died on the Israeli side."

Oh dear how dare anyone critique Arabs national sport of firing rockets,wearing suicide jackets and just thirsting for blood

Totally unacceptable

Excuse me but your bigotry is showing..... Arabs are an extensive N. African ethnic group, militants are members of an extreme ideology....

Some extremist group in Gaza attacks Israel and the response is to kill 2000 civilians. I don't have to take sides to know that something is very wrong with that picture....

These Burmese monks need to be reined in for they are an insult to the spirit of Buddhism like the Taliban are to Islam. Tolerance, compassion, patience, detachment and wisdom are the hallmarks of Buddhist thought and practice but these monks have become entangled in the lowest worldly prejudices and practices. I hope they get the message and begin their real work of bringing peace and understanding to a country in transition and turmoil....

Power vs Principles

I keep reading all this intense vitriol against the former Thaksin democracy but don't understand why they were not simply voted out of office if so incompetent and corrupt or impeached. Yes, I know, it's complicated. And now, replaced by a "benevolent" regime based on absolute power without any accountability. The argument seems to be based on pure pragmatism but where are the fundamental principles that guide a nation through thick and thin even when messy? As near as I can figure it, they're now being rewritten by the regime in power. Does this signal a return to the principles of authoritarianism,a weakened democracy or a strong one? Birthing a democracy is tough. Contrary to opinion America is obviously still suffering growing pains and is still far from it's ideal of freedom, equality and justice for all, but the fundamental principles of the Constitution and Bill of Rights still guide it's winding and torturous path. The temptations of power are hard to resist which we see Russian president Putin succumbing to. There's no easy shortcut to democracy. Mistakes are made, the enterprise goes off the rails, the 'wool is pulled over our eyes" but I guess the question is, are we heading in the right direction? The current regime has brought stability and made a promise to restore democracy. We're on a razor's edge. Patience and trust are demanded even though we know one can/should never trust a politician. But, it is a compelling situation in which the only option is to wait and see....Will LOS move forward or backward politically speaking? Call me naive but I'm optimistic, I don't think there is any turning back now. A people who have tasted freedom cannot return to the past...

Hate meets Hate…It's a spiraling escalation of emotion that inevitably leads to violence unless deterred by fear of consequences or a moral stand. It's often a 2 way street, each side inciting the other. It's utterly naïve to regard one side as right, justified, chosen, superior, righteous etc in it's view or ideology. This is simply taking sides and becoming entangled in the heat of the conflict which to many is a rush….The irony of it all is just how impersonal and irrational it is. We hate a stereotype, a projection, not an individual person…

I grew up in the segregated South at a time when it was politically correct to be open in your prejudices and I lived in the North where it was not. This did not mean the same prejudices were not there, lurking beneath the surface. Over the last 50+ years, we have seen them erupt to the surface now and then in cycles of violence.

We try to legislate racism and bigotry away but only succeed in managing the behavior to some extent which, of course, is no small thing. But the real problem of hatred still remain untouched.

Conservatives hate liberals, Sunnis hate Shia. Arabs hate Israelis, Thai hate Burmese, Burmese hate Royinga, and on and on it goes.

How to end hatred? At least those in that church were trying and that makes the tragedy more disturbing. It's not the government's job to end hatred, only to maintain a basic stability and security. So, how to end hatred when religion has failed us or at least not adapted to the times, self-centered materialism is on the rise, jobs and resources are dwindling and war is our constant state of affairs?

Perhaps, it's just one person at a time taking the responsibility to reflect on his or her own biases and hatreds and try to see others as they are and not as we think they are….

This is bizarre. One can understand sending them to Malaysia, a moderate Muslim country for religious education right next door, but to a dangerous, extremist part of Pakistan? Very suspicious of what are the underlying motives. Perhaps, this reveals something of the underlying orientation of the parents....Anyway, Thai authorities need to uncover this...

Smuggling a gun and ammunition onto a passenger plane and returning from a Pakistani madrasa ...Yikes! (Hope this wasn't part of their final exam...)

Obviously, a bad day for the guy. He was baited, lost it and over-reacted. True, he was trained to act professionally but something pushed him over the top, burn-out, bill collectors, wife wanting a divorce? who knows? But, given the climate and expectations, no excuse is acceptable. Maybe this was his wake-up call to move on. Teens bent on challenging authority is a tough scenario. You've got to be very calm and centered. He wasn't this day. On the other hand, maybe this was his MO (modus operandi) and was not fit to do this job....

OMG, these statistics

Many people believe in statistics like in the bible (because ..... then you must not use your brain).

Factors used to measure the ranking were: constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice and criminal justice.

So many factors (?) of the Yingluck government have been better than those of her successor ? Yes, it depends on the choosen "factors".

That is how statistic works for the believers:

1) The great majority of people have more than the average number of legs. Amongst the 57 million people in Britain there are probably 5,000 people who have only one leg. Therefore the average number of legs is (5000 x 1 leg + 56,995,000 x 2 legs) /57,000,000 = 1.9999123

2) I shoot 2 times at you. My first bullet misses your left ear by 5 cm, whereas my second bullet misses your right ear by the same distance of 5 cm.

Statistical result: my bullets struck you 2 times in the middle of your head

Using statistics to make a false or invalid argument does not make statistics wrong. Obviously, it's how you use or misuse/abuse them to make a bad argument that's the problem… An invalid argument is simply wrong but used all the time in politics to mislead people who cannot discern the falseness of the argument. Ergo, if you want to be a really astute commentator, you'll know how to address the difference between a valid and invalid argument....

1. Invalid argument: False conclusion - Conclusion that each person has 1.99 legs is based on the false premise that legs are distributed equally to everyone
2. Invalid argument: False conclusion - The premises state that bullets miss each ear by 5 cm . Bullets by definition cannot strike the middle of head

Ha, Ha, ha... Columbus said basically the same thing when he discovered America..."As this land was not often used, I thought I might as well dig out some stuff and make some money ." and the seed of capitalism was planted along side of the flag. And now, China....oh no.....

People saying they are religious doesn't mean anything and certainly doesn't prove they are.

So many Thais go through the motions of being ' good ' Buddhists yet are up to all sorts of things that are definitely not on and all the merit making, pandering to monks and wearing amulets etc doesn't count for anything.

Like so much here it's all show and no substance.

It's Walt Disney Buddhism, religion with the level of a kids play to 'earn' 'good luck' but has nothing of the core values of real Buddhism. I would actually call it abuse and insult of Buddhism, but they don't know better. Seem to not even care about karma...

This is why many make the distinction between religion (external ritual and behaviour) and spirituality (inner experience and consciousness)....

Like your pic...be safe, who knows what spirits are really lurking about?....

I have 2 types of night sweats.

One is due to the conditions in the room. I rarely use the air-con and rely on fans which is quite adequate. I bought a timer for the fan and timed it so it goes off 1 hour after I go to bed. Constant air circulation over me all night will cause a cold and respiratory problems. I sleep best without covers. I will sweat due to the heat but my sweat is fairly odorless. It is not a problem for me.

The other type leaves a strong odor often described as "cheesy". I go through these periodically. Not sure of the cause but it is definitely internal based - hormonal imbalance, infection etc. To my relief, in time they pass. I found that as I exercise and stay physically active, they occur less. Perhaps simply because my overall health has improved.

On a positive note, kids are very resilient. But the experience of being rescued by people who care, by the police who young boys often revere like firemen (they're not jaded yet...) can be a profoundly important experience and offset a beating. I have seen many become advocates themselves, soldiers, policemen, lawyers, activists etc. After-all most of us as boys have had to overcome various kinds of beatings... Haven't we or am I just in a minority here?

Child abuse is not just a Thai problem, it is pervasive everywhere esp where there is a volatile mix of the belief in corporal punishment, autocratic social and family structures, powerlessness and stress compounded by a lack of impulse control, anger issues and family histories of abuse and violence. Stepping into the 'sanctity' of the home to address a bad situation is always tricky and nearly always requires a crime to have been committed which in this case has, at least in spirit. Most likely, it was not the boy stealing a candy but a 300 bht fine which triggered a rage tantrum by the aunt.

Education esp regarding parenting and managing emotions is the best preventative, reality is that it is highly unlikely even in the West where there is intense resistance to any government intervention into the home. What to do? Like the police said, it's a sensitive issue. But, tough enforceable laws regarding child abuse really do help..

Life without risk is not much of a life to me.....not to be critical of your choices however

I was in high school in the deep south at the height of the civil rights movement when the south was totally segregated. John Birch (extreme conservative) was required reading. My high school mischief was pushing over burning klu klux klan crosses. I also lived in Hawaii for many years. I've seen racism up close and personal. Racism is a fear based reaction to the perceived threat of losing power, privilege and security. It's a knee-jerk primitive instinct to threats to one's 'territory' and identity. Laws help stop it's unacceptable expression but only personal evolution and education ie maturity will sever it's roots....

This work thing is confusing. I assume work is defined (by official standards) as that which is done for monetary compensation. If the monetary part is eliminated then everything we do is work from making our beds to parking our bikes. If someone is doing some voluntary activity for no compensation, how is that regarded as work?

Perhaps we need to have some official clarification on this?

Simply practicing Buddhist virtues...perhaps one reason he came to Thailand...

500 Bht is for next day service or to expedite. Otherwise it takes a week or two to get it back which is posted if I remember right. I couldn't wait so paid the 500 and was able to pick it up the next day. It seemed a bit fishy but I did get it the next day. Sometimes this is how business is done....

what a joke i can now see all to clearly the double standards of democracy.

Huh? This is about the judicial system which gives latitude in sentencing to judges vs manditory sentences. Manditory sentences are still controversial and being tested and evaluated...Judges can take a number of issues into account vs the strict black-white nature of maniditory sentences.

Way to easy to obtain guns in the US.

Guns don't kill people, people kill people.

So, why would you ever advocate putting guns in the hands of those "people"?

USA is number one, unfortunately.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/09/19/u-s-has-more-guns-and-gun-deaths-than-any-other-country-study-finds/

The title is "U.S. Has More Guns – And Gun Deaths – Than Any Other Country..." Duh, and what exactly does this have to do with murder rates? Obviously, countries without access to guns use other means ergo the real reflection of murderous violence is murder rates per capita. US is 111th (said above). Guns don't create a violent people only provide easy access to an impersonal, can't come back from the edge of emotion, means...esp in hands of those without impulse control... Long term, the principle of 'murder is not a solution nor an option', reinforced from an early age is all that will work...but we are so very, very far from that now....

The "Holy Church" still still has a ban on the use of artificial contraception?

Did they ever get around to banning priest molesting little boys?

Priorities...

Didn't get the memo? That's one of the ways of regulating births approved of by the church

Moslem country, don't expect compassion or extenuating circumstances to apply where absolutist, black-white thinking prevail...Of course, there also seems to be a lot of that affliction here on this forum....and in a buddhist country too, hmmm...