Buddhism in Thailand

[khaowong1]

I don't see much posting on these Buddhism forums anymore.  Any reason why?  

[mauGR1]

Perhaps a sign of the times ?

Perhaps most people are concerned just with their material well being ?

I used to look at this subforum a few years ago, and apart from the occasional clowns, the real Buddhists were perhaps too absorbed in their practice to have a conversation with a non-Buddhist.

[bwpage3]

I was just in a Pizza Company in Saraburi on the way to Bangkok.

 

In strolls a monk in his orange robe with his driver?

 

They ordered Pizza and a bunch of other dishes to eat.

 

I think the amount of monks disrespecting the religion has turned many away

[khaowong1]

22 hours ago, mauGR1 said:

Perhaps a sign of the times ?

Perhaps most people are concerned just with their material well being ?

I used to look at this subforum a few years ago, and apart from the occasional clowns, the real Buddhists were perhaps too absorbed in their practice to have a conversation with a non-Buddhist.

You may have a point there.  

[jamesc2000]

I can only assume people that don't know about something love talking about it and that people that know are too busy doing it to come here and talk about it.

 

This explains why I love talking about Buddhism as I know nothing about it.

 

Absolutely nothing.

 

????

[khaowong1]

I sort of enjoyed studying the do's and don'ts of the monks rules of conduct.  Way more don'ts than do's.  About 60% of the don'ts concerned conduct around women.  These rules were made many, many years ago.  Those old dudes must have been some horny mamacita's.  ha ha ha 

[jamesc2000]

Me too.

 

I love the story about a monk touching a women.

 

Two monks were walking by a small stream and a lady wanted to cross but didn't want to get her feet wet.

 

So one monk offered to carry her to the other side which she accepted.

 

20 minutes after putting her on the other side the other monk couldn't help it and blurted out - You are not supposed to touch a women and you still carried her across the stream.

 

The monk replied I already put her down but you are still carrying her.

 

????

[khaowong1]

22 hours ago, jamesc2000 said:

Me too.

 

I love the story about a monk touching a women.

 

Two monks were walking by a small stream and a lady wanted to cross but didn't want to get her feet wet.

 

So one monk offered to carry her to the other side which she accepted.

 

20 minutes after putting her on the other side the other monk couldn't help it and blurted out - You are not supposed to touch a women and you still carried her across the stream.

 

The monk replied I already put her down but you are still carrying her.

 

????

Yes, that's a good one.  ????

[VincentRJ]

On 2/6/2020 at 1:50 AM, jamesc2000 said:

Me too.

 

I love the story about a monk touching a women.

 

Two monks were walking by a small stream and a lady wanted to cross but didn't want to get her feet wet.

 

So one monk offered to carry her to the other side which she accepted.

 

20 minutes after putting her on the other side the other monk couldn't help it and blurted out - You are not supposed to touch a women and you still carried her across the stream.

 

The monk replied I already put her down but you are still carrying her.

 

????

Excellent parable! I'm reminded of a similar story about the Buddha being insulted during his travels by a local, as he was passing by, who said something to the effect, 'You're another one of these know-it-all gurus who thinks he has the solution to everything, but you're just as stupid as the rest of us, and you are nothing but a fake.'

 

The Buddha's response was to ask the angry man a very relevant question, 'If you buy a gift for someone, and that person does not take it, to whom does the gift belong?”

 

The young man was surprised to be asked such a strange question and answered, “It would belong to me, because I bought the gift.”
The Buddha smiled and said, “That is correct. And it is exactly the same with your anger. If you become angry with me and I do not get insulted, then the anger falls back on you. You are then the only one who becomes unhappy, not me. All you have done is hurt yourself.”

 

Now, I get the impression this might not be a true event as described, but a simplified variation of another story in the following link. However, the message is the same.

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn07/sn07.002.than.html

 

"I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Rajagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrels' Sanctuary. Then the brahman Akkosaka Bharadvaja heard that a brahman of the Bharadvaja clan had gone forth from the home life into homelessness in the presence of the Blessed One. Angered & displeased, he went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, insulted & cursed him with rude, harsh words."

[jamesc2000]

1 hour ago, VincentRJ said:

Excellent parable! I'm reminded of a similar story about the Buddha being insulted during his travels by a local, as he was passing by, who said something to the effect, 'You're another one of these know-it-all gurus who thinks he has the solution to everything, but you're just as stupid as the rest of us, and you are nothing but a fake.'

 

The Buddha's response was to ask the angry man a very relevant question, 'If you buy a gift for someone, and that person does not take it, to whom does the gift belong?”

 

The young man was surprised to be asked such a strange question and answered, “It would belong to me, because I bought the gift.”
The Buddha smiled and said, “That is correct. And it is exactly the same with your anger. If you become angry with me and I do not get insulted, then the anger falls back on you. You are then the only one who becomes unhappy, not me. All you have done is hurt yourself.”

 

Now, I get the impression this might not be a true event as described, but a simplified variation of another story in the following link. However, the message is the same.

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn07/sn07.002.than.html

 

"I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Rajagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrels' Sanctuary. Then the brahman Akkosaka Bharadvaja heard that a brahman of the Bharadvaja clan had gone forth from the home life into homelessness in the presence of the Blessed One. Angered & displeased, he went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, insulted & cursed him with rude, harsh words."

All these Buddhism stories have the same underlying theme.

 

Peace and serenity.

 

Nothing people can do or say breaks that peace and serenity.

 

I think this is all linked to emptiness. Which I used to get confused with nothingness.

 

But emptiness is correct and not nothingness.

 

It seems to be all linked with the zen questions like if a tree falls and no one is there to hear it does it make a noise?

 

These people can never be insulted because there is no one there to be insulted.

  

Must be like screaming at the traffic lights. Why must you always turn red when I am in a rush.

 

????