Concern over yoga teacher's poses at sacred sites

[geoffbezoz]

2 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

Two problems that she didn't consider:

1. Yoga is from India, and therefore inferior to Thai Buddhism (which also originates from India, but that doesn't matter)

2. She should have mentioned to have made a monetary contribution to the temples she visited, as that is the highest form of respect possible and would have extinguished any other imagined disregard.

How do you know she didn't pay "lip service" to the Abbott before or after ?????

[Thaidream]

2 hours ago, Tropposurfer said:

Never seen a Thai do such things in temples n sacred places in 30 years visiting n living in Thailand!!!!

selfies n photo ops yes but legs wide open to a camera No

lifting and pointing the soles of the feet towards buildings stupas places that hold sacred script and Buddha’s and around the sites Never ... is not on, wearing tight leggings into a temple ? Wrong.

posing on statues Wrong

Well said and correct.  In my over 4 decades I have never seen a Thai person do what this person did.

 

I seriously doubt she would walk into a Christian church and spread her legs with the Cross of Jesus as her background.

Her pose was disrespectful to Thai culture and to the Buddhist religion.

 

Foreigners living in Thailand are constantly complaining that Thais do not care for foreigners and do not treat us with respect.  This woman was the poster child for lack of respect.

 

[connda]

Next, if Thai Buddhists travel to India and bow to the Buddha images they will be taken to task by fundamentalist Hindus who call for their incarceration of some reason or the or the other.  

 

I'm am a Theravadan Buddhist. Siddhārtha Gautama was a man, and if living today would, in my opinion, never be offended by a spiritual practice such as yoga.  

Thais claim to be Buddhists, but sometimes I'm not too sure.  Intolerance and lack of compassion and acceptance come to mind.  And they are Animists. This lady could be doing poses in front of a tree and some Thais will call for her arrest, incarceration, and deportation. So easily offended, so narrow-minded. I believe that many, maybe most Thais have lost sight of actual Dharma as well as the core teaching of Siddhārtha Gautama - the man - The Buddha:  Compassion and acceptance being a core teaching!

[connda]

2 hours ago, Thaidream said:

Her pose was disrespectful to Thai culture and to the Buddhist religion.

Actually no it was not.  In the minds of those who find 'disrespect' in anything that is outside of their own limited view of 'acceptance', yes, those people see disrespect where there in no intent to disrespect.  

What a world.  So many offended people offended by anything that is not within the narrow confines of their own belief systems.  Yoga is a spiritual practice and the women was probably practicing in the utmost deference to the spirituality of Buddha.
Buddha would not be offended - of that I am sure; those who hold strict opinions and beliefs are offended, and for no other reason other than not understanding or accepting other's beliefs and religions.  That is what I find immensely sad. 

[johnnysunshine]

I admire her willingness to express herself with courage and respect in an artistic manner in a foreign country.

[zydeco]

1 hour ago, connda said:

oga is a spiritual practice and the women was probably practicing in the utmost deference to the spirituality of Buddha.

She was a narcissist posing for pictures of herself to be plastered all over the internet. Come on. She was making a spectacle of herself and she knew it. 

[RocketDog]

Two things:

I'm not comfortable with the self-absorption of taking selfies everywhere you go. Personal thing, OK.

Second, if she was using your mother's gravestone as a yoga prop would you care? I wouldn't be pleased.

 

Her person and clothing add nothing to the temple features or grounds. I can understand Thai people viewing this as a form of defilement.. Similar to, let's say, throwing trash along a scenic road or a beach or wherever it landed when you discard it.

 

 

 

[zhounan]

The moralists without morality.

Moralist in appearance but always looking for "young grass" 

Sexual illicit relationship everywhere: companies, universities between colleagues and nobody talk, protect what happen inside and continue to "wai"

[zhounan]

4 hours ago, connda said:

Next, if Thai Buddhists travel to India and bow to the Buddha images they will be taken to task by fundamentalist Hindus who call for their incarceration of some reason or the or the other.  

 

I'm am a Theravadan Buddhist. Siddhārtha Gautama was a man, and if living today would, in my opinion, never be offended by a spiritual practice such as yoga.  

Thais claim to be Buddhists, but sometimes I'm not too sure.  Intolerance and lack of compassion and acceptance come to mind.  And they are Animists. This lady could be doing poses in front of a tree and some Thais will call for her arrest, incarceration, and deportation. So easily offended, so narrow-minded. I believe that many, maybe most Thais have lost sight of actual Dharma as well as the core teaching of Siddhārtha Gautama - the man - The Buddha:  Compassion and acceptance being a core teaching!

All become related to money. And religion belief become a mental structure, the humanity is been ruined by nihilism, materialism. The majority of people now, in appearance go to the Temple, but in the ordinary life do very immoral things, like  2 young daughter married man that have sexual illicit relationship with his university colleague.

[DrTuner]

Sacred for who? Buddha would've scoffed.

[DrTuner]

8 hours ago, toenail said:

I know I am stereotyping but many yoga teachers think their angelic smiles, burning incense, and being “followers” of Buddha makes them special. (Little do they know about culture differences when outside their bubble) 

I thought the yoga teaching thing is for getting laid with top bored housewives. Same as the pool guy. Dunno what the women aim for. Probably the same targets.

[Thaidream]

4 hours ago, connda said:

What a world.  So many offended people offended by anything that is not within the narrow confines of their own belief systems.  Yoga is a spiritual practice and the women was probably practicing in the utmost deference to the spirituality of Buddha.
Buddha would not be offended - of that I am sure; those who hold strict opinions and beliefs are offended, and for no other reason other than not understanding or accepting other's beliefs and religions.  That is what I find immensely sad. 

You  have a point.  The lady did not mean any disrespect.  The Buddha may not have objected.  However, there is a certain  decorum that is expected when visiting  a house of worship..  I doubt that any spiritual entity we believe in would care as long as one;s heart is pure.

 

However, we live in a temporal World and it is 'expected' that we show respect.  Her pose was offensive and so was her attire. Her only purpose in doing it was to capture the  background.

 

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.  In this case ignorance.

[rkidlad]

7 hours ago, Pamil said:

One question for those criticising Thai reaction. Would you be do the same in any Christian or Muslim temple without outrage? Maybe look in the mirror first and don’t do anything you wouldn’t be able to do back home. 

I imagine most people are offended because she’s young and attractive. They’ve evoked sexual connotations to something that isn’t supposed to be sexual at all. 

 

Had this lady been older and ugly - you can bet there’d be far less offence taken. 

 

Lying cheating and stealing offends me. Especially when done by people who preach morality. Their behavior is  detrimental to others. 

[Anythingleft?]

No news, non event pish.....

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

[JAG]

10 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

No, she is teaching Mexican Yoga.

To Canadians?

[White Christmas13]

9 hours ago, Pamil said:

One question for those criticising Thai reaction. Would you be do the same in any Christian or Muslim temple without outrage? Maybe look in the mirror first and don’t do anything you wouldn’t be able to do back home. 

nice first quote and I hope it is the last one

[Redline]

They should be concerned about the state of the country 

[dcnx]

Inconceivable. Yoga and calisthenics of any kind do not belong in Buddhist temples.

 

Unless you’re Thai.

[dcnx]

14 hours ago, Thaidream said:

 In my over 4 decades I have never seen a Thai person do what this person did.

 

I seriously doubt she would walk into a Christian church and spread her legs with the Cross of Jesus as her background.

Her pose was disrespectful to Thai culture and to the Buddhist religion.

 

 

You mean it’s disrespectful to spread legs like this statue at Wat Pho? 

 

At least she kept her shirt on, unlike so many status found in Buddhist temples here. 

 

It takes a whole 30 seconds on Google to find photos of Thai girls flashing their boobs in front of “holy” sites here.

 

Your 4 decades here have obviously  been completely out of touch with reality. Your fantasy of what Thailand is vs what it really is are two different things.

[dcnx]

15 hours ago, Thaidream said:

In my over 4 decades I have never seen a Thai person do what this person did.

 

You clearly missed this news too.

[PatOngo]

Now if that were five scantily clad coyote girls gyrating their pre child bearing hips to loud, incessant music at a temple fair, no one would even notice! 

[Wilsonandson]

Is this disrespectful to Buddha?

[mikebell]

Thai Temples are market places or somewhere to park your car or get it blessed for a fee.  The hypocrisy of Thai people is staggering; they rip you off every hour of the day then go to a temple to make merit, AKA buying your way into their version of heaven. 

[RJRS1301]

3 minutes ago, Wilsonandson said:

Is this disrespectful to Buddha?

That is better than any of the others posted, muscular, athletic etc ???? 

[AYJAYDEE]

1 hour ago, mikebell said:

Thai Temples are market places or somewhere to park your car or get it blessed for a fee.  The hypocrisy of Thai people is staggering; they rip you off every hour of the day then go to a temple to make merit, AKA buying your way into their version of heaven. 

not any worse than the christians

[AYJAYDEE]

1 hour ago, Wilsonandson said:

Is this disrespectful to Buddha?

where is the buddha?

 

[geoffbezoz]

2 hours ago, PatOngo said:

Now if that were five scantily clad coyote girls gyrating their pre child bearing hips to loud, incessant music at a temple fair, no one would even notice! 

Great aren't they. In the sticks they get paid around 500 to 2000 baht per 6 hour performance depending on the company used.  No wonder then that apparently some can make an extra 1000 baht for short time with Abbot afterwards. Lucky blighter.????

[jayjay2001]

4 hours ago, dcnx said:

You mean it’s disrespectful to spread legs like this statue at Wat Pho? 

 

At least she kept her shirt on, unlike so many status found in Buddhist temples here. 

 

It takes a whole 30 seconds on Google to find photos of Thai girls flashing their boobs in front of “holy” sites here.

 

Your 4 decades here have obviously  been completely out of touch with reality. Your fantasy of what Thailand is vs what it really is are two different things.



Brilliant post, DCNX.

[KhunKenAP]

You will find similar poses carved in stone at many Thai and Cambodian temples. Only difference is they are mostly topless.

[sukhumvitneon]

"dance artist and pilates instructor" lol

 

typical instagram slut