Buddhism forum

[dazdaz]

I think Thaivisa forum does a great job in capturing the flavour of Thailand, but flavour without scent and the food does'nt taste right.  So how about a forum on Buddhism, the scent of Thailand.

Regards

[TRIPxCORE]

Many Thai people practice Buddhism, (which is technically not a religion) but do not stay true to it.  Buddhism in it's purest form doesnt allow gambling, cheating, adultery, etc etc.  I have yet to witness a large number of Thai people that don't participate in some or all of these.  Thai people are human just like the rest of us and to stay true to everything the Buddha says is a tall order indeed.  It's asking too much if I do say so myself, an almost impossible agenda to maintain.  Buddhism is simply about self-sufferage and the Thais are all about Sanuk-Sanuk.  It's a bit of an enigma isn't it???

[dazdaz]

When you say self-sufferage, I read that to mean renunciation, which does not mean giving up things, it's often misinterpreted.  It simply means dropping desire and attachment.

There is a very good reason that the Buddha gave up sex, I don't recall the story.  The tradition has inherited this.  If anyone is upto date, i'd really like to re-learn this.

Why do bar girls pray to Buddha for forgiveness before starting work? Firstly he never intended to be worshipped, but also the words hippocritical come to mind.  Bar girls says, "please forgive me, but I must do this".  The word Buddha, often used to mean Buddha nature is often misunderstood, it actually means a "higher reality or state of consciousness".

I don't mean to offend anyone, but I don't understand why people Bar girls would ask for this, except for extremely desperate measures.  Why not ask Buddha for a different way out, an alternative, a different direction, an escape, a career, luck etc.

>"Thai people are human just like the rest of us"

I have the highest respect for some Thai people.  When they call BKK the city of Angels, that some are.

Some things should remain an enigma, the microscope is too Westernly obtrusive.

Regards

[hukster]

Now i've been told by bar girls that when they pray to buddha b4 they start work, they are not asking for forgiveness, they are asking fogood luck to make money for the night.

[wolf5370]

Many Thai people practice Buddhism, (which is technically not a religion) but do not stay true to it.  Buddhism in it's purest form doesnt allow gambling, cheating, adultery, etc etc.

Ok tripxcore, find me a religion where some of it followers do not break the religions laws. I'm a Buddhist, but in the Torah (basis for Christainity as well as Judaism) god asks Lot to find just 10 just men (Sodam & Gamorra) and in the bible, Christ say "let he who has no sin cast the first stone". Buddhism is a guide to a way of life. Some follow, some veer off from time to time, some meander around but follow the general direction, some are completely misguided and this is true of all things whether religion, legislative law, working policies or basic common sense.

There is a very good reason that the Buddha gave up sex, I don't recall the story.  The tradition has inherited this.  If anyone is upto date, i'd really like to re-learn this.

dazdaz, don't know the story, but the second noble truth states "The cause of suffering is a craving for life, pleasure and money". The third of the five precepts states "Avoid all sexual misconduct". Finally, when teaching his Bhikkus about dukkha (suffering) he mentions "...separation from objects we love is suffering; not to obtain what we desire is sufferin...". I would summise that Monks abstain from many part of life, including women, to reduce the risk of them falling fail of this. Buddha had reached enlightenment, which meant to him alone life was not suffering - he did this by removing anxiety and craving; man craves for money, love and sex, surely, more than anything else. Thus it was part of his method for removing anxiety from his life.

[TRIPxCORE]

Wolf, while it is true that all religions have people that cannot totally stay on the path, many Western countries are not completely encompassed by the majority religion of their country.  Notice I said many countries, but not all.  Thailand is awash in everything Buddhist.  There are shrines, temples, etc, etc, everywhere.  Thats how I mean the country is encompassed.  The point I was trying to make is that the Thai people seem to want to give the impression that they are completely devoted to this Buddhist way of life when in reality, many of them are not.  I just have trouble taking it too seriously when I can see the cracks in the wall.  Most Westerner's make it pretty clear if they are religious and not paying too much attention to it.  The Thai's want to appear to be much more involved than they really are.  Just dont take it too seriously is all I am saying.  Its really great if people can follow rules for better living and have a desire to follow them as well.

[Lioneric]

The point is not if your are a bar girl consider lower class and dirty if she parying to Buddha, the flower of lotus are growing from mud of the pond. Everyone can be enlughtenment too if he or she have a good heart. They is a story of Buddha meet a dung cleaner and the dung cleaner try to move away from Buddha because he thinks that he is dirty but BUddha hold his hand and tell him that he is doing what Buddha is doing. Buddha is cleaning inside of our ming he is ckeaning from outside our waste. In Buddha mind if you are a bar girl, you need to find money to survive and feet your family and to reduce rape cases. you still can go to heaven and if you are a rich politician which take corrouption you are worse then the bar girl.

Buddhaism are a bit not same as other religion to pratice punishment if we do someting wrong,like you will stone to dead if you foung to have adultery. In Buddhism ,He teach us all the good and what you will get if you do bad things and the rest is up to us to decide weather you want or not to follow.

He is like a teacher ,who ask us to study befire exam and if we are lazy we sure fail in our test (######) and if we are a good students we can sucess(Heaven) on later life. NO force at all,very free and so easily accecpted by many people around the world.