Has Anyone Actually Seen A Ghost In Thailand?

[tinfoilhat]

I once went camping with my Thai boyfriend to a camping site in the middle of a national park. We were walking back to the tent late one night in pitch darkness and he decided he wanted to use the toilet. There was a toilet near our tent but as it didn't have a light installed, he made us walk (what seemed like) half a mile in a different direction to the toilets with a light. When we arrived I told him I didn't need to go and would wait outside for him.

I waited a good minute or so then tip-toed into the toilets and into the cubicle next to him where I just stood in silence. After about a minute I made one single very loud bang on the cubicle wall. There was again silence for a few seconds before he called out my name. I remained where I was and in total silence for a good couple of minutes. There was also no sound or movement from his cubicle and he didn't call my name out again. After a couple of minutes I repeated what I did, making one single very loud bang on the cubicle wall, then slowly and silently made my way out of the toilets.

There was no sound or any sign of movement coming from the toilets for a good five minutes after this and I eventually shouted into the toilets innocently asking him what was taking so long. When he emerged I was stood in exactly the same spot he'd left me, casually playing with my phone as if that's all I'd been doing all the while he'd been in there, only to look up rather frustratingly and ask why he'd taken so long. I then noticed his trousers were halfway round his ankles and he was crying, half with fear and half with anger. I showed concern and asked him what was wrong, where he half accused me of playing tricks on him but I could also tell that he was very incredibly genuinely frightened that it might not have been me after all.

I soon realised that he was so upset over the incident that had I admitted it was me playing a little joke on him, there was a possibility that he would kill me while I slept that night and I was left with no choice but to continue denying all knowledge of it and accuse him of exaggerating what was probably the branch of a tree hitting the outside wall or roof.

To this day he still believes he had a paranormal experience that night and still talks about it with genuine fear that the spirit may still be following him and can re-emerge at any time.

Is your bf a devout thai buddhist?

If so, do not blame him, blame his upbringing.

I don't know so much about this I am learning, but the ghost tradition in thailand is oldest than Buddhism, Thai people or the people that lived in the zone of Thailand belief in a shamanism ghost tradition, shaman sound like "konsong" and as in all the rest of the world post capitalism shaman make money reading the hands for luck, clean people or homes and many other things.

I know that shaman tradition was very popular in the zone for example another interesting shaman tradition was in tibet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%B6n around 1500 years ago before the king adopt Buddhism more for a political reason.

In the thai movie "the art of devil" the shaman traditions are the center of the history (horror movie)

Exactly. Many don't recognize that there are still many animalistic beliefs going on here. Mention thailand though, and many link ghosts with Buddhism.

Animalistic traditions and Buddhism. There is a VERY big difference. But it seems the area is getting more gray by the day.

Can't say it hasn't helped me when I need some peace and quiet. Mention there's a 'phi dum' in the vicinity and you're sure to have a nice, quiet area to get some work done.

Animalistic beliefs indeed.

like the goats of past, present and future.

[Dap]

I did, once in LOS.

(hope my street cred has now not disappeared)

Nope! street cred total history

[Dap]

Yep, one woke my wife and I when we were sleeping one night.

A true '<deleted>' moment.

WHOA!!! Truly (no BS)

[Rsquared]

Yep, one woke my wife and I when we were sleeping one night.

A true '<deleted>' moment.

TP.......I am on the edge of my seat....please tell us more......I need to know!

[TwoDogz]

Yep, one woke my wife and I when we were sleeping one night.

A true '<deleted>' moment.

TP.......I am on the edge of my seat....please tell us more......I need to know!

Drinks...social chat...a forgotten invite back to their room for a 3some perhaps ?

[transam]

Yep, one woke my wife and I when we were sleeping one night.

A true '<deleted>' moment.

TP.......I am on the edge of my seat....please tell us more......I need to know!

Calm down, it was the gardener. ............................

[CharlieH]

Yep, one woke my wife and I when we were sleeping one night.

A true '<deleted>' moment.

TP.......I am on the edge of my seat....please tell us more......I need to know!

Calm down, it was the gardener. ............................

Had a similiar thing, turned out to be the guy collecting for the Water rates, wont wait for us to wake up and comes at 5 am, persistent guy.

Edited September 16, 2012 by CharlieH

[nidieunimaitre]

I know that there are many things that I dont know and things that all the human race doesnt know, while strange and unusual experience plus in the field of subjective psyque perception, a bit of smoke in the night can be many things, ghost, angels, gods, demons, gnomes, aliens, animals or wherever that your imagination can construct based in your experience or culture.

it's very similar about reincarnation or resurrection no body know what will happens next or if the next really exist.

Hinduism and Buddhism belief in reincarnation, so thats means while the "soul" left the body is a kind of ghost so as the monks need to eat too, it's very easy to take the shamanism belief as a method to get the people follow the 8 percepts of Theravada Buddhism and give tribute to the monks to help with the karma.

this album is a perfect example http://www.facebook....=3&l=37520952e1 one picture represent the karma when the Buddhist fail to follow one of the 8 rules, all pictures full of ghost.

In belgium we had a painter that painted similar stuff, google Bruegel - his excuse is that he lived hundreds of years ago.

[tonglen]

i experienced sleep paralysis once in a motel and saw some stuff clinging down from the ceiling. there is some scientific explanation to it but its really really creepy. one of the few experiences that get my balls shrink to raisin size

Had it happen to me in Pratunam as well. Couldnt move.

So many people dont believe in them because they havent seen them, but they will believe in the wind or electricity which they cant see.

[nidieunimaitre]

Yep, one woke my wife and I when we were sleeping one night.

A true '<deleted>' moment.

TP.......I am on the edge of my seat....please tell us more......I need to know!

Calm down, it was the gardener. ............................

Had a similiar thing, turned out to be the guy collecting for the Water rates, wont wait for us to wake up and comes at 5 am, persistent guy.

And the logical / statistically correct explanation is:

If a gardener / water man / milk man / postman etc come 100 times at 5 AM, there is a good chance that sometimes the husband is not at home, and so they can come.

[nidieunimaitre]

i experienced sleep paralysis once in a motel and saw some stuff clinging down from the ceiling. there is some scientific explanation to it but its really really creepy. one of the few experiences that get my balls shrink to raisin size

Had it happen to me in Pratunam as well. Couldnt move.

So many people dont believe in them because they havent seen them, but they will believe in the wind or electricity which they cant see.

Wooow.

I humbly admit that I never thought about that.

I bow my head at such grand thinking.

You are absolutely right!

Ghosts surely exist.

And gods too.

Can you consult me as to which god to believe in?

Thank you so much for helping me reach enlightenment.

[transam]

i experienced sleep paralysis once in a motel and saw some stuff clinging down from the ceiling. there is some scientific explanation to it but its really really creepy. one of the few experiences that get my balls shrink to raisin size

Had it happen to me in Pratunam as well. Couldnt move.

So many people dont believe in them because they havent seen them, but they will believe in the wind or electricity which they cant see.

Wooow.

I humbly admit that I never thought about that.

I bow my head at such grand thinking.

You are absolutely right!

Ghosts surely exist.

And gods too.

Can you consult me as to which god to believe in?

Thank you so much for helping me reach enlightenment.

Glad we could help.

[partington]

i experienced sleep paralysis once in a motel and saw some stuff clinging down from the ceiling. there is some scientific explanation to it but its really really creepy. one of the few experiences that get my balls shrink to raisin size

Had it happen to me in Pratunam as well. Couldnt move.

So many people dont believe in them because they havent seen them, but they will believe in the wind or electricity which they cant see.

No, no, no, no, no!

People believe in wind and electricity and radio waves because you can demonstrate their existence without problems, consistently and easily, time after time: day after day, year after year.

Smart phones work, electric lights turn on, wind turbines generate power, every time you try every time you test, all the time. You don't have to believe in smart phones for them to work. Their function isn't in doubt.

Ghosts on the other hand have never been shown to exist, despite years of trying. They cant be shown to do anything or proved to appear and people argue defensively about how you need to "have faith to see them" to explain their complete absence during any investigations.

This is because the 99.99% probability is that they don't exist, and derive from ambiguous experiences by not very educated peoples in the times before electric lights and cameras began to clarify the world. This is why belief in ghosts declines with increasing technological advancement and education, and why the miracles, signs and portents so common 1000 years ago have all but died out today.

It is not because ghosts are "invisible" that people don't believe in them (on the contrary most would say that ghosts are very visible and base their beliefs on that), but because they just don't turn up whenever they are investigated. Their presence , unlike wind, electricity and radio waves cannot be demonstrated.

Ghosts are shit.

[transam]

i experienced sleep paralysis once in a motel and saw some stuff clinging down from the ceiling. there is some scientific explanation to it but its really really creepy. one of the few experiences that get my balls shrink to raisin size

Had it happen to me in Pratunam as well. Couldnt move.

So many people dont believe in them because they havent seen them, but they will believe in the wind or electricity which they cant see.

No, no, no, no, no!

People believe in wind and electricity and radio waves because you can demonstrate their existence without problems, consistently and easily, time after time: day after day, year after year.

Smart phones work, electric lights turn on, wind turbines generate power, every time you try every time you test, all the time. You don't have to believe in smart phones for them to work. Their function isn't in doubt.

Ghosts on the other hand have never been shown to exist, despite years of trying. They cant be shown to do anything or proved to appear and people argue defensively about how you need to "have faith to see them" to explain their complete absence during any investigations.

This is because the 99.99% probability is that they don't exist, and derive from ambiguous experiences by not very educated peoples in the times before electric lights and cameras began to clarify the world. This is why belief in ghosts declines with increasing technological advancement and education, and why the miracles, signs and portents so common 1000 years ago have all but died out today.

It is not because ghosts are "invisible" that people don't believe in them (on the contrary most would say that ghosts are very visible and base their beliefs on that), but because they just don't turn up whenever they are investigated. Their presence , unlike wind, electricity and radio waves cannot be demonstrated.

Ghosts are shit.

When or if mine shows up again l will pass on your message. ..........

[notmyself]

So many people dont believe in them because they havent seen them, but they will believe in the wind or electricity which they cant see.

The same flawed argument is used again and again against evolution.

Why are there no dinosaur ghosts?

[tonglen]

i experienced sleep paralysis once in a motel and saw some stuff clinging down from the ceiling. there is some scientific explanation to it but its really really creepy. one of the few experiences that get my balls shrink to raisin size

Had it happen to me in Pratunam as well. Couldnt move.

So many people dont believe in them because they havent seen them, but they will believe in the wind or electricity which they cant see.

Wooow.

I humbly admit that I never thought about that.

I bow my head at such grand thinking.

You are absolutely right!

Ghosts surely exist.

And gods too.

Can you consult me as to which god to believe in?

Thank you so much for helping me reach enlightenment.

Glad we could help.

Could not possibly care less if you or anybody else believes. And Im not interested in trying to make you.

[RubbaJohnny]

I didnt believ in them but I was woken b someting and my hair really stood on end

Not Thai tho in Staffordshire UK many years ago.I later learned the girl who died next door in 1911 was aregualr visitor.

My wife is such a believer that like the locals takes the long way home at dusk like all the locals to avoid the crematorium and Chinese graveyard.I am open minded and don't give it much heed as I am busy enough with the living.

One question is do they go in for sceance /talk to ghost stuff was pretty big in USA and Cornwal when I was young

[Judecalling]

Cut the crap. If you believe in ghosts, you have been here for way too long .

If you don't believe in ghosts, you are rather narrow-minded.

I've seen one in Scotland and felt the presence of one here.

So many cultures and religions believe in ghosts - why do you think that is?

He he heeee ... do behave. Where in Scotland exactly - they are pretty pastey looking in that neck of the woods (am i going to get in trouble now - LOL : )))) - excellent job by Andy before you start with the mafia ... a fine job - proud of him. I wan't to know about this 'sighting' firstly. ?

[ITGabs]

I know that there are many things that I dont know and things that all the human race doesnt know, while strange and unusual experience plus in the field of subjective psyque perception, a bit of smoke in the night can be many things, ghost, angels, gods, demons, gnomes, aliens, animals or wherever that your imagination can construct based in your experience or culture.

it's very similar about reincarnation or resurrection no body know what will happens next or if the next really exist.

Hinduism and Buddhism belief in reincarnation, so thats means while the "soul" left the body is a kind of ghost so as the monks need to eat too, it's very easy to take the shamanism belief as a method to get the people follow the 8 percepts of Theravada Buddhism and give tribute to the monks to help with the karma.

this album is a perfect example http://www.facebook....=3&l=37520952e1 one picture represent the karma when the Buddhist fail to follow one of the 8 rules, all pictures full of ghost.

In belgium we had a painter that painted similar stuff, google Bruegel - his excuse is that he lived hundreds of years ago.

yes, very similar... btw I think all the world belief in ghost hundreds years ago, with so much weird monks traditions, and the girls swimming fully clothed as in Thailand

probably with less temples and more universities the life of the thai ghosts could be hardest

[Chads]

i experienced sleep paralysis once in a motel and saw some stuff clinging down from the ceiling. there is some scientific explanation to it but its really really creepy. one of the few experiences that get my balls shrink to raisin size

Had it happen to me in Pratunam as well. Couldnt move.

So many people dont believe in them because they havent seen them, but they will believe in the wind or electricity which they cant see.

I believe that there are scientific explanations for sleep paralysis, which I have experienced before several times as well. Try googling it.

[bangkockney]

It's funny how people here say ghosts are the domain of the uneducated, yet it is the highly educated who will unravel the mystery.

Quantum mechanics and M theory could well provide scientific justification for ghosts.

I personally feel that it's just a matter of time before there is a reasonable explanation offered for all as to how and why hauntings occur. It does seem promising.

Edited September 18, 2012 by bangkockney

[notmyself]

I personally feel that it's just a matter of time before there is a reasonable explanation offered for all as to how and why hauntings occur. It does seem promising.

Loaded statement which I will call you out on. You say...

as to how and why hauntings occur

An unproven statement of fact.

As for....

just a matter of time

People are so that they will believe all manner of things including ghosts. It can and IS shown to be so and no amount of proof that they are incorrect will change their mind. My good friend Jon Donnis has spent a large portion of his adult life exposing psychics but even though he has exposed quite a number as being 100% frauds people still believe that the same person talks to the dead. It has nothing to do with "how and why hauntings occur" but all do do with why people still believe that hauntings occur given the wealth of evidence which suggest that there is no reason to do so.

[bangkockney]

Yes, I concede, my use of language was sloppy as haunting is a bad term.

The point I'd prefer to emphasise from my post is what if our own human perception of ghosts was a force that somehow influenced their manifestation? If the appearance of an apparition stemmed from events that occurred on a quantum level, for instance, there may be scientific justification for things we do influencing a projected impression from the past in hindsight.

In 2007, the journal Science published a paper on particle physics describing an experiment on the subatomic level where quantum rules apply, a researcher found he could influence whether a photon collapsed into wave or particle by flipping a switch after the fact, which I don’t understand well enough to explain adequately. In short, he could change the photon’s history. Or as physicist John Wheeler extrapolated, "We are participators in bringing about something of the universe in the distant past." If that's possible why not ghosts?

I am not saying that ghosts are souls, or that it's possible to talk to the dead etc. There is a problem in that folk lore becomes crossed with unexplainable phenomenon. Like you I do not buy into the folk lore side.

An electron does not have a fixed point in space. It is everywhere at the same time. A single photon particle when travelling takes every possible path at the same time.

Given the above strangeness we can observe experimentally, why can't ghosts be a quantum manifestation?

In sum, the deeper we look at our existence, the more we uncover, the stranger everything becomes. I am therefore more inclined to be agnostic.

[canuckamuck]

Quite a few unconnected dots in that theory, photons to ghosts.

[notmyself]

Yes, I concede, my use of language was sloppy as haunting is a bad term.

The point I'd prefer to emphasise from my post is what if our own human perception of ghosts was a force that somehow influenced their manifestation? If the appearance of an apparition stemmed from events that occurred on a quantum level, for instance, there may be scientific justification for things we do influencing a projected impression from the past in hindsight.

In 2007, the journal Science published a paper on particle physics describing an experiment on the subatomic level where quantum rules apply, a researcher found he could influence whether a photon collapsed into wave or particle by flipping a switch after the fact, which I don't understand well enough to explain adequately. In short, he could change the photon's history. Or as physicist John Wheeler extrapolated, "We are participators in bringing about something of the universe in the distant past." If that's possible why not ghosts?

I am not saying that ghosts are souls, or that it's possible to talk to the dead etc. There is a problem in that folk lore becomes crossed with unexplainable phenomenon. Like you I do not buy into the folk lore side.

An electron does not have a fixed point in space. It is everywhere at the same time. A single photon particle when travelling takes every possible path at the same time.

Given the above strangeness we can observe experimentally, why can't ghosts be a quantum manifestation?

In sum, the deeper we look at our existence, the more we uncover, the stranger everything becomes. I am therefore more inclined to be agnostic.

Well argued, all this persists in the natural world yet we are unable to test for it. Why is it undetectable yet we can detect it?

[mauGR1]

the human senses are not perfect by any means.

We can perceive only a limited range of light and sound.

A classic example are the dogs, they can hear ultrasounds, we cannot.

According to some people in Asia, when the dogs keep howling without apparent reason, is because they have seen a ghost; i am not saying that i " believe " in ghosts, but denying the existence of something we cannot see it's as much as unreasonable.

[notmyself]

According to some people in Asia, when the dogs keep howling without apparent reason, is because they have seen a ghost; i am not saying that i " believe " in ghosts, but denying the existence of something we cannot see it's as much as unreasonable.

I have a leprechaun called Colin who lives in my shed.

[travelmann]

According to some people in Asia, when the dogs keep howling without apparent reason, is because they have seen a ghost; i am not saying that i " believe " in ghosts, but denying the existence of something we cannot see it's as much as unreasonable.

I have a leprechaun called Colin who lives in my shed.

And no one can disprove it ......................which is what makes the argument so stupid.

[travelmann]

i experienced sleep paralysis once in a motel and saw some stuff clinging down from the ceiling. there is some scientific explanation to it but its really really creepy. one of the few experiences that get my balls shrink to raisin size

Had it happen to me in Pratunam as well. Couldnt move.

So many people dont believe in them because they havent seen them, but they will believe in the wind or electricity which they cant see.

But can replicate

[F1fanatic]

the human senses are not perfect by any means.

We can perceive only a limited range of light and sound.

A classic example are the dogs, they can hear ultrasounds, we cannot.

According to some people in Asia, when the dogs keep howling without apparent reason, is because they have seen a ghost; i am not saying that i " believe " in ghosts, but denying the existence of something we cannot see it's as much as unreasonable.

I agree that our senses are lacking in many respects compared to other animals, so can 'pick up' things we would not. e.g. earthquakes etc. (even though my dogs missed out entirely on the recent earthquake that hit our area, although not where I live).

However, my dogs have only howled for known reasons - a certain note from a keyboard, ice-cream van etc. None of them have ever howled for no reason that I could detect.