Facebook uproar over woman sitting in Ayutthaya Buddha’s lap

[owl sees all]

4 hours ago, fakename said:

So, maybe it was a Thai, that was sitting on buddhas lap?

It certainly looks like a Thai sitting there all serene. And why not? Not a lot of chairs. Same in my local Tesco. Have to keep going to the loo to get a rest.

 

I'm an atheist but I'm coming 'round to thinking that this Buddism is not a bad scene as it is not regarded as a religion by most posters, in the know, and leads to a decent pathway through life.

 

However; my experience of what passes as Buddism in my neck-of-the-woods is poles apart from what I read from the advocates of it on TVForum. 

 

I see constant praying to anything painted gold or any tree that someone has tied a ribbon to. Giving money in order to gleen winning lotto numbers. Painting faces with charcoal and chanting. Hero worship of anyone who has a new car or motorbike etc.

 

Confused in Isaan.

[Essaybloke]

3 hours ago, owl sees all said:

It certainly looks like a Thai sitting there all serene. And why not? Not a lot of chairs. Same in my local Tesco. Have to keep going to the loo to get a rest.

 

I'm an atheist but I'm coming 'round to thinking that this Buddism is not a bad scene as it is not regarded as a religion by most posters, in the know, and leads to a decent pathway through life.

 

However; my experience of what passes as Buddism in my neck-of-the-woods is poles apart from what I read from the advocates of it on TVForum. 

 

I see constant praying to anything painted gold or any tree that someone has tied a ribbon to. Giving money in order to gleen winning lotto numbers. Painting faces with charcoal and chanting. Hero worship of anyone who has a new car or motorbike etc.

 

Confused in Isaan.

You can live life on your own terms and still experience 'a decent pathway through life.' I mean you don't need to adopt all that baggage to be an ethical, secular humanist. Don't get sucked in to that wah wah stuff, mate. And point taken on your observations of the anything-goes cult of worship! 

[tukkytuktuk]

Boris Becker and family, will you get off that Buddha!

 

[tukkytuktuk]

Some more disrespectful Buddhist photos and items.

[gerritkaew]

who say's its a farang,  they Thai girls !!  

[CharlesSwann]

How about a polite reminder to tourists not to disrespect the monuments, rather than the hysterical concocted twitchfork outrage that is unfortunately now the norm?

[Blackheart1916]

On 3/10/2018 at 3:49 PM, csabo said:

I could care less about anyone's religious beliefs but ancient ruins, archeological sites and historical structures and such should not be used for climbing and taking stupid photos. The phrase we used as kids comes to mind "look with your eyes not with your hands". 

This particular slab of concrete was poured in 1961. It's in the story.

[Number 6]

It's disrespecting national parks and historic antiquities, even if it's five years old. The temples there were not built nearly as well as Pagan or Angkor and the environs. It's not a chair.

 

It is culturally distasteful. I'm sure even casual Christians would take issue with lounging on a statue of Jesus as if it was Ronald McDonald.

 

That said, Buddha could not care less. He spoke against worship of himself and idolatry.

 

Even poured in 1961, that's old for Thai unreinforced concrete. Just sculpture. It's bullshit behavior.

Edited March 11, 2018 by Number 6

[tgeezer]

Even paying guests can transgress it seems. What else are these ancient cities but monuments? They shouldn't be sacred places now because anybody is invited visit them and to pay for the priviledge. The fact that these statues were placed there as religious symbols last century is asking for trouble in my opinion. It has been said already that true religion is personal, separated from superstition only by the fact that it has been formalised. People who wear Buddhist symbols on a chain round their necks may wai when they put it on but they don't expect everybody who notices it to do so.  

Any disrespect of sacred objects creates disunity so governing bodies should desanctify as much as possible. I see people wearing hats, usually 'feed caps', inside churches in UK, I am no more upset than I am when a dog cocks its leg against the wheel of my car. 

[soalbundy]

13 hours ago, gerritkaew said:

who say's its a farang,  they Thai girls !!  

They've been touched by Buddha, but not in an inappropriate way.

[metisdead]

Some off topic posts and the replies have been removed.

[Srikcir]

16 hours ago, CharlesSwann said:

How about a polite reminder to tourists not to disrespect the monuments, rather than the hysterical concocted twitchfork outrage that is unfortunately now the norm?

Fences make the best reminder.

Build an iron spike-topped fence around these "holy relics" fixed with warnings signs not to cross and possible fines, etc. for doing so. Maybe go "full Monty" and follow behind with a moat filled with crocodiles, electrified fence and land mines.

[mrdome]

Well, that's Theravada for you. Things are more relaxed in Mahayana/Vajrayana. On the other hand, you would never see a red-robed monk smoke, something that's always bothered me when I saw it in Thailand.

 

Still, the image shows pretty ignorant behavior as the statue could easily become damaged while being climbed on.

[Somchai Logic]

On 3/9/2018 at 3:38 PM, Just1Voice said:

Sheesh!  Stop being so damn sensitive, Thai people.  And while you're at it, try actually learning what Buddha taught, instead of this Thai crap you call "Buddhism".  

 

For starters, Buddha SPECIFICALLY told his followers NOT to pray to him when he died, as he was NOT a god, but ONLY A MAN, and prayers to him would be wasted.  

 

There is no such thing as true Buddhism in Thailand, only a lot of mumbo, jumbo superstition dressed in orange robes that's a fake as a $3 bill. 

Thank you 

I'm more 'Uproared' by the mess just about every Thai leave's in their wake 

Edited March 12, 2018 by Somchai Logic

[Somchai Logic]

22 hours ago, tukkytuktuk said:

Some more disrespectful Buddhist photos and items.

I'm in 'Uproar' 

[munchlet]

Yes, the Osama bin Buddha lot are taking fake offense to new highs. Whatever happened to forgiveness?

On the subject of enlightened masters, interesting that the Buddha would so wisely have advised that his followers should not pray for him or too him. It  is starting to be believed that Jesus spent time in Himalayan (Buddhist) retreats during the time of his life that the New Testament does not cover. Jesus' teachings are actually very Buddhist in nature. Interestingly, in the more enlightened gospels of Christ, i.e. the ones that were DISCARDED by the Nicean Council on Cyprus in AD 325 (The council that officially hijacked Chritistianity for the Roman Church and Emperor Constantine) in favour of ones that were generally written at least 100 years after the event, Jesus says quote clearly that he is A son of God, not THE son of god. Jesus was a revolutionary who was fighting corruption in his own organised religion; Judaism. The last thing he wanted was to have a bunch of people setting one up in his name. He hated organised religion. Most sensible people do. The Buddha did too. Organised religion is the problem, not the solution. As for what passes for Buddhism here, well I sometimes cry myself, they should be ashamed of themselves.

 

Edited March 12, 2018 by munchlet
Typos

[DrTuner]

2 hours ago, munchlet said:

Yes, the Osama bin Buddha lot are taking fake offense to new highs. Whatever happened to forgiveness?

On the subject of enlightened masters, interesting that the Buddha would so wisely have advised that his followers should not pray for him or too him. It  is starting to be believed that Jesus spent time in Himalayan (Buddhist) retreats during the time of his life that the New Testament does not cover. Jesus' teachings are actually very Buddhist in nature. Interestingly, in the more enlightened gospels of Christ, i.e. the ones that were DISCARDED by the Nicean Council on Cyprus in AD 325 (The council that officially hijacked Chritistianity for the Roman Church and Emperor Constantine) in favour of ones that were generally written at least 100 years after the event, Jesus says quote clearly that he is A son of God, not THE son of god. Jesus was a revolutionary who was fighting corruption in his own organised religion; Judaism. The last thing he wanted was to have a bunch of people setting one up in his name. He hated organised religion. Most sensible people do. The Buddha did too. Organised religion is the problem, not the solution. As for what passes for Buddhism here, well I sometimes cry myself, they should be ashamed of themselves.

 

Amen to that. I'd have a tipple with Jessie of that red wine he has a good supply of any time but sod the organized religious buffoons. It's the same with all religions, nations, even bloody instagram .. just vehicles to get the sheeple to do what the clergy/aristocracy/kardashians want them to do. Which is usually annihilating the competition.

[CharlesSwann]

3 hours ago, munchlet said:

Yes, the Osama bin Buddha lot are taking fake offense to new highs. Whatever happened to forgiveness?

On the subject of enlightened masters, interesting that the Buddha would so wisely have advised that his followers should not pray for him or too him. It  is starting to be believed that Jesus spent time in Himalayan (Buddhist) retreats during the time of his life that the New Testament does not cover. Jesus' teachings are actually very Buddhist in nature. Interestingly, in the more enlightened gospels of Christ, i.e. the ones that were DISCARDED by the Nicean Council on Cyprus in AD 325 (The council that officially hijacked Chritistianity for the Roman Church and Emperor Constantine) in favour of ones that were generally written at least 100 years after the event, Jesus says quote clearly that he is A son of God, not THE son of god. Jesus was a revolutionary who was fighting corruption in his own organised religion; Judaism. The last thing he wanted was to have a bunch of people setting one up in his name. He hated organised religion. Most sensible people do. The Buddha did too. Organised religion is the problem, not the solution. As for what passes for Buddhism here, well I sometimes cry myself, they should be ashamed of themselves.

 

 

I don't think organised religion is the problem, because without some sort of guiding force for the masses there would be widespread moral anarchy. We might as well say human nature is the problem.

The fact that religion inevitably becomes organised (into a system of social control) is the point of religion, and the reason we are seeing people being condemned for disrespecting religious monuments is because religion is losing its power and has become so insecure that it feels the need to exert control in a high-handed manner. 

 

By the way, a bit of quick research contradicts all you say about the Council of Nicea, so I'm yet to be convinced of early Christianity's similiarity to Buddhism.

Edited March 12, 2018 by CharlesSwann

[wazzupnow]

On 3/9/2018 at 2:38 PM, Just1Voice said:

Sheesh!  Stop being so damn sensitive, Thai people.  And while you're at it, try actually learning what Buddha taught, instead of this Thai crap you call "Buddhism".  

 

For starters, Buddha SPECIFICALLY told his followers NOT to pray to him when he died, as he was NOT a god, but ONLY A MAN, and prayers to him would be wasted.  

 

There is no such thing as true Buddhism in Thailand, only a lot of mumbo, jumbo superstition dressed in orange robes that's a fake as a $3 bill. 

oww U so on the point, most monks are run away bad boys anyway, bhuddhism is  to be a way of life not a religion!! remember that the next time u pull a machete to settle an road argument

[jenny2017]

16 hours ago, munchlet said:

Yes, the Osama bin Buddha lot are taking fake offense to new highs. Whatever happened to forgiveness?

On the subject of enlightened masters, interesting that the Buddha would so wisely have advised that his followers should not pray for him or too him. It  is starting to be believed that Jesus spent time in Himalayan (Buddhist) retreats during the time of his life that the New Testament does not cover. Jesus' teachings are actually very Buddhist in nature. Interestingly, in the more enlightened gospels of Christ, i.e. the ones that were DISCARDED by the Nicean Council on Cyprus in AD 325 (The council that officially hijacked Chritistianity for the Roman Church and Emperor Constantine) in favour of ones that were generally written at least 100 years after the event, Jesus says quote clearly that he is A son of God, not THE son of god. Jesus was a revolutionary who was fighting corruption in his own organised religion; Judaism. The last thing he wanted was to have a bunch of people setting one up in his name. He hated organised religion. Most sensible people do. The Buddha did too. Organised religion is the problem, not the solution. As for what passes for Buddhism here, well I sometimes cry myself, they should be ashamed of themselves.

 

  If only 1 % would be true.

[Hardie]

On 3/8/2018 at 11:38 PM, Just1Voice said:

Sheesh!  Stop being so damn sensitive, Thai people.  And while you're at it, try actually learning what Buddha taught, instead of this Thai crap you call "Buddhism".  

 

For starters, Buddha SPECIFICALLY told his followers NOT to pray to him when he died, as he was NOT a god, but ONLY A MAN, and prayers to him would be wasted.  

 

There is no such thing as true Buddhism in Thailand, only a lot of mumbo, jumbo superstition dressed in orange robes that's a fake as a $3 bill. 

Have you ever been to a Thai forest temple? If not, then I suggest you go, as you might learn something. This movement, the forest tradition, was born in Thailand, and has found many adherents around the world. Have you ever seen a monk sit in silent unflinching meditation for 2-3 hours continuous? If not, then you have no idea what (the Thai Forest Tradition of) Buddhism is all about ...

[SABloke]

On 3/9/2018 at 7:00 PM, owl sees all said:

Just a lady sitting on a block of stone.

True, but if everybody were to touch the statue (which does have historical significance) then it would eventually get eroded and damaged. This is why it's generally accepted to not touch antiques, statues etc. So I think the tourist acted in a mindless way, but once again the Thai "netizens" are up in arms for the wrong reason. 

 

Speaking of the tourist - how do they know they weren't Thai. If the peeping tom had heard them speak he would have heard their language and would've said, "They sounded Malaysian, Chinese etc..." rather than speculate that they might be Asian. 

[bluesofa]

47 minutes ago, SABloke said:

On 09/03/2018 at 7:00 PM, owl sees all said:

Just a lady sitting on a block of stone.

True, but if everybody were to touch the statue (which does have historical significance) then it would eventually get eroded and damaged. This is why it's generally accepted to not touch antiques, statues etc.

Didn't someone say it was concrete?

It's from 1961, so it isn't yet an antique. not that most people would b aware of that.