After being dragged to the temple on a couple of mind-numbing occasions when I first met the wife, there's no way she'll ever get me near one again. Saying that, apart from weddings and funerals, you won't get me in a Christian church either.

Mind you, if it's a choice between a retreat and going to school, I reckon these kids would choose the retreat every time.

10 minutes ago, Laza 45 said:

Leonard Cohen became a monk.. and said it didn't present a conflict with his Jewishness.. Buddhism isn't about worship.. it about finding peace through meditation..

Leonard Cohen wasn't 11yrs old

 

 

I would say most Thai Buddhism has very little to do with meditation. If it did you would not see the buildings/statues/religious edifices that are so common.

Thai gov is milking this event far more than international interviews would have done....no reason why the kids are not back in school....but thailand obviously doesn't value education and their educational system reflects their gov attitude towards it...monkhood coukd have waited to say their vacation time....

 

officials talk about normalcy for the kids but completely manipulating the kids to their own selfish interests....

 

hope it's not true they are building an exhibit adjacent to the pandas to display the kids....the saddest part is Thais would turn out in record numbers to see their heroes...

 

 

Kids psychiatrists came up with this?  

Why ?

Have they committed murders we dont know of?

1 hour ago, bluesofa said:

I thought their coach already taught them meditation in a quiet (almost relaxed) environment.

Perhaps they should have their retreat in a cave again - it's the only way to avoid the press and get away from the government - well initially anyway.

 

Exactly what I was thinking, Bluesofa: we were constantly told (whether it is true or not is another matter - as a number of earlier claims are now revealed as false - such as that none of the boys could swim) that the Assistant Coach trained the boys in meditation. Doing this inside a cave for nine days is a classic Buddhist meditation venue. Could not be better (according to ancient Pali Buddhist texts).

And now they have to go to a temple to 'learn how to meditate'?!! It's surely like carrying coals to Newcastle!

I agree with other posters who say that where the boys now belong at this point in time - is with their families and friends.

Very nice.  Now if the junta will ordain 'the indigenous but stateless' into the holy land of Thai citizenship..................

2 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

Unbelievable. Now they are going for commercialization of Buddha. All the kids want to do is be kids and eat and play. Interviews are fun for them. I would think 9 days of forced monk hood would be like 9 days back in the cave. 1 full day at the temple is even a lot.

 

Whose idiotic idea for this one?

I wholeheartedly agree... this is Buddhism trying to get in on the cave boy train. How low can they go? 

A ritual of worship of "supernatural beings". I wonder if it's Superman, Thor or The Hulk !

They should be put into an IQ school as not to repeat stupidity. We are glorifying idiotic decisions that cost a diver  his life. Wake up people we are making heros and stars out of children who followed an idiot deeper onto caves when they should have not been there in the first place.

2 hours ago, kannot said:

I reckon in years to come it will be seen as  child abuse...Im just way ahead of my time, children need to learn facts  not mumbo jumbo I personally find it disgusting up there with female mutilation etc etc

Me thinks you might be drawing somewhat of a longbow comparing to female mutilation.

But hey, just my opinion.

27 minutes ago, cmsally said:

Following on from that metaphor, one can only wonder who will be operating the pumps to divert the floodwater!! ?

Rest assured, in this case no international help is needed.

Edited July 23, 20187 yr by Lupatria

Oh Dear

 

So many negative and cynical  comments today- and so many commenting from a Western perspective.

 

Sometimes I really do wonder if anyone on ThaiVisa actually lives in Thailand , or if they make any attempt to understand the culture. 

Like it or not the great religions have shaped the world we live in , who can not stand in awe in one of the great medieval cathedrals in Europe or be moved in my favourite temple Wat Pho.

Many Thai young men will become a novice, and if you live here - you will probably have been to a ceremony - it’s a joyous occasion. 

Buddhism is a thread of beliefs that runs through everything.

 

The kids are going to become novices for a few days - and if it helps them to stay somewhere quiet and out of the limelight for a while - excellent . 

3 hours ago, bluesofa said:

How come all thirteen are becoming monks.

I thought one of them was Christian, or is he ambidextrous?

 

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous !

32 minutes ago, Laza 45 said:

Leonard Cohen became a monk.. and said it didn't present a conflict with his Jewishness.. Buddhism isn't about worship.. it about finding peace through meditation..

Very true but this has nothing to do with Buddhism and much more to do with spin and publicity. CNN will love it, nice pics of the boys in saffron robes chanting.

2 hours ago, mok199 said:

with all due respect sir ,what have they been through?? they walked into a cave and were carried out famous....this dog and pony show is just beginning and these thai boys love the attention...but they like any commodity have a manager...and they will jump smile and dance when and where they are told too..they are now thailands little ''puppet show''..have a good day

 agree this is only the start they will totally  exploited 

you will be reading more of this in the weeks / months ahead

18 minutes ago, connda said:

Very nice.  Now if the junta will ordain 'the indigenous but stateless' into the holy land of Thai citizenship..................

More like the Holy Grail of Thai citizenship.

Q: WHAT is your favourite colour?

A: Yellow.

Q:WHAT is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

A: Burmese or Thai?

Q: I don't know that...Whoosh......

 

12 minutes ago, peterb17 said:

The kids are going to become novices for a few days - and if it helps them to stay somewhere quiet and out of the limelight for a while - excellent . 

...but you don't see that this 'event' and subsequent media hype is exactly the opposite?

21 minutes ago, Jimbo1964 said:

A ritual of worship of "supernatural beings". I wonder if it's Superman, Thor or The Hulk !

Judging by the number of overweight monks, it's more than likely the Incredible Bulk.

 

13 minutes ago, peterb17 said:

Oh Dear

 

So many negative and cynical  comments today- and so many commenting from a Western perspective.

 

Sometimes I really do wonder if anyone on ThaiVisa actually lives in Thailand , or if they make any attempt to understand the culture. 

Like it or not the great religions have shaped the world we live in , who can not stand in awe in one of the great medieval cathedrals in Europe or be moved in my favourite temple Wat Pho.

Many Thai young men will become a novice, and if you live here - you will probably have been to a ceremony - it’s a joyous occasion. 

Buddhism is a thread of beliefs that runs through everything.

 

The kids are going to become novices for a few days - and if it helps them to stay somewhere quiet and out of the limelight for a while - excellent . 

The only part of Buddhism that has impressed me is Suan Mokh when the Buddhadasa was there (I believe it has become much more commercialised since his death). Unfortunately that is not the path that Thai Buddhism seems to follow.

Even friends of mine from other Western religions (only people visiting briefly to Thailand), have commented how wealthy the religion seems to be and how little it seems to contribute to society. They ask me why the funds are not used to build hospitals and good schools.

 

Buddhism is actually a philosophy on life and existence. Thai Buddhism is more about subservience, ritual, images and economic factors. So in that sense it probably runs through everything.

2 hours ago, LazySlipper said:

And the circus continues...

tripe

I was expecting to see them do the same amount of days in the temple, as what they did in the cave!

 - sort of a symbolic thing...

 

it isn't as Monks, as that would have meant 3 months (if doing it towards being ordained)

 

Another way of seeing it wouldn't be the monk thing at this stage; is that it would have then used up their 'coupon book options' in avoiding Army conscription later!

- as that would have then blocked their way into becoming Navy Seals 

 

2 hours ago, LazySlipper said:

And the circus continues...

Perhaps they should use the 'Entrance of the Gladiators' music too.

 

This will soon usurp Captain "Sully" Sullenberger who, along with his First Officer, put the Airbus down in the Hudson River. 

1 minute ago, bluesofa said:

Perhaps they should use the 'Entrance of the Gladiators' music too.

 

 but not:

 

'yellow submarine'

nor

'six months in a leaky boat'

3 hours ago, colinneil said:

When are those boys going to be left alone?

Surely they have been through enough without being forced to become monks.

What about their education?

Ohh education does not matter keep the BS going as long as possible, pathetic.

 Oh..come on.  I doubt that they are being forced..    And it's only for nine days....  not nine months or nine years...  Not a big deal. 

    It's also normal for most males in that area of the world to spend some time as a novice or monk at a temple.   It ain't the U.S., Canada or Europe.  

3 minutes ago, Catoni said:

 Oh..come on.  I doubt that they are being forced..    And it's only for nine days....  not nine months or nine years...  Not a big deal. 

    It's also normal for most males in that area of the world to spend some time as a novice or monk at a temple.   It ain't the U.S., Canada or Europe.  

As i have already stated, a Christian boy would not volunteer to be a Buddist monk.

If any of the boys refused to go their parents would lose face, so they will go.

Anybody who thinks they are not being forced are living in a dream world.

do they need more material for the movie?

1 minute ago, mike324 said:

do they need more material for the movie?

Yes - thirteen orange robes.

 

13 minutes ago, colinneil said:

As i have already stated, a Christian boy would not volunteer to be a Buddist monk.

If any of the boys refused to go their parents would lose face, so they will go.

Anybody who thinks they are not being forced are living in a dream world.

In most cases I would agree with you about the "loss of face" aspect. However in this case , with this set of demographics I would say it is not about loss of face. It is more likely to do with "orders,choices and repercussions".