Farangs Wearing Amulets

[Boo]

lol you should see the way he licks his lips whenever he sees a can of beer (which is quite often mind you as his dad likes a drop) but it is a bit worrying really in a 5month old!!!

[gampaan]

i drink the occasional chang and have tattoos, maybe i could meet him and at last find someone that gets drunk before me

Perhaps you have a twin you never met..?? My long lost Brother.!....

[thaibebop]

I don't have a lot of respect for anyone in any culture that believes in and wears lucky charms. That goes double for the farangs who make a big show about wearing chunky amulets here. The few times I have been in Pattaya I was astounded at the number of seemingly devoutly Buddhist farangs walking around the beer bars, with open shirts and gaudy gold amulets. Complete ######s!

BTW, can anyone here provide us with any Buddhist scripture prescribing any of the idol worshiping aspects that are so common here and elsewhere? Worshiping statues and images and wearing lucky charms, what page was that on?

Attachment is the only issue. If one develops attachment to the amulet as a source of comfort or what have you, they have a problem, otherwise, no big deal. As far as most Buddhist sects are concern I suppose, this my be different for some Mahayana sects. As far as what page, well of what book and which author, what sect of Buddhism while we are at it.

[gampaan]

I don't have a lot of respect for anyone in any culture that believes in and wears lucky charms. That goes double for the farangs who make a big show about wearing chunky amulets here. The few times I have been in Pattaya I was astounded at the number of seemingly devoutly Buddhist farangs walking around the beer bars, with open shirts and gaudy gold amulets. Complete ######s!

BTW, can anyone here provide us with any Buddhist scripture prescribing any of the idol worshiping aspects that are so common here and elsewhere? Worshiping statues and images and wearing lucky charms, what page was that on?

Attachment is the only issue. If one develops attachment to the amulet as a source of comfort or what have you, they have a problem, otherwise, no big deal. As far as most Buddhist sects are concern I suppose, this my be different for some Mahayana sects. As far as what page, well of what book and which author, what sect of Buddhism while we are at it.

It's like a crutch. If it helps you walk straight and feel good for awhile, then great. If you get dependant on it , then you have a problem. Self-reliance seems to come to mind here.

[BossHogg]

I must say i think the recent trend for the oversized amulets looks daft..its like wearing a hockey puk around your neck.But that is my opinion and my taste. Wearing amulets, worshiping idols and adorning temples in gold really does go against alot of what Buddha was trying to get across.Its a cultural thing here in Thailand and its not my place to critisize that... however....Buddhism in Thailand does seem to involve a great deal of superstition though.The very idea of objects giving good luck does not comply with Buddhism at all- your fate , health, success etc shall be as a direct result of your own actions.

[lazeeboy]

I must say i think the recent trend for the oversized amulets looks daft..its like wearing a hockey puk around your neck.But that is my opinion and my taste. Wearing amulets, worshiping idols and adorning temples in gold really does go against alot of what Buddha was trying to get across.Its a cultural thing here in Thailand and its not my place to critisize that... however....Buddhism in Thailand does seem to involve a great deal of superstition though.The very idea of objects giving good luck does not comply with Buddhism at all- your fate , health, success etc shall be as a direct result of your own actions.

those big amulets can damage your health ,espiecially when someone rips it off ,you'll get a sore neck.

[Captain Chaos]

I must say i think the recent trend for the oversized amulets looks daft..its like wearing a hockey puk around your neck.But that is my opinion and my taste. Wearing amulets, worshiping idols and adorning temples in gold really does go against alot of what Buddha was trying to get across.Its a cultural thing here in Thailand and its not my place to critisize that... however....Buddhism in Thailand does seem to involve a great deal of superstition though.The very idea of objects giving good luck does not comply with Buddhism at all- your fate , health, success etc shall be as a direct result of your own actions.

those big amulets can damage your health ,espiecially when someone rips it off ,you'll get a sore neck.

That's usually the 3 baht (weight) gold chain it's attached to, rather than the amulet itself to be fair.

Personally - my wife very quickly gave up trying to get me to wear an amulet - I think they look ridiculous on Farangs - although it now has an honoured position on the shelf with the Buddha. The daft big gold chain she traded in and used the proceeds to buy me a new watch - now that's more like it!

CC

[garro]

The only excuse for wearing a big medal around your neck is winning a race

[Boo]

I thought the trend had changed amoungst thais recently, on our last trip in August I couldn't beleive how many massive pendants the majority of younger thais were wearing & what surprised me most was how many women were wearing these ridicoulously sized amulets too. To my mind it was the equivilant of the oversized earrings the chav girls wear at home . Just a touch on the tacky side IMO.

Same goes for the multiple amulets on one chain look too. Just OTT for my tastes. But each their own I suppose but I couldn't keep a straight face when I saw this one farang guy in his 30's at the airport with a massive chain around his neck with 8 or 9 amulets of different sizes (but all quite large) hanging off of it in full view outsidie his shirt which he kept adjusting like he was trying to draw more attention to it . I wont mention his near desperate attempt to engage eye contact with nearly every thai that walked past him as it stil makes me cringe to think about it but there is such a thing as taking it too far IMO.

[plasticpig]

Always thought falangs ( adult that is) with what I can only say looks like

a CoCo Tin Lid around the neck seam a bit daft.

TIT I suppose.

[thaibebop]

I thought the trend had changed amoungst thais recently, on our last trip in August I couldn't beleive how many massive pendants the majority of younger thais were wearing & what surprised me most was how many women were wearing these ridicoulously sized amulets too. To my mind it was the equivilant of the oversized earrings the chav girls wear at home . Just a touch on the tacky side IMO.

Same goes for the multiple amulets on one chain look too. Just OTT for my tastes. But each their own I suppose but I couldn't keep a straight face when I saw this one farang guy in his 30's at the airport with a massive chain around his neck with 8 or 9 amulets of different sizes (but all quite large) hanging off of it in full view outsidie his shirt which he kept adjusting like he was trying to draw more attention to it . I wont mention his near desperate attempt to engage eye contact with nearly every thai that walked past him as it stil makes me cringe to think about it but there is such a thing as taking it too far IMO.

That is overkill. The chain my wife gave me has one amulet and I keep tucked under my clothes. In the summer it might slip out here and there and I always put it back, winter time, no one every sees it. Like my tattoos, it is for me and me only.

[Bochum]

The Thais like it, we are guests here so respect it, dont like it, go.

Edited October 16, 2007 by Bochum

[BossHogg]

The Thais like it, we are guests here so respect it, dont like it, go.

Not all Thais like it.Several senior and respected monks have spoken against the wearing of the hockey puks and the superstition surrounding them.This has become big business for those involved

[garro]

The Thais like it, we are guests here so respect it, dont like it, go.

Not all Thais like it.Several senior and respected monks have spoken against the wearing of the hockey puks and the superstition surrounding them.This has become big business for those involved

I agree totally.

I remember hearing a story about Ajahn Chah.

One of his followers begged him for an amulet that would protect him from bullets as he had been called up for army service.

Ajahn Chah told him that no such amulet existed.

The young man persisted so eventually the good Ajahn pointed to a large Buddha statue behind him and said...

..if you wear this around your neck it might protect you from bullets.

Edited October 16, 2007 by garro

[thaibebop]

The Thais like it, we are guests here so respect it, dont like it, go.

Not all Thais like it.Several senior and respected monks have spoken against the wearing of the hockey puks and the superstition surrounding them.This has become big business for those involved

I agree totally.

I remember hearing a story about Ajahn Chah.

One of his followers begged him for an amulet that would protect him from bullets as he had been called up for army service.

Ajahn Chah told him that no such amulet existed.

The young man persisted so eventually the good Ajahn pointed to a large Buddha statue behind him and said...

..if you wear this around your neck it might protect you from bullets.

That's great!

[lazeeboy]

The Thais like it, we are guests here so respect it, dont like it, go.

Not all Thais like it.Several senior and respected monks have spoken against the wearing of the hockey puks and the superstition surrounding them.This has become big business for those involved

I agree totally.

I remember hearing a story about Ajahn Chah.

One of his followers begged him for an amulet that would protect him from bullets as he had been called up for army service.

Ajahn Chah told him that no such amulet existed.

The young man persisted so eventually the good Ajahn pointed to a large Buddha statue behind him and said...

..if you wear this around your neck it might protect you from bullets.

That's great!

and he wore it

[BossHogg]

The Thais like it, we are guests here so respect it, dont like it, go.

Not all Thais like it.Several senior and respected monks have spoken against the wearing of the hockey puks and the superstition surrounding them.This has become big business for those involved

I agree totally.

I remember hearing a story about Ajahn Chah.

One of his followers begged him for an amulet that would protect him from bullets as he had been called up for army service.

Ajahn Chah told him that no such amulet existed.

The young man persisted so eventually the good Ajahn pointed to a large Buddha statue behind him and said...

..if you wear this around your neck it might protect you from bullets.

That's great!

and he wore it

And was quickly promoted to Generel

[Zpete]

Loved that last postings, BossHogg and co.

So true in many peoples thinking, superstions.

I am a Kiwi, I wear a pounamu (greenstone) maori carving around my neck.

No superstition, it gets me questions, "What is it"? etc....... starts up convos.

I tell the story behind the particular carving.

My real reason for wearing it, when in open front shirts, is to distract people noticing my beer gut.......LOL.

I AM PROUD TO WEAR IT.

[nidge]

No superstition, it gets me questions, "What is it"? etc....... starts up convos.

If it was not for my wife's tinny buddha amulet around her neck i would never have struck up a conversation with her when we first met. It changed my life. Thank you Buddha