I Think I Saw A Thai Ghost.

[joes125]

Right,

I know I will get the piss ripped out of me for this one, but I thought I would share this with you guys at TV and see what you make of it.

My girlfriend and myself recently moved into a old townhouse in Bangkok. On the third or fourth night we were sitting having something to eat and drink near the front door, which was open. The main gate outside the front driveway was locked with a padlock with high perimeter fencing. The time was about midnight.

At the same time my girlfriend and myself saw what appeared to be a man about to enter the house. She politely asked him what he wanted and I stood up to meet him at the doorway. I thought it was a pizza delivery boy who got the wrong address as he was wearing one of those flat caps.

Once I was within a metre or two he had disappeared. Now, thinking it was a opportunist house breaker I ran outside and turned on all the outside lights, but there was no one there and it would have been impossible for him to move and jump over the six foot metal fencing, and the gate was locked.

Strange. I put it down to the three Leos I had and sat down and continued what I was doing, but the girlfriend (who hadn't had a drop of booze to drink) was sure it was a phee of some sort.

Next day I telephoned my Thai friend, who told me it is customary, when moving into a new place, to offer food or drink to the last owner of the house BEFORE you eat or drink anything within the house to show respect.

Do TV members believe in these animist traditions or do you think it is all mumbo jumbo. I used to think the later, but am now not quite sure.

Cheers

GFL.

My friend....

You have been in Thailand waaaaay too long.

Time to go home son

Yes I've lived in Thailand a long time.

If you want to try to live and enjoy living in Thailand, these are the sorts of things that having a knowledge of will help you to understand the country a little more than you do now.

helping to understand silly thing like this does not help anyone.

The locals included.

That sort of logic is nice, but has many holes.

Shall we try to understand the corruption too?

It is these backward things that keeps thailand backward.

I too have lived here all my life and never have suffered negitively from not subscribing to such nonsense.

I would not want to understand something so obviouly fake .

[Richb2004v2]

Right,

I know I will get the piss ripped out of me for this one, but I thought I would share this with you guys at TV and see what you make of it.

My girlfriend and myself recently moved into a old townhouse in Bangkok. On the third or fourth night we were sitting having something to eat and drink near the front door, which was open. The main gate outside the front driveway was locked with a padlock with high perimeter fencing. The time was about midnight.

At the same time my girlfriend and myself saw what appeared to be a man about to enter the house. She politely asked him what he wanted and I stood up to meet him at the doorway. I thought it was a pizza delivery boy who got the wrong address as he was wearing one of those flat caps.

Once I was within a metre or two he had disappeared. Now, thinking it was a opportunist house breaker I ran outside and turned on all the outside lights, but there was no one there and it would have been impossible for him to move and jump over the six foot metal fencing, and the gate was locked.

Strange. I put it down to the three Leos I had and sat down and continued what I was doing, but the girlfriend (who hadn't had a drop of booze to drink) was sure it was a phee of some sort.

Next day I telephoned my Thai friend, who told me it is customary, when moving into a new place, to offer food or drink to the last owner of the house BEFORE you eat or drink anything within the house to show respect.

Do TV members believe in these animist traditions or do you think it is all mumbo jumbo. I used to think the later, but am now not quite sure.

Cheers

GFL.

My friend....

You have been in Thailand waaaaay too long.

Time to go home son

Yes I've lived in Thailand a long time.

If you want to try to live and enjoy living in Thailand, these are the sorts of things that having a knowledge of will help you to understand the country a little more than you do now.

helping to understand silly thing like this does not help anyone.

The locals included.

That sort of logic is nice, but has many holes.

Shall we try to understand the corruption too?

It is these backward things that keeps thailand backward.

I too have lived here all my life and never have suffered negitively from not subscribing to such nonsense..

I would not want to understand something so obviouly fake .

Exactly. Its nonsense. It may be quaint nonsense, but nonsense none the less, and perpetuating nonsense does no one any good. The Thais need to be brought into the modern world and us buying into their ancient myths doesn't help them do that.

[johncitizen]

I think this is one of those things that noone will ever be sure about- because it all works on belief. For those of us who don't believe in the supernatural, there are probably a lot of really strange things that happen every day of the week that we just ignore or attribute to something normal, simply because we are incapable of considering the fact that it might be something else. The opposite works for people who do believe in the supernatural.

Personally, I've never seen a ghost but I have seen a U.F.O. once. Of course, I still have no idea to this day of what it was, but I do a lot of research on weapons and space projects and it looked nothing like anything we are capable of as of yet. Still, no abductions and no phonecalls from little green men, so it's all a bit of an anti-climax if you ask me.

jc

[Moonrakers]

I think this is one of those things that noone will ever be sure about- because it all works on belief. For those of us who don't believe in the supernatural, there are probably a lot of really strange things that happen every day of the week that we just ignore or attribute to something normal, simply because we are incapable of considering the fact that it might be something else. The opposite works for people who do believe in the supernatural.

Personally, I've never seen a ghost but I have seen a U.F.O. once. Of course, I still have no idea to this day of what it was, but I do a lot of research on weapons and space projects and it looked nothing like anything we are capable of as of yet. Still, no abductions and no phonecalls from little green men, so it's all a bit of an anti-climax if you ask me.

jc

U.F.O's are conceivable though.

We are looking at building spacecraft that can travel to distant planets, and so why could it not have been done already by a more advanced species from another planet?

Ghosts are another matter entirely.

[F1fanatic]

I think this is one of those things that noone will ever be sure about- because it all works on belief. For those of us who don't believe in the supernatural, there are probably a lot of really strange things that happen every day of the week that we just ignore or attribute to something normal, simply because we are incapable of considering the fact that it might be something else. The opposite works for people who do believe in the supernatural.

Personally, I've never seen a ghost but I have seen a U.F.O. once. Of course, I still have no idea to this day of what it was, but I do a lot of research on weapons and space projects and it looked nothing like anything we are capable of as of yet. Still, no abductions and no phonecalls from little green men, so it's all a bit of an anti-climax if you ask me.

jc

UFO's are something we doubt, but are vaguely believable.

After all it's a bit egocentric to think that in all the universe we are the most intelligent! It's quite possible that there are far more intelligent life forms out there - the difficulty is, why on earth would they have anything to do with us??

Thai ghosts? Rational thought, common sense and intelligence tell us that its downright stupid.

I'm not dismissing the supernatural outright, there's no doubt we've a lot more to learn, but Thai ghosts? - Do me a favour!

[jackr]

In Thailand, you will be hard pressed to find a Thai who DOES NOT believe in ghosts.

Not surprised, what with all the daft phii movies they have on of a night... plus perhaps the need to believe there must be something more to it than this wretched existence for a swathe of the populace

[snuggzzz]

A topical subject, Ghosts and Ghost hunting, in the UK there are programmes called Most Haunted, Ghost Hunters, The Paranormal etc., they have quite a following, in fact a series from New Zealand and it's Ghosts were first on Sophon last year, before going to Sky-UK.

The Thais are Buddhist, I don't know if that has anything to do with there fixation on the Supernatural.

I have heard from other people who believe, also, some who don't, my beliefs, from ouji boards to seances, I don't understand them, although I must say that I find the subject facinating; I have heard and seen too much to dismiss the subject as rubbish....!!

[RakJungTorlae]

[oevna]

...

Exactly. Its nonsense. It may be quaint nonsense, but nonsense none the less, and perpetuating nonsense does no one any good. The Thais need to be brought into the modern world and us buying into their ancient myths doesn't help them do that.

[sarcasm]

Right. The Thais need to convert to Christianity so that they can believe in the same nonsense ancient myths as most of the citizens of modern Western countries, including the leaders of those countries.

[/sarcasm]

In all seriousness, let's not be too hard on the Thais for their religious beliefs, at least until we can claim to have eradicated nonsense religious beliefs in our own countries!

Religion has been a part of all known human societies. You can find plenty of people who claim to be atheists, but most of them harbor some superstitious tendencies that they don't like to admit to. I'm not saying that they are hypocrites. It's part of human nature, and it is the reason why throughout history people have been susceptible to accepting religious beliefs. We live in a time where science is a compelling alternative to religion, which is the only reason why we have so many professed atheists today.

Humans are not totally rational beings, so we will probably always have superstitious beliefs.

Edited April 7, 2009 by oevna

[Petesear]

I truly believe that I too have seen a ghost, two in fact. After seeing the first I tried to put it down to shadows etc and decided to tell no one. After the second many years later I excepted what I had seen and I mentioned it to friends and family. I was shocked by the belief.

I now accept how lucky I am.

Not everyone will be so lucky.

All of the people who are quick to mock for whatever reason, may never be so lucky but if ever they are I hope they are brave enough to admit the truth.

I am not religious.

[valentinob29]

...

Exactly. Its nonsense. It may be quaint nonsense, but nonsense none the less, and perpetuating nonsense does no one any good. The Thais need to be brought into the modern world and us buying into their ancient myths doesn't help them do that.

[sarcasm]

Right. The Thais need to convert to Christianity so that they can believe in the same nonsense ancient myths as most of the citizens of modern Western countries, including the leaders of those countries.

[/sarcasm]

In all seriousness, let's not be too hard on the Thais for their religious beliefs, at least until we can claim to have eradicated nonsense religious beliefs in our own countries!

Religion has been a part of all known human societies. You can find plenty of people who claim to be atheists, but most of them harbor some superstitious tendencies that they don't like to admit to. I'm not saying that they are hypocrites. It's part of human nature, and it is the reason why throughout history people have been susceptible to accepting religious beliefs. We live in a time where science is a compelling alternative to religion, which is the only reason why we have so many professed atheists today.

Humans are not totally rational beings, so we will probably always have superstitious beliefs.

it is true that christians are as lame as anyone else who choose to believe

all religion are a base system to stop the weak losing hope

and for the powers to stay in power- it also elavates the ego of the herd

can anyone in their right mond believe in such nonsense

is the thought of death so scarey?

they cannot stand the thought their ones existnace will end- but , like it or not- end it will

deep inside they know this really, thus, we the non sheep are hated

we spit in the face of such nonsense knowing there is nothing to fear

but how many in the west truly believe? I can count on one hand

and- in the west one can question everyone- can one do that here?

or openly show comtempt for such obvious nonsense

we have many atheists because they can say what they want without fear

Once the world puts this times wasting endevour to rest it may see that change/progress/development does not come from a talking snakes, pregnant virgins, rich men turned poor, shocking fashion crimes and all the other complete and utter crap out there

but instead focus on the power we all have within us all-without surrending to this cult of lameness

[valentinob29]

I have to admit- that was pretty good

[njpski]

...

Exactly. Its nonsense. It may be quaint nonsense, but nonsense none the less, and perpetuating nonsense does no one any good. The Thais need to be brought into the modern world and us buying into their ancient myths doesn't help them do that.

[sarcasm]

Right. The Thais need to convert to Christianity so that they can believe in the same nonsense ancient myths as most of the citizens of modern Western countries, including the leaders of those countries.

[/sarcasm]

Humans are not totally rational beings, so we will probably always have superstitious beliefs.

Thai ghosts are up there with Irish Banshees, Australian Bunyips, Tibetan Yetis, Sasquatch from North America, Welsh Hag of the Mist. I have used capital letters as I do not want to offend these honoured and honourable beings.

The Greeks, Indians, Romans, North American Indians, Celts and Norse all had a good range of gods to look after them.

The Jewish/Muslim/Christian monotheism seems very limited and austere, but their adherents still ascribe supernatural powers to their head guy. Christianity even talks about angels and archangels dropping in to say hi. and of course dead people do great things on their way to sainthood!

So it appears most cultures recognise supernatural beings - there might actually be something to this, I will keep an open mind and say that the OP may well have seen a ghost but I would be cautious ascribing a definitive ethnicity to the apparition

[CarlBkk]

To the OP, the simplest test...forget the offerings and wait to see if you see something again, then post back. A full on apparition means a lot of energy, next time it may come in the form of voice or sound, but you will know it.

Also have a chat with neighbours on the recent history of the house.

[Geekfreaklover]

To the OP, the simplest test...forget the offerings and wait to see if you see something again, then post back. A full on apparition means a lot of energy, next time it may come in the form of voice or sound, but you will know it.

Also have a chat with neighbours on the recent history of the house.

To late - Have already given the offerings and gone through the process. Spoke to a very old Thai neighbour, a woman, who told me, before I mentioned anything about what we saw, the land is very strong - she said. Whatever that means. My Thai is not that good so could grasp what she was trying to say.

My mind is still open. I do not think that knowledge and science is at a point where we know enough to rule out the possibility of many things. Human spontanous Combustion, for instance is still a mystery. But I do understand that Thai ghosts are used as a control mechanism to scare children into behaving. Much like religion and politics. They then carry this fear onto adulthood and teach their children the same. Like religion - If you are bad something bad will happen to you. Which is basically right, but without the spooky man in the sky stuff.

Still, I saw what I saw and that is all that matters.

Edited April 8, 2009 by Geekfreaklover

[oevna]

To the OP, the simplest test...forget the offerings and wait to see if you see something again, then post back. A full on apparition means a lot of energy, next time it may come in the form of voice or sound, but you will know it.

Also have a chat with neighbours on the recent history of the house.

To late - Have already given the offerings and gone through the process. Spoke to a very old Thai neighbour, a woman, who told me, before I mentioned anything about what we saw, the land is very strong - she said. Whatever that means. My Thai is not that good so could grasp what she was trying to say.

My mind is still open. I do not think that knowledge and science is at a point where we know enough to rule out the possibility of many things. Human spontanous Combustion, for instance is still a mystery. But I do understand that Thai ghosts are used as a control mechanism to scare children into behaving. Much like religion and politics. They then carry this fear onto adulthood and teach their children the same. Like religion - If you are bad something bad will happen to you. Which is basically right, but without the spooky man in the sky stuff.

Still, I saw what I saw and that is all that matters.

What did she say in Thai (or Lao/Isaan) that translated to "the land is very strong?" I love folk mysticism (seriously, no disrespect to anyone who believes in it, I just enjoy it from the perspective of someone who will never fully understand it). It is much more interesting to me than the large organized religions that we hear about every day.

When I was living in a village in the Northeast several years ago, I was fortunate enough to have been able to participate in an animist ritual that involved an old tree out in the rice fields, and divining numbers (to be used in the lottery, of course). I love hearing about this stuff, and would be interested in hearing about the local beliefs about your house and this experience that you had in it.

[doggie888888]

Read The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins - it will cure you of all superstitious inclinations

[jellymeister]

Thais believe in ghosts...they also believe in buying lottery tickets based on the license plate numbers of cars in a traffic accident...

it sounds like your wife might have slipped some absinthe into your beer

Right,

I know I will get the piss ripped out of me for this one, but I thought I would share this with you guys at TV and see what you make of it.

My girlfriend and myself recently moved into a old townhouse in Bangkok. On the third or fourth night we were sitting having something to eat and drink near the front door, which was open. The main gate outside the front driveway was locked with a padlock with high perimeter fencing. The time was about midnight.

At the same time my girlfriend and myself saw what appeared to be a man about to enter the house. She politely asked him what he wanted and I stood up to meet him at the doorway. I thought it was a pizza delivery boy who got the wrong address as he was wearing one of those flat caps.

Once I was within a metre or two he had disappeared. Now, thinking it was a opportunist house breaker I ran outside and turned on all the outside lights, but there was no one there and it would have been impossible for him to move and jump over the six foot metal fencing, and the gate was locked.

Strange. I put it down to the three Leos I had and sat down and continued what I was doing, but the girlfriend (who hadn't had a drop of booze to drink) was sure it was a phee of some sort.

Next day I telephoned my Thai friend, who told me it is customary, when moving into a new place, to offer food or drink to the last owner of the house BEFORE you eat or drink anything within the house to show respect.

Do TV members believe in these animist traditions or do you think it is all mumbo jumbo. I used to think the later, but am now not quite sure.

Cheers

GFL.

Sitting eating and drinking. What were you drinking? Leo, Beer Lao, Singha <etc HMMMM I wonder.

Try reading the entire post. - it explains I had three Leos, and the gf had had nothing to drink.

I personally put it down to the beer and a trick of the light or something. But I did defnitely see what looked like a man approaching the living room door.

The gf thinks it was a ghost.

I am starting to now think that she might use this ghost story as an excuse for me not to go out late at night, leaving her alone with the friendly ghost.

[Richb2004v2]

The whole ghost concept does not to hold up to close scrutiny. What do you suppose the rules are about the presence of ghost or the chances of one becoming a ghost? Why are there different types of ghost in different country's? Why do they never ever get caught on camera properly? Why are their appearances sporadic and fleeting? Why do they always occur in places with only a couple of people present? Why do they only perform half arsed stunts like knocking a chair over? Maybe these are the rules in the 'after life' but it seems ridiculous to me.

You have to presume that these ghost haunt places the frequented in life. If this is so why do we not have herds of ghost horses or ghosts of extinct dinosaurs ever wander down a high street? There must have been millions and millions of insects that have died in my garden but I never see ghost wasp bothering me. The same goes for cats and dogs and birds. I work in the desert where there are oil field, presumably originating from ancient life. Why do I never see ghost of the animals that once roamed that area? In fact why not ghost fish hovering across the desert where once there was a lake or sea? Or do only humans make ghosts? What I'm asking is why are all ghost events limited to hazy vague testimony's that have been the same since the ghost notion first established itself hundreds of years or more ago? There has been no progress in the world of 'ghost relations'. We have had no intimate contact or recorded conversation, we have no special national ghost areas, ghost aren't officially recognized as endangered entities, we have no rules for keeping them or any dispensation for housing one. We might as well be talking about hobbits, dragons or fairy's.

When we are children the ghost story to very appealing due to our lack of understanding. Then as we get older and hopefully wiser I like to think we abandon the ghost story's. I do wonder if as we approach old age ghost story's again gain in their appeal so as to offer us hope for our nearing demise.

[Thaddeus]

[Richb2004v2]

Very good

Strange that those ghosts are restricted to Thailand.

[ajarnmark]

Yes, I believe in ghosts. Anyone who doesn't needs there head examined.

No, I dont believe in ghosts. Anyone who does, needs his head examined.

[valentinob29]

Yes, I believe in ghosts. Anyone who doesn't needs there head examined.

No, I dont believe in ghosts. Anyone who does, needs his head examined.

i agree,

bring any ghost and i will do all i can to piss it it off

have done and am still here, alive and well

ghost's like religion are for the sheep

there are more scarey things to fear

like the mentality that causes the childish need for religion and such crap as ghost

[valentinob29]

The whole ghost concept does not to hold up to close scrutiny. What do you suppose the rules are about the presence of ghost or the chances of one becoming a ghost? Why are there different types of ghost in different country's? Why do they never ever get caught on camera properly? Why are their appearances sporadic and fleeting? Why do they always occur in places with only a couple of people present? Why do they only perform half arsed stunts like knocking a chair over? Maybe these are the rules in the 'after life' but it seems ridiculous to me.

You have to presume that these ghost haunt places the frequented in life. If this is so why do we not have herds of ghost horses or ghosts of extinct dinosaurs ever wander down a high street? There must have been millions and millions of insects that have died in my garden but I never see ghost wasp bothering me. The same goes for cats and dogs and birds. I work in the desert where there are oil field, presumably originating from ancient life. Why do I never see ghost of the animals that once roamed that area? In fact why not ghost fish hovering across the desert where once there was a lake or sea? Or do only humans make ghosts? What I'm asking is why are all ghost events limited to hazy vague testimony's that have been the same since the ghost notion first established itself hundreds of years or more ago? There has been no progress in the world of 'ghost relations'. We have had no intimate contact or recorded conversation, we have no special national ghost areas, ghost aren't officially recognized as endangered entities, we have no rules for keeping them or any dispensation for housing one. We might as well be talking about hobbits, dragons or fairy's.

When we are children the ghost story to very appealing due to our lack of understanding. Then as we get older and hopefully wiser I like to think we abandon the ghost story's. I do wonder if as we approach old age ghost story's again gain in their appeal so as to offer us hope for our nearing demise.

exellent! is this TV? usually one does not see this kind of sense prevail

one of the best posts yet

[Moonrakers]

I often see a ghostly figure in the morning.

Oddly enough it always seems to be in the bathroom and only appears when I look in the mirror.

[Neeranam]

When I met HH The Dalai Lama, I asked him about ghosts.

I'd rather listen to him than most of the posters on this thread.

[Neeranam]

Yes, I believe in ghosts. Anyone who doesn't needs there head examined.

No, I dont believe in ghosts. Anyone who does, needs his head examined.

i agree,

bring any ghost and i will do all i can to piss it it off

have done and am still here, alive and well

ghost's like religion are for the sheep

there are more scarey things to fear

like the mentality that causes the childish need for religion and such crap as ghost

Where and how did you become so enlightened?

[Neeranam]

Has no one ever seen the movie Ghostbusters?

You'll be saying next that it wasn't real!

[neverdie]

Geek,

You put this out there knowing what would happen. Everyone is a sceptic until something happens to them.

Trying to convince people will be like

[joes125]

When I met HH The Dalai Lama, I asked him about ghosts.

I'd rather listen to him than most of the posters on this thread.

is that the same man who says homosexuality is wrong?

yes, real enlightenment there

real progress

tibetan buhhist, thai, chinese, burmese, a laughing one, aleaning one,

his footprints,here, there

its religion , it is not a religion

come on get real man

its a crock!