camerata

giving money to the temple is not in the least way merit worthy and that really they should not expect anything in return, it is not merit worthy if you expect favours in return'.

This is just your personal opinion. If the Buddha says in the Pali Canon that building monasteries and giving to monks brings merit, no one can argue with that. Similarly, the Buddha makes it clear in the Dana Sutta that although giving with the expectation of rewards earns less merit, it still earns merit.

temples here are a bit like social welfare in the civilized countries... as anybody can join and ... relax

so ... backgrounds from fleeing criminals that want to evade justice to .... whatever

If a criminal ordains as a monk the police can force him to disrobe and arrest him. You may be able to lay low in the monkhood if no one is looking for you, but you can't escape justice.

Many here on this topic have asked what can be done about this, in my humble opinion it is already being done. Thais have been deserting temples in their thousands, young Thais especially just ain't having any of it. They're not falling for the crap of their politicians, and nor are they the blatant hypocrisy in the temples, it is just turning them off their religion big time. Many Thais I have spoken to do not see Thai Buddhism surviving this generation.

This is only half the story at best. While interest in Buddhism is declining among some Thais due to the increasing secularisation of society (similar to what is happening in the UK), it is increasing in others. The Wat Dhammakaya sect is a huge success, offering squeaky clean monks who keep the precepts, well-scrubbed lay followers, a feeling of togetherness at their many functions, their own 24-hour satellite channel, and a quick way to a fortunate rebirth. Despite a court case in which the sect's leader was accused of having a gazillian baht in his personal bank accounts and putting out heretical teachings, Thais are flocking to join up.

Dhammakaya is also a massive money-making machine and the many Thais who join up don't seem to mind at all. That the monks are strict about the precepts seem to be more important than the temple making oodles of money.

The problem is everyone, and I mean everyone, must have the latest iPhone. It costs money........

This is another incorrect generalisation. Upcountry, away from the big towns, I rarely see iPhones. And I travel a lot.

I don't know about all the folks making posts but somethings I do know. Almost every Wat I've visited (and thats many) runs the local pre-school. Some of them run the local 2nd schools also (my son is in one) At least 4 Wats local to me administer villages clean water supplies. I personally know 8 poor Thai rice farmers that have either been given rice seed and/or cash loans by the local Wat interest free. In past days the Wat did (and some still do) the local birth and death statistics for the Tambon. Almost every Wat I've been to acts as the local funeral parlor. I have personally slept in Wat's and have taken many broke Expats to them for temporary lodging and meals. As a safety net for Thai society they do a very good job. I do have problems with the way Buddhism is practised here but it appears to me that they do an awful lot behind the scenes that most expats don't observe.

At last, a balanced perspective.

Some off-topic posts have been deleted. Let's stay on the topic of greed in Thai Buddhism.

The Tibetan translations of the sutras are considered to be very accurate. The Tibetan version of Buddhist text includes many, many texts which Hinayana Buddhist do not recognize.  The Buddha taught what is known as tantra and there are many such texts. Tantras present a much broader and more comprehensive view of the universe and existence than what is in sutras.  The tantras also contain many spiritual practices not found in the sutras.  Then there are the commentaries on the sutras and also text written by subsequent enlightened masters but, again, Hinayana (Thai) Buddhists don't accept these.

 

So, English versions of sutras translated from the Tibetan canon are generally considered as accurate.

 

Btw, Hinayana is not a derogatory term, it's simply the name of one of the three principle 'streams' of Buddhist teachings.  Theravada, on the other hand, is the name of one of the 18 philosophical schools that arose out of the Buddha's teaching.

For a comprehensive discussion as to why 'Hinayana' can be considered derogatory, see http://www.budsas.org/ebud/ebdha140.htm

Sent from my Samsung

In our village and in many other small villages:

The 3+ days are to allow lots of family and friends from far away to pay their respects. Feeding them is expected and lots of people from the village (Including me) help. Sometimes beer and 40 are served. The 'village police' keep things in check if its big.It ends around 22.00 or earlier. The only loud noise are the monks chanting when they visit each day. We have these several times a month(Lots of old people in our village). Sometimes the family want something bigger with a movie screen and music. In that case there are policemen from the Ampeuh present and arrest troublemakers.

If you and others have a problem with many loud parties of any type, talk to the Village head, PuhJaay baan. If he is the problem, the head-monk might also help.

Sent from my i-mobile i-style 7.1 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Good post. In Bangkok, it is quite common for funerals to last 7 days. The purpose of the funeral is to give support to the deceased's family, I've been told. Everyone gives some money to the family, and the family have to feed everyone.

I haven't experienced loud music or alcohol at funerals, but I imagine upcountry they make a party out of it.

Second, the Buddhism taught in Thailand is Hinayana, which is known as the 'lesser vehicle' across the Buddhist world. This simply means that Thai Buddhist (and other Hinayana Buddhists) adhere only to the sutras, the recorded spoken words of the Buddha while generally rejecting Mahayana and Vajrayana teachings and texts.

The Buddhism taught in Thailand is Theravada. The term "Hinayana" (strictly translated as "inferior vehicle," according to Ajahn Brahm) was coined by the Mahayanists and is generally considered derogatory.

Theravada recognizes the Pali Canon suttas, Vinaya, and Abhidhamma, plus the Pali Commentaries. These are considered sufficient to get one to nibbana.

@RandomSand

You could try some form of atonement. It has worked for me before. Say, for example, you once refused to lend someone money when they needed it. If and when you have the opportunity, be generous when people ask you for money in the future. The closer the atonement is to the type of bad deed done in the past, the more relief you'll feel.

Donors' Qualifications:
1. 17-70 years of age
2. Excellent health, with the weight over 45 kg
3. No history of hepatitis or jaundice
4. No history of malarial fever for the past 3 years and no sexually transmitted diseases, infectious diseases, persistent cough, coughing up blood, hemophilia, blood-related diseases, asthma, allergy, epilepsy, long-term skin diseases, kidney diseases, heart problems, diabetes, thyroid.
5. No considerable weight loss
6. No behaviors of sexual promiscuity. No record of drug use.
7. Blood donation is not recommended during the 6 months after a medical operation, child delivery, or abortion. In case of receiving donated blood, allow 1 year before giving blood.
8. Female donors are not menstruating or pregnant.

http://www.redcross.or.th/old/english/donation/blood_wholeblood.php

Seems a bit different from when I last went there. No. 6 would probably disqualify a few expats...

It seems that Buddhism is declining in Bhutan for the same reasons as it is declining in Thailand. Monasteries decline as TV and smartphones grip Bhutan

THIMPHU, Bhutan - Kencho Tshering, a red-robed Buddhist monk, takes a call from the King of Bhutan's office, then duly dashes off to start a ceremony praying for a break in the monsoon rains.

But while he may be on speed dial for royal requests, the clout of his fellow monks is on the wane in the remote kingdom as it absorbs the impact of technology and democracy as well as an abuse scandal.

"Bhutan is changing. The monastic body is going down and down," Tshering told AFP at Dechen Phodrang, the monks' school where he is principal, which is perched with majestic views over the capital Thimphu.

"Even for senior monks, there's no respect in the city," he sighed.

The old Samsara was an interesting movie.

Re; the thread title, Why, is there some sacred (and obscure) reason that Buddhism, is different than Islam, Christianity, Hinduism or any other religion?

The original scriptures of some religions condemn homosexuality. This is not the case with Theravada Buddhism.

Looking at the 25 locations used for the movie Samsara - many related to religion or spirituality - the one they chose in Thailand was Cascade Go-Go Bar, Nana Plaza.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsara_%282011_film%29

Will they ever release a subtitled DVD of Mindfulness and Murder...?

I came across this today:

"The apparent resemblance of the language of quantum physics and of sutras is just that—an appearance. My training as a quantum physicist gives me no special insight into Buddhist practice. For that, daily life and ordinary mind are where the real work begins." - Brad Marston

http://www.tricycle.com/columns/the-science-enlightenment-quarks-1-bootstraps-0

A large part of Thai Buddhism as practised by the laity is dana (generosity) to the community of monks. This was taught by the Buddha. The rewards for practising dana are specified in the Pali Canon. Believing there is some kind of spirit in a Buddha image that can answer prayers is not what the Buddha taught. It's an animist practice from the indigenous religion that predates the introduction of Buddhism into the country.

We've had a few other threads on this topic:

Did Lord Buddha say God didn't exist or just wasn't important?

Can a Buddhist believe in God?

I got a CD of various Buddhist chants set to music from a temple. It makes very pleasant listening. I've heard it played at several temples too.

I think a lot of people get to a certain level of practice - where they see some benefits - and then start cruising. Not everyone keeps on going until they make sotapanna.

What you describe in meditation seems to be pretty normal. I find that first my mind gives me the stuff I've been preoccupied with during the day, then it comes up with doubts such as "Did I lock the door? and finally it presents me with long-forgotten memories from the past. It'll do anything to put-off being still.

I believe listening to music is a relatively mild dukkata offence for monks, the idea being that it is indulging in sensory pleasure. I think we had a thread about this before and someone pointed out that it can be difficult to meditate with a tune or song going round and round in your head.

Ajahn Brahm once commented on how we are all addicted to emotion. He gave the obvious example of people scaring themselves with ghost movies. But there's a lot of emotion in music.

Personally, I like music and opera too much to give it up at present. Opera also involves acting, and acting is wrong livelihood. Who knew?! Actors end up in the Hell of Laughter!

"Any beings who are not devoid of passion to begin with, who are bound by the bond of passion, focus with even more passion on things inspiring passion presented by an actor on stage in the midst of a festival. Any beings who are not devoid of aversion to begin with, who are bound by the bond of aversion, focus with even more aversion on things inspiring aversion presented by an actor on stage in the midst of a festival. Any beings who are not devoid of delusion to begin with, who are bound by the bond of delusion, focus with even more delusion on things inspiring delusion presented by an actor on stage in the midst of a festival.

Thus the actor — himself intoxicated & heedless, having made others intoxicated & heedless — with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn in what is called the hell of laughter. But if he holds such a view as this: 'When an actor on the stage, in the midst of a festival, makes people laugh & gives them delight with his imitation of reality, then with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of the laughing devas,' that is his wrong view. Now, there are two destinations for a person with wrong view, I tell you: either hell or the animal womb."

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-ajivo/index.html

The notion that practice can't work or the fruits can't be had because of conditioning is just another trick of the ego. The premise of dhamma practice is that we are all mired in defilements and conditioning from the get-go, and practice is the best way to deal with them. Practice can seem kind of mechanical initially, but "as we practice, so will we become." This is why we need some confidence/trust in the Buddha when we start... but then up pops the ego again saying, "You fool! This is blind faith. This is not rational. This is not scientific. There is no proof it will work!!"

It's no wonder Doubt is one of the Five Hindrances.

We can draw a rough analogy with psychiatry. Where psychiatry seeks to change people with abnormal levels of suffering into people with normal suffering, Dhamma develops people with any level of suffering into people with no suffering. Psychiatry is not a science and the results can't be exactly or reliably replicated, but it's clear some people get real benefits from it. It can't be dismissed simply because science can't verify the results (yet).

Meditation in the Modern World

Apps for Practice

Vincent Horn

With millions of mobile apps now available on smartphones from the tech giants Google, Apple, and Microsoft, it’s no surprise that at least some of these apps would have a contemplative focus. The apps in question come out of the collision of the inner technologies of the East and the revolutionary external technological advances that began during the Western Enlightenment, representing a global, modern confluence of inner and outer technologies.

Finding the best of these contemplative apps is a laborious process, so I’ve reviewed several gems I’ve found that support the development of meditative practice and offer novel ways of meditating with the help of your smartphone.

Full story: Tricycle.