In Chiang Rai, a pious show of gratitude

[webfact]

In Chiang Rai, a pious show of gratitude

By Sakaorat Sirima 
The Nation

 

 

Eleven of the boys rescued from the Chiang Rai cave and their assistant coach participated in a Buddhist ritual on Tuesday morning honouring the cave’s resident Phra That Doi Wao spirit.

 

In the afternoon they were to have their heads ritually shaved and undergo a Naga “baisri soo-kwan” blessing ceremony at Wat Phra That Doi Wao in Mae Sai district.

 

Their teammate Adul Sam-on, 14, as a Christian, did not plan to attend the ceremonies.

 

The 11 boys are to be ordained as novices and the coach as a monk at Wat Phra That Doi Tung on Wednesday morning and remain there overnight, then live at Wat Phra That Doi Wao for another eight days observing the dharma.

 

Mae Sai resident Nonglak Khammona, who was among several hundred people attending Tuesday’s spirit-worship ritual, brought 100 pouches filled with coins for the 12 “Naga” being ordained so they could distribute them to others to earn merit.

 

She said she hoped the boys and the coach learned and practised the dharma well to make merit for Saman Gunan, the ex-Navy SEAL who died during the cave rescue mission.

 

“When the team members repay the one who sacrificed his life so they could live, their lives will be better,” she said.

 

Sangkhom Phetchkao, who works for a Chiang Rai rescue foundation, was pleased to see the boys and the coach getting ordained in gratitude for their return to safety and so many people showing up to witness the morning’s merit-making event.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30350697

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-07-24

[kcpattaya]

Foreign press can't interview them while the Thais make a carnival parade out of it.
Jesus.... 

[flyingtlger]

No school?  The kids must be loving it!  Except for the one........

 

[Yann55]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

 

Their teammate Adul Sam-on, 14, as a Christian, did not plan to attend the ceremonies.

 

So much for the imbecile and vicious comments that erupted on this Forum a few days ago when Adul joined another ceremony in a Buddhist monastery.

 

Seeing as so many TV members are expats here, many of them married to Thais and having lived in this country for a great number of years, their massive lack of knowledge and understanding where Buddhism is concerned is mind-boggling.

 

For instance I cringe every time a poster thinks he's being funny by using the expression 'Oh, my Buddha', assuming it's the local equivalent of 'Oh, my God'. Buddhism, even in the heavily distorted version that is practised nowadays in Thailand, would NEVER consider the Lord Buddha as a God. That would be radically against the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (a.k.a. 'The Buddha') himself.

 

Slinging mud at the whole Buddhist tradition, rites, teachings and practice just because a lot of these elements are foreign (and often strange) to us says nothing about Buddhism, but it sure speaks volumes about Westerners and their extreme arrogance. Nowadays the West seems to be either madly religious or madly anti-religious, the key-word here being madly, with the virulence of the anti-religious team eerily similar to the fundamentalist stance (in whatever religion).

 

The people on this Forum who never miss an occasion to make vicious remarks against Buddhism would be well advised to note that during the 10 days when the kids were in that cave, with no food and not knowing if they'd ever be found, one of the key elements that kept them going was the fact that the coach (bless him a million times) taught them meditation.

 

See how impressed the foreign divers were when they saw how resilient and strong the kids were and let's ask ourselves if Western kids would have coped as beautifully in a similar situation. Like it or not, Thai Buddhism, for all its flaws (and there are many) played a major part in keeping the kids alive, positive, hopeful and calm.

 

 

[faraday]

@Yann55

 

Wish I could like your post twice.

 

Totally agree with you.

[khaowong1]

Unless Adul is an exceptional soccer player and the other kids really like him, I'm afraid he's going to be in for a hard time after.  He will always be the one left out.  

[Lazybones]

19 hours ago, faraday said:

@Yann55

 

Wish I could like your post twice.

 

Totally agree with you.

And me for two. Buddhism is not a religion. It's a way of life.