Thais Putting Buddhism Stuff Everywhere?

[gravion]

hiya, im not a religious dude, but im wondering whahts up with thais putting all those buddism stuff everywhere, cars, home, workplace etc... even on outside restaurants they seem to place some small mounts of food to god or something???

and thais generally do some greetings when they see those small temple like statues.

i have living here for quite some while but never understood their action and mentality towards these.

i started to wonder this, cuz this interesting successful dude's workplace got all these neat buddism stuff rolling around... lol

[Genericnic]

My best guess is that they do it because they are Buddhists. What you have described are not universal Buddhist practices, however. Zen Buddhists in Japan, for instance, don't do the food offerings that you see here and other places (at least I have never seen them done there). All religions have their various practices. You mentioned the "buddhism stuff everywhere, cars ..." Catholics, for instance, used to put St. Christopher statues on their car dashboards ... until St. Christopher fell out of favor with the church.

You also mentioned that "thais generally do some greetings when they see those small temple like statues." This is not terribly unlike Catholics who make the sign of the cross when they pass in front of the alter in a Catholic church.

I have had the chance to see the various manifestations of Buddhist practice in Japan, Thailand, Bhutan, and a couple of other places. While there is a fair amount of overlap in belief, practices can vary considerably.

David

[PoorSucker]

Same when I go Europe and the US.

Why do they put churches everywhere?

Bibles in hotel rooms etc etc.

Not to mention the crosses everywhere.

Even chicks have crosses around the necks.

Dude, what's that about?

[mark45y]

I don't care if it

Rains or freezes

As long as I've got my

Plastic Jesus

Ridin' on the dashboard

Of my car

Through my trials

And tribulations

And my travels

Through the nation

With my plastic Jesus

I'll go far

Ridin' down the thoroughfare

With a nose up in the air

A wreck may be ahead

But he don't mind

Trouble comin'

He don't see

He just keeps his eye on me

And any other thing that lies behind

With my plastic Jesus

Goodbye and I'll go far

I said with my plastic Jesus

Sitting on the dashboard of my car

When I'm in a traffic jam

He don't care if I say dam_n

I can let all my curses roll

'Cos Jesus' plastic doesn't hear

'Cos he has a plastic ear

The man who invented plastic

Saved my soul

With my plastic Jesus

Goodbye and I'll go far

I said with my plastic Jesus

Sitting on the dashboard of my car

[From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/b/billy-idol-lyrics/plastic-jesus-lyrics.html ]

An if I weave around at night

Policemen think I'm very tight

They never find my bottle

Though they ask

'Cos plastic Jesus shelters me

For his head comes off you see

He's hollow and I use him like a flask

Woa Woa Woa

Save me

[StreetCowboy]

Maybe this would get the response for which it is searching in the "Buddhism" forum.

No point in pouring oil on troubled waters if you're not going to light it...

SC

[SteeleJoe]

My best guess is that they do it because they are Buddhists.

Nice.

Zen Buddhists in Japan, for instance, don't do the food offerings that you see here and other places (at least I have never seen them done there).

First of all,as one would expect, there's a difference between Zen Buddhism and Theravada; but the reason why you don't see the food offerings is because that's animism, not Buddhism. Well...unless you talk to most Thais (and many of their SEA neighbors) who incorporate the supernatural and all sorts of folk beliefs into their version of Buddhism.

[zzaa09]

Maybe this would get the response for which it is searching in the "Buddhism" forum.

No point in pouring oil on troubled waters if you're not going to light it...

SC

I'm surprised the obvious troll query received any such responses.

Edited April 17, 2011 by zzaa09

[SteeleJoe]

Generally, I waste no time considering whether something is a troll or not, I just reply if I have a response I want to make and pretend that it's a serious question if I think it isn't or may not be. That's more fun to me.

My posting is ultimately 100% about me and my entertainment so it usually makes no difference to me what someones motives might have been in writing something (even if it was their intent to manipulate me into writing): if indeed someone is sitting back and feeling some pleasure in having got me and/or other to reply to something, well...that's rather odd to me and pathetic in the truest sense of the word, but I'm not the least bit concerned with their petty and puerile satisfaction.

[zzaa09]

First of all,as one would expect, there's a difference between Zen Buddhism and Theravada; but the reason why you don't see the food offerings is because that's animism, not Buddhism. Well...unless you talk to most Thais (and many of their SEA neighbors) who incorporate the supernatural and all sorts of folk beliefs into their version of Buddhism.

This very ancient practice and belief of mythical, supernatural, and folklore certainly predates the introduction of this strain of Buddhism to the immediate region, yet it's quite fascinating to find the nexus mixture and paradox that seems to work reasonably comfortable for people. In more ways than one, the ancient spirituality derides the practice of Theravada Buddhism......yet are incorporated.:jap:

[mallyrd]

Maybe it's time you moved on to somewhere else! What is your definition of "living here quite some while"?

I have been living with this for some 25 years and it does not bother me in the least.

[zzaa09]

Maybe it's time you moved on to somewhere else! What is your definition of "living here quite some while"?

....as some just don't connect, Mallyrd.

[StreetCowboy]

My best guess is that they do it because they are Buddhists.

Nice.

Zen Buddhists in Japan, for instance, don't do the food offerings that you see here and other places (at least I have never seen them done there).

First of all,as one would expect, there's a difference between Zen Buddhism and Theravada; but the reason why you don't see the food offerings is because that's animism, not Buddhism. Well...unless you talk to most Thais (and many of their SEA neighbors) who incorporate the supernatural and all sorts of folk beliefs into their version of Buddhism.

Or vice versa; maybe they add buddha to their pantheon.

SC

[SteeleJoe]

DISCLAIMER: None of the folowing is meant as a criticism of Thais or their practices. I don't see any of the things that I am about to opine about as negative or positive per se -- just the way it is (in my view).

zzaa:

This very ancient practice and belief of mythical, supernatural, and folklore certainly predates the introduction of this strain of Buddhism to the immediate region, yet it's quite fascinating to find the nexus mixture and paradox that seems to work reasonably comfortable for people.

Indeed. I also thinks it is yet another illustration of what is among the Thais' greatest strength and greatest weakness (generalization alert) -- their consistent refusal to take anything too seriously -- even the serious stuff. So in the same way that I've found Thai Catholics and Thai Muslims to be typically less rigidly doctrinaire than their counterparts in other parts of the world, I can imagine the ancient peoples of what would become Siam/Thailand saying, "Yeah, that sounds OK. Let's have some of that too" and not really worrying about whether it was in violation of any precepts etc.

Having said that, it's been my observation -- not an altogether casual but rather fairly studied -- that the average Thai doesn't in fact know all that much even about Thai Buddhism, let alone the "original" or "pure" Buddhism.

SC:

Or vice versa; maybe they add buddha to their pantheon.

In fact, there's no maybe about it, historically speaking. The animism predates Buddhism for sure. But the adding to the pantheon was done centuries ago and modern Thais aren't adding anything and in fact are generally unaware or unconcerned with the degree to which their version of Buddhism is a mix of anything else.

[SteeleJoe]

My best guess is that they do it because they are Buddhists.

Nice.

Zen Buddhists in Japan, for instance, don't do the food offerings that you see here and other places (at least I have never seen them done there).

First of all,as one would expect, there's a difference between Zen Buddhism and Theravada; but the reason why you don't see the food offerings is because that's animism, not Buddhism. Well...unless you talk to most Thais (and many of their SEA neighbors) who incorporate the supernatural and all sorts of folk beliefs into their version of Buddhism.

Or vice versa; maybe they add buddha to their pantheon.

SC

I meant to credit you for looking at it from a different and in fact more correct perspective; my post that you quoted was actually the wrong way of putting it.

[zzaa09]

In defence, aren't all religious and spiritual practices a blending of old and new? Archaic cultural dogma and newly introduced religious infrastructures tend to be more apparent than not. The angst of debate is exhausted, vacant of the acceptance: it is what it is.

[SteeleJoe]

In defence, aren't all religious and spiritual practices a blending of old and new?

Defense of what? Yes, they are. But I'm not sure how typical it is to not just blend old and new but to mix completely separate belief systems some of which are in contradiction with the precepts of another.

Archaic cultural dogma and newly introduced religious infrastructures tend to be more apparent than not.

Uhhh, yeah. OK.

The angst of debate is exhausted, vacant of the acceptance:...i

Angst of debate? Vacant of the acceptance? I have to ask -- are you being serious?

It is what it is.

Yes. As is everything else is too. Unassailable logic.

(And not real differtn from what I already said in a previous post: I don't see any of the things that I am about to opine about as negative or positive per se -- just the way it is (in my view).