Jump to content

tom yum goong

Advanced Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    577

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by tom yum goong

    Buddhist Monk And Skin Colour

    in General Topics

    Posted

    Many of the younger people in saffron robes are not monks by conviction but by necessity, so it is not all that easy for abbots and senior monks to stop them from breaking the rules.

    Imagine yourself going through puberty in saffron robes and living by the quite strict rules required by monastic discipline. How well would you have managed?

    I saw quite a few monks who weren't teenagers anymore, but (probably) had been monks for many years - shopping at Big C and 7-Eleven, travelling by taxi, etc. etc.

    We are getting way off topic now but i have to agree. Buddhism in Thailand is no longer what i thought Buddhism was supposed to be about. Superstition, materialism and corruption are everywhere. The Sangha is a joke and is run like a cartel (although that isn't a recent development). Temple donations don't go towards good works but to build bigger and more opulent buildings and statues, while the poor and sick can get stuffed. Its their karma after all, i guess.

    However, the same can be said of any organised religion. Thank god i was born an atheist :o

    Buddhist Monk And Skin Colour

    in General Topics

    Posted · Edited by tom yum goong

    Going on from what Meadish wrote, that is the kinda though, what the Dhammakaya sect would teach. They also teach their disciples that during World War 2, it was only through the meditation powers of their monks that America nuked Hiroshima instead of Bangkok. And not forgetting, their nuns were witnessed levitating in the sky while the bombs dropped around Wat Dhammakaya. As for their founder 'Luang Phor Pak Nam', he is the Thai equivalent to the miracle man fraud of India 'Sai Baba'.

    Again though, further to what Meadish wrote, this kind of belief is more of a fringe sect belief than mainstream Thai Buddhism. Same kinda crap you'll find in Christian sects.

    While i wont disagree that Dhammakaya teaches a load of weird nonsense, i'm pretty sure that the belief of skin colour from karma is not restricted to that sect, if it can be attributed to them at all.

    Buddhism (in Thailand) teaches that you are rewarded in this life for the merit you made in your past life, or punished for your misdeeds. If that is a given, then the fact that you are born poor, disabled or ugly can be attributed to your bad karma. Is it so hard to believe that many Thais, with their constant obsession with skin color, would believe that undesirable dark skin is also due to karma?

    I'm even more sad to say that there are definitely a lot weirder beliefs than this that are quite mainstream in Thailand.

    Buddhist Monk And Skin Colour

    in General Topics

    Posted

    ok just found the name of a series of books which definately mentions the stuff about skin color. the series is called เตรียมสเบียงไว้เลี้ยงตัว by ดังตฤน . This is available in most Thai book stores such as Se-ed and B2S. there are 11 books in the series so i'm not going to sift through and find a quote :o

    Buddhist Monk And Skin Colour

    in General Topics

    Posted

    i speak Thai, read Thai, am half Thai and was born in Thailand. i don't need my girlfriend to translate books on buddhism for me either.

    i think you should do a little more research on the country you obviously have a keen interest in. i'm not saying that the belief specifically about skin colour is part of buddhist doctrine, but it is taught by many buddhist monks and can be found in many books on buddhism in Thailand. i don't claim this belief is necessarily mainstream but i've certainly encountered it more than a few times.

    i repeat again, definitely not made up.

    Buddhist Monk And Skin Colour

    in General Topics

    Posted

    In fact, it is just the kinda thing a Farang would make up, and he obviously did.

    What was the point in making up this nonsense thread? Were you just trying to stir even more animosity?

    I'm sad to say that this nonsense isn't made up. You can find similar rubbish in books on buddhism in any Thai book store. I know because my girlfriend reads this stuff :o . According to the Thai version of "buddhism" , you are born fair skinned, beautiful, rich, clever etc. because you have accumulated good karma in your previous life. Conversely, if you are ugly, disabled, poor or unfortunate in any other way such as having dark skin, then you deserve it because of the karma carried over from your past life.

    This is Thai buddhism 101. If you think this is nonsense then you clearly know very little about this country and its culture.

    Mutilated Bodies Versus A Hint Of A Woman's Cleavage

    in General Topics

    Posted

    I disagree. I think seeing a human body contorted from a violent motor accident is exactly the image you need in your mind before you decide to ride a motorbike without a helmet or hold your newborn in your arms sitting pillion, or even flooring the gas to make the red light.

    Just like the graphic disease riddled people they put on the cigarette photos I think its a very good idea to show road users how fragile the human body really is, even though your mind can feel pretty invincible inside your car or on your chopper.

    So showing gory pictures of mangled accident victims has helped to reduce the death toll on Thailand's roads? By this reasoning Thailand must have the safest and most considerate drivers around, what with all the images of crash victims in their minds to serve as a warning. :o

    Good Steak On Phuket

    in Phuket

    Posted

    Cant remember the name of the place (Italian sounding). First little street north of Bangla, running off the Beach rd. It's the first restaurant on the left, directly opposite the Grillhutte.

    The german chef cooks an Australian fillet steak that melts in the mouth. Served with a large baked potato in foil with sour cream! :D

    do you mean Capri Da Rico? never tried the steaks there but they do some mean pizzas :o

    best steak i've had in Phuket was at Sam's Steakhouse but i can't afford to eat there very often...

    Phuket Airport Bus

    in Phuket

    Posted

    Bus is definitely still running, seen it on the road just the other day. if you mean the beach bus station near the fresh market then no, the bus doesn't pass by there. As you can see from the schedule above, to catch the bus in Phuket Town you need to head to either the bus terminal on Phang Nga road, Phanthep Condotown on Mae Luan road (about 1km up from the amphur), opposite the Surakul Stadium on Wichit Songkram road, or on the Bypass road outside of Big C

    Have a look on the map for locations: http://www.thaiwaysmagazine.com/phuket_map...t_map_town.html

    the orange line represents the route for the airport bus.

    Nine Years Today!

    in Stop Smoking Forum

    Posted

    yes the first few days were a little difficult but to be honest I found it really easy - in hindsight i can't see what all the fuss is about nicotine cravings etc.

    congratulations to the OP and everyone who has managed to quit. its been 6 weeks to the day since i quit - the first time i've ever tried to give up in 11 years because i always thought that i actually enjoyed smoking :o .

    having given up, i also can't see what the fuss over cravings is about. mine also lasted about a day or two. i guess for many it could be psychological rather than physical symptoms.

    i feel great and have actually lost weight since i feel less lethargic and have been sleeping better, working out more and generally being more healthy.

    Who Is To Blame For My Stolen Bike!

    in Health and Medicine

    Posted · Edited by tom yum goong

    despite the antagonistic title of the thread and the resultant sniping, i think the OP has a valid grievance if the hospital in fact falsely claimed that the bike had been recovered and was parked outside.

    unfortunately i don't think there's much you can do about it apart from chalk it up to experience.

    Dell Laptop Computer, Where To Send For Repair

    in IT and Computers

    Posted

    i dont know if the situation has changed but as of last year there was no Dell service centre in Thailand. Parts etc are shipped out of Malaysia and they have local companies who act as their service agents and perform repairs etc.

    this is the toll free number for their technical support: 1800-0060-07

    i had my laptop repaired under warranty about 2 years ago. was pretty painless but it was purchased from Dell Thailand. A friend purchased his laptop in the UK and Dell Thailand took about 3 months to repair it due to international warranty issues.

    "real" Budget Accomodation?

    in Phuket

    Posted

    probably not the area you're looking for but nice rooms (aircon, cable tv, hot water, key card, security guard) in Phuket Town can be had for around 400-500 baht per night, often with weekly rates available too. these can be found in apartment buildings (sometimes called "mansions" - don't ask my why) that are usually rented on a monthly basis for around 4,000 - 5,000 baht.

×
×
  • Create New...