Those self appointed know-it -alls who moved the photograph to 'Photography' on the basis that...this had "nothing to do with Buddhism" will enjoy reading this

:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/03/13...on_30029147.php

The Jatukam Ramathep cult is growing fast, isn't it?

With one leg raised as in the above images, you might easily think they represented Avalokitesvara/Lokanatha, the Mahayanist Buddha of compassion/world protector. I wonder if the resemblance isn't intentional, a way to associate Nakhon Si Thammarat monarchs with Lokanatha somehow.

Some Jatukam Ramathep images look very similar to Naga Buddha images, the only detail giving it away being the crown in place of the flame finial. Some also show four faces, facing four different directions (as in Brahma images) instead of just one.

Here's another Nation article that goes into detail on the history.

BTW, srisatch, I didn't move your post, but the 'self appointed know-it -alls' you refer to aren't self-appointed and they put in a lot of hard hours keeping the site in order for zero pay. If you have a problem with any mod action here feel free to PM me but don't post on such issues, it's not relevant.

I would like to appoint myself as a know-it-all....does anyone know if there is a form to fill out or what the procedure is? I haven't seen anything in the Theravada Scriptures that covers this so if anyone has a link I'd appreciate a heads up.

Chownah

the application form is just next to that pile of alien-declaration forms to the right ...

I have never seen anything compared to the Jatukam craze here in Thailand's amulet markets. This is madness. Every second person wears one of those amulets. Some recently made ones even have computer codes imprinted to show authenticity.

I wonder how long it will take until that bubble bursts.

Jaktukam AGAIN....

I have never seen anything compared to the Jatukam craze here in Thailand's amulet markets. This is madness. Every second person wears one of those amulets. Some recently made ones even have computer codes imprinted to show authenticity.

I wonder how long it will take until that bubble bursts.

What makes the amulet "real" or "fake" anyway? Maybe I missed something obvious, but I don't understand their logic as to what would make something mass-produced within this year "authentic" of "fake".... I am reminded of last year when the yellow shirt craze first hit the fan. My family baught one for me to wear to work on Mondays, before I even knew what was going on, and was proudly told over and over, when they presented it to me, that it was a "REAL" yellow shirt. Well, yes, it's yellow, and it's a shirt, undeniably.... but what made it "real" as opposed to "fake"? I was finally able to get an answer from a seemingly wise farang who informed me it depended upon where/who had manufactured the shirt, and whether they had been ordaned to do so by the Royal Government. Is this a similar case?

Side Note: I find my family and neighbors, again, have lost sight of the true meaning of the display, as they had with the "real" yellow shirt. There seems to be more emphasis on show and apearance, than the teaching or message the icon is meant to represent in the first place... does anyone else feel this?

~R.

Jaktukam AGAIN....

PS: Here is an interesting article I found...

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=8,4130,0,0,1,0

~R.

Oh ya, I read the article before. Thanks!