Today Is The Day...

[tuky]

why do you think mumbo jumbo gohonzon?

I have nothing against Thai traditions whatsoever.Loi Krathong is one of the most beautiful festivals that I've ever encountered.

But perhaps you'd care to enlighten me as to just what wai-ing to a motor car has to do with Buddhism-Thai,or otherwise.That's all I was questioning.

Me too mate

I asked the wife whether it was a Thai thing or a Buddhist thing, she emphatically said it was buddhist thing. That is why I moved it here as I hope someone has an answer for me.

here's to hoping

by the way, it is not the car but the spirit that lives in the car that they we celebrating, whether that means anything else or not I do not know.

tuky

[Gohonzon]

by the way, it is not the car but the spirit that lives in the car that they we celebrating, whether that means anything else or not I do not know.

I realise that there's a lot of animism attached to Thai Buddhism-if that involves spirit worship\superstition as well?

So I guess that it follows that attempting to placate\please spirits -possibly believed to inhabit motorcars at certain times -would be a logical extension of that.A kind of mobile spirit house maybe?

Although I don't claim to be an authority on the subject,I'm pretty sure,however, that this hasn't anything to do with any practice within Theravada Buddhism itself: more akin to old traditions and beliefs that have somehow clung-on to,and to a very large extent been tolerated, in mainstream Thai Buddhism-a sort of hypothesis waiting to be disproved.

The honouring of ones ancesters is an integral part of some schools of Mahayana Buddhism,but stops short of superstitions,especially some of those that can be found within Thailand.Also in other parts of Buddhist SE Asia I think .

I remember some time ago,when first visiting Thailand, asking a head monk in Sukothai why it was that so many 'wats' have astrologers and all kinds of soothsayers,charm pedlars and the suchlike,within the inside surrounds of temples.He told me -quoting someone else I believe- that it was all OK because; " they have the weak beer,but we've got the whisky." Back then I thought him to be offering a spiritual metaphor in justification.However,some years later, and upon reflection. . .

Nevertheless,I feel sure that others will be able to elaberate on these non-Buddhist practices (and their raisons d'etre) in Thailand for you.

Regards

[jayenram]

Every year I see it happen, the family make offerings and everyone wais the car.

OK, I've finally found the necessary facilities

1,248 kg.

[jayenram]

being a devout catholic i don't believe in all this mumbo-jumbo... no i didn't pray to the god of cars nor offer up any of my mcdonalds hamburgets to the spirits

It's a good time to remember that a minimum of 80% of the world's population are going to be really pissed off when they die.

Just a thought.

[Sphere]

And writing some kind of magic spell in the car, above the driver head.

Magic spell! I always thought it was some kind of a coded reminder to switch on their hazard lights going straight through intersections without stopping!

[lopburi3]

Hungry Ghost Festival

[tuky]

Hungry Ghost, of course. Hence all the burning of fake money and fake gold bars.

Thank Lop.

[sbk]

Interesting, I was in Taiwan for the Hungry Ghost Festival many years back and the family I lived with did not make any offerings to their car. They set out a large table full of foodstuffs, burned paper cars, houses and fake money, all to feed the ghosts that come out on that day. But definitely nothing for the car.

My husband corrected me, he said local Chinese Thais did do something yesterday, but he wasn't sure if the car was included or not. The Hungry Ghost Festival is definitely not Buddhist, but the Thais have adapted and changed many things to fit into their culture (one of their strengths I think) hence, perhaps,your wife's confusion as to whether or not it was Buddhist, tuky.

[Gohonzon]

Hungry Ghost Festival

Which is both interesting and shows the strong links with Chinese culture-particularly in the North (Chiang Mai) and of course -Bangkok.

The interesting thing is that ancestoral worship has, if anything,taken roots both in China and Japan.Both of which are predominantly Mahayana Buddhist countries.Admittedly that neither country would actually profess to being predominantly Buddhist countries:Buddhism,I think that I'm right in saying, being further down the list than say secularism and Shintoism respectively.References traced back to Confusianism should not be overlooked here.

Nevertheless,in the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin(Jpn.) which in turn has its roots in T'ien-Tai (Ch) the Hungry Ghosts are acknowleged:

[Hence the (Lotus) sutra states: "If there are good men or good women who . . . believe and revere it with pure hearts and harbour no doubts or perplexities, they will never fall into h ell or the realm of hungry spirits or of beasts, but will be born in the presence of the Buddhas of the ten directions."] Collected Works

The world of Hunger though,is more importantly one of the Ten Worlds that a human can inhabit at any time-or life moment- in the present,and does not usually denote physical hunger.The others being The Worlds of H ell.Animality,Anger,Tranquility,Rapture,Learning and Realization.Bodhisattva and Buddhahood itself.

I think that I'm correct in saying, that also in Tibetan Buddhism,Hungry Spirits are also both acknowleged and respected-with food being offered to them as means to placate their needs.However,as in much of Tibetan Mahayana this may be symbolic?

In Thailand, there is also an insult that can be levelled to someone by reference to a hungry spirit,tall as a mountain but with the smallest of mouths (small as a pin.) This is the spirit,or ghost of someone who committed exceptionally bad deeds whilst alive.The symbolism of the mouth being so tiny lays in its inability to eat enough to ever be satisfied. Naturally,the name escapes me when I need it,sorry.

Again notice the similarities with Mahayana Buddhism:

'As a result of a killing of the lower degree, one will fall into the realms of h ell, hungry spirits, and animals, and will suffer all the pains appropriate to a killing of the lower degree.' (ibid)

Of course,in Amazing Thailand things like take on a unique 'Thai-ness' that we all know and love.Why of course the motor car

[RamdomChances]

Ok it was yesterday, but it's called Sa Jean, and basicaly translates to ansestors day.

I dont know how the cars came into it ( its motor bikes, tractors as well), i think it may just be an offering to the "sprits".

Non thai/chinese dont bother i think.