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Hooray...we made it to 300+...like every year!

Not funny!

340 is a good shot.

Actually, it wasn't meant to be funny...just sort of bitter!

...and I raise you 352!

I'm all in for tomorrow below 350 (official reports that is)...

A pint is the all in bet, I don't do bitter - unless Tetley's.

That's a lot of damage from hitting a motorcyle.

In fact, I'd go to say impossible!

strangely enough in Australia they actually worked at reducing the number pf road deaths each year and the figures went down dramatically, here they seem to try to increase the figures each year by simply ignoring the problems and making rash statements instead. Wonder of they will ever realize that to reduce the numbers they need the police to actually enforce the rules and have a major presence on the roads, ie, have lots pf police cars patrolling and pulling over the offenders

Please, no proven, workable farang solutions can be considered! TIT

Thai peoples can work it out - they have had many many years to do so, hopefully they are getting close

The wheel is coming!

Hooray...we made it to 300+...like every year!

Not funny!

340 is a good shot.

Should makes laws to restrict Songkran Water festivities to within the grounds of Temples and ban them from the road. I dont see any sense in any of it. Something needs to be done.....cannstart with the importance of human life.

And that's from 'Watertoy'. You got it here.

get more police on the roads anyone found to be intoxicated take them off the road incarcerate them till they sober up that should keep the figures down .

Well we can certainly make a fairly accurate assessment of people who haven't lived here for too long, or those who are inebriated.

Comon Thai people we need big numbers today, I got 376 in the pool

Soreeee. My mate Chalerm says it will be 334.

And it will be kept at that.

Unfortunately, we won't get a correct poll, as usual, because most people have travelled back today because they have work tomorrow, and yes, they really did.

Tomorrow's results don't count - but be ensured that MAYHEM will arrive in numbers........ However, we won't see them. cos it's all TAT and Ncop controlled... for sure... no control of the release of numbers from the TOP of course, cause they are doing such a wonderful job bringing 'happiness'.

Thai people can talk the talk. But they can not walk the walk. Liieing, stealing, cheating not in this religion! Plus the taking of lives do not concern them. Not land of a thousand smiles!

What on earth are you on about?

How many weeks a year do you visit Pataya?

Did you read the name?

Roi Et 5/1 on, Surin 3/1 against. Any bidders? 3 days to go, not 2.

This should be done to Americans on Spring Break in Florida

The Morals of Americans are terrible and they need God

God created evil, if he did not want us to do immoral things.... he would not have created evil

Which God?

The one?

This should be done to Americans on Spring Break in Florida

The Morals of Americans are terrible and they need God

God created evil, if he did not want us to do immoral things.... he would not have created evil

I wish it was real. Looking for somebody who can turn water into wine.

Not at this time of year, please. The country would be more <deleted?kd than it is already.

That's really insane. I mean that they write their names. Dirty old men. Nothing wrong with the girls.

Just wondering who's wearing these bikinis now?

Solders? Prayuth? <deleted> knows?

I didn't see any bikinis.

The sad thing is that if you speak to a Thai about this, they honestly believe that they ARE religious, and that all the 'perversions' of Buddhism that we read about in Thailand, is actually the norm and part and parcel of being a true Buddhist.

For me, that is the really sad part

I find that building a hotel and giving it away for nothing can really make you feel better inside.

Wow! You did that?

Say no to meth.

No it isn't.. the Philippines is the most religious country in the world - if devout Christians count

italy & the philippines about thecsame, hmmm......both catholic, go gigure :-)

Would you call 7th day adventist christian?

Question - The street parties should rap up here in Bangkok by Thursday, when is it due to end in Pattaya ?

Pattaya has its own ' special ' Songkran day on the 19th or at least it used to.

Not sure what happens between the end of the official holiday and the 19th.

Seems there are special days according to area or province. For example, before the revelling began yesterday, I drove to my local Mart 2km away at midday. A 2Km drive only. 2 local roads and 1 major road to Family Mart, open 24/7.

Both on my way and on my way back, the roads were blocked centrally by chairs and/or motorcyles parked in the middle of both ways. In effect, what this meant was that you had no chance to pass, had to slow down - because they were dancing infront of me in the road, and covered my car in white &lt;deleted&gt; powder (which when dries in the sun is a complete bastard to clean off), and this was only a 2Km drive. There were 4 points, or 4 families should I say, that had blocked the road with chairs, bikes, and even young kids. I wonder if this is a local thing, or a national thing? How many of you have been forced, using such methods, to stop driving and accept that your car is covered in shit? They also covered my dog in white powder crap, as she always has her head out of the window (as dogs enjoy), and she got out of the car wondering what the <deleted?k.

It has to be breaking some law or, if not, if I drive my car through the chairs or tip their bikes over, would I also be within my equal rights?

It is barmy..... well beyond barmy. Anybody else experienced this 'forced to stop', and accept what you get?

It's beyond a joke when you place kids in the road, especially a major road.

you are 100% correct in your assumption sir..

That's a cop-out. By every indication, Buddhism is a religion. It has rules, it has icons to worship, it has a plethora of requirements, it has houses of worship, it has reams of rituals, it has myths, monks, nuns, orthodoxy, stratification of roles.

That's like Thaksin saying (true story) "I'm not a rich man" 2 days after he got multi-millions of dollars from Singapore for selling AIS.

Actually, I think the major difference is that Buddhism has little if any dogma. Most religions are based on dogma. You cannot be Christian and not believe in the virgin birth or the resurrection. You cannot be a Jew without believing that God chose a certain group of people to be his favorites. You cannot be a Muslim without believing that Mohamed was a profit of God.

Buddhism started out quite different. The Buddha never asked anybody to believe in anything. He constantly challenged people to try it themselves. He didn't even claim he had the only way. He only claimed that that was the way that had worked for him.

After his death it became a religion. But, there is always a distinction between Buddhism the philosophy - the actual teachings of The Buddha - and the religion which is all of the rituals, etc that followed. You can pull out the teachings of The Buddha and practice them as a Buddhist, a Jew, a Christian, or even an atheist.

The way most Thais practice it though is completely as a religion and not even a very representative version of Buddhism. One of the reasons Buddhism, as a religion, spread so quickly was because it didn't require you to give up your existing traditions. It wasn't like other religions where you had to abandon everything and follow a new religion. Thais could keep their ghosts, tree spirits, superstitions, etc and add Buddhism into the mix.

Maybe someone remembers the book Phra Farang better than I do but I recall a piece in there where Phra Farang becomes somewhat disillusioned with Thai Buddhism when he contemplates all of the rites and ceremonies they have to perform that have no basis in Buddhism. Blessing motorbikes, blowing on children's heads, etc. He was distressed over how Thai Buddhism had become a public service to be performed for the laypeople. Without their financial and political support, they wouldn't exist so the entire practice of Buddhism had devolved into a magic show to appease the people.

Don't confuse that with what The Buddha was teaching. It's not the same.

Do Buddhists believe in god?

No, we do not. There are several reasons for this. The Buddha, like modern sociologists and psychologists, believed that religious ideas, and especially the god idea, have their origin in fear.

The Buddha says:

"Gripped by fear men go to the sacred mountains,

sacred groves, sacred trees and shrines".

Primitive man found himself in a dangerous and hostile world. The fear of wild animals; of not being able to find enough food; of injury or disease, and of natural phenomena like thunder, lightning and volcanoes was constantly with him. Finding no security, he created the idea of gods in order to give him comfort in good times, courage in times of danger and consolation - when things went wrong. To this day, you will notice that people become more religious in times of crises, and you will hear them say that their belief in a god or gods gives them the strength they need to deal with life. You will hear them explain that they believe in a particular god because they prayed in time of need and that their prayer was answered. All this seems to support the Buddha’s teaching that the god-idea is a response to fear and frustration. The Buddha taught us to try to understand our fears, to lessen our desires, and to calmly and courageously accept the things we cannot change. He replaced fear not with irrational belief, but with rational understanding.

The second reason the Buddha did not believe in a god is because there does not seem to be any evidence to support this idea. There are numerous religions, all claiming that they alone have god’s words preserved in their holy book, that they alone understand god’s nature, that their god exists, and that the gods of other religions do not. Some claim that god is masculine, some that she is feminine, and others that it is neuter. They are all satisfied that there is ample evidence to prove the existence of their god, but they laugh in disbelief at the evidence other religions use to prove the existence of another god. It is not surprising, that with so many different religions spending so many centuries trying to prove the existence of their gods, that still no real, concrete, substantial or irrefutable evidence has been found. Buddhists suspend judgment until such evidence is forthcoming.

The third reason the Buddha did not believe in a god is that the belief is not necessary. Some claim that the belief in a god is necessary in order to explain the origin of the universe. However, Buddhists believe this is not so. Science has very convincingly explained how the universe came into being, without having to introduce the god-idea. Some claim that belief in god is necessary to have a happy, meaningful life. Again we can see that this is not so. There are millions of atheists and free-thinkers, not to mention many Buddhists, who live useful, happy and meaningful lives without belief in a god. Some claim that belief in god’s power is necessary, because humans, being weak, do not have the strength to help themselves. Once again, the evidence indicates the opposite. One often hears of people who have overcome great disabilities and handicaps, enormous odds and difficulties, through their own inner resources and through their own efforts without belief in a god. Some claim that god is necessary in order to give man salvation. Again, however, this argument only holds good if you accept the theological concept of salvation, and Buddhists do not accept such a concept. Based on his own experience, the Buddha saw that each human being had the capacity to purify the mind, develop infinite love and compassion, and perfect understanding. He shifted attention from the heavens to the heart, and He encouraged us to find solutions to our problems through self-understanding.

Enough?

I was born as a Christian Farang, and I quit church at the age of 14 because I believed in biology, so I couldn't accept a pregnant virgin.

Still I believe that everyone needs something to believe in to sort his/her views of the world around.

Many say religion is only for the uneducated.

Define 'religion' as 'cognitive frame', and things might look different.

There's mathematical-logical *proof* that you have to have a cognitive frame for any logic, it's called the Goedel theorem (s. Douglas Hofstaedter, Goedel Escher Bach, if you have time and patience to read)

Taking this into account, it might be the best educated scientists that know about their limits and then accept religion as a cognitive prerequisite.

Many of those who disgust animism are afraid of snakes or black cats crossing their way. Better watch out.

From a psychiatric point of view, your Christian God might be labeled as a sadistic psychopath, and his followers were created as an image of Him. Fortunately I don't believe in psychiatry too much.

Don't go for bashing Buddhist monks now, please.

Guess Thailand might turn into a madhouse without those places for contemplation they call temples. Many rich and educated people go there, and of course people who know how to drive a car or use a computer. Going to a temple and join the monks is not a one-way street, you're not forced to stay there for the rest of your life.

Please think about what you are saying when you label Buddhist monks as 'losers', someone who has been in the temple might not be too amused.

They are certainly not 'losers'. The gains from serendipity are tremendous!

I am so happy to see the amost universal agreement concerning Budhism in Thailand. It did not take all of my eight years here to discover that of all the BS and Lies, that this is the biggest one. And the saddest. I am Christian but very studied in much. Basic (real original) Budhism, which is essentially the correct understanding of the MIDDLE WAY, is as close to being Christian in Behavior that you can get. These people do not have a clue. Exceptions of course. Most Thai are exstreenist in practice. Sometimes I wonder what the point is talking about any of these things. Impossible to change them. And if you tell the new farang on the block, to help him, he will not listen. MAYBE there is reason for our being here. I call it PURGATORY. I used to call it HELL, but HELL is forever, I cannot face that possibility. No, you cannot leave either untill the jailhouse door is opened. That is why we stupidly lose most all our money within the first three years. Jaildoor slams shut. Help me Budha, Help me. He laughs. Idiot he says!!!

I'll give you a little insight. I have a very good understanding of Pali. I teach Phra and Phramaha at Wat Raiking, one of Thailand's most famous temples/wats.

I go to stay, 3 or 4 days, catered (very well indeed) for whilst I teach them, usually 4/5 times a year - helping them complete their UNBOUGHT PhDs, get their Pali in order, and translations of such because I know how to reference such, etc.

They have everything inside their buildings, and I mean EVERYTHING. They do not cease eating after 12pm.... in fact they eat when they want to.... and they always have a huge dinner between 6pm-8pm each day. I am invited to the room table, and sit in a venerable position I may add (usually on a level above Phra, and on the level seating of Phramaha).,Exquisite food is delivered - many tastes of food from Chinese, to Indian, freshly delivered from restaurants, you name it. They do go outside of the building to smoke - I'll offer that due to them - they do respect the buildings. They watch TV, play on their phones and computers (all behind closed doors, of course), get up in the morning, and walk to the main temple as if they are Buddha-like and poor - waiting to collect their merit food in their jarns, which is generally frozen and fed to the fish or pigs.

They pay me in cash! From the Phramaha to me, who actually wais me and sits lower. You wouldn't believe what goes on behind closed doors. I could go on, but prefer not to in too much detail. It is now a business, not a true practice....... I'll leave it that. However, a final word; they consider me, a farang, to be as Buddhist as they are!

Twaddle, particularly the bit about religion becoming more popular over the next 35 years. How on earth can anyone predict that with any degree of certainty? With science gradually pushing back the frontiers of our ignorance and likely to discover the origins of the universe in the foreseeable future, I would have thought God is on his way out and will disappear with a big bang when we learn the scientific truth about how we really got here.

The sooner we wake up to the fact that we are, whether we like it or not, the masters of our own earthly destiny, the better for mankind. Just getting rid of religious hatred and the conflicts it has created over centuries, will be compensation enough for having to stand on our own feet. We might even start trying to build a heaven on this planet, rather than praying for one in the hereafter.

The late and great contrarian Christopher Hitchens opined that religion poisons everything and if one looks at the degree of corruption, crime and lack of compassion for anyone outside the immediate family in the world's most religious country where I, an anti-theist, have spent the last two decades you can't help feeling he was right.

Go back and read my posts.

http://livinginsaudiarabia.org/268/can-you-drink-alcohol-in-saudi-arabia/

He should have known better - Diamond.

No it isn't.. the Philippines is the most religious country in the world - if devout Christians count

Saudi Arabia....I think they kill you if you are not religious

No they kill you if your not muslem.

No they don't.

Why not take your hate elsewhere.

I'm sure the KKK, NF or some other form of "Bigots are Us" are holding a meeting somewhere.

Why go along, I think you'll fit in quite nicely.

I would bother. He cnat eevn splel.

"Organizers installed six-meter water gun to spray water on revelers."

Is that 100 years in jail and a 20m Baht fine?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOF_XVJ9cqc

"Uniformed and plainclothed police mingled among revellers in a bid to curtail inappropriate conduct such as sexual harassment or to warn women dressed provocatively."

Let me guess. The warning was, "You shouldn't dress like that ma'm. You're likely inviting rape."