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Man Purchases 1m baht of Fake Amulets In Pattaya


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how can you have a fake amulet?, ok so they all wear them , they cant all be high value solid gold top notch things, I cant quite get my head around this, I suppose it`s like copy watches I can go buy a genuine rolex for top whack or a very good copy for a few baht, both do same job, does a dear amulet protect you more than a cheap one?  lol, but I have heard of them saving them from being shot and horrific crashes, so I might just get me one of them just in case. me thinks,lol

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The reverence many Thais have for Buddhists amulets is not related to precious metals as many are not metal at alk, but to the connection to a particular monk or monastery and wearing one or collecting some respectfully is far more related to their Buddhist beliefs than to protection. Good luck and or merit might be expected but to suggest that protection is the sole value is misleading.
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How many of you collect anything or like to buy expensive things to show off?

 

I collect amulets, I don't go by value but the aesthetics of the amulet and I never spend more than a couple of hundred if i don't buy it in a temple.

 

An original Thai Buddhist amulet is made in a temple and blessed by one or more monks. It's a way for the temple to get money to for example modernise, renovate and build new buildings. One example I personally know is a temple school in Lampang province that sell amulets so that they can buy school books, computers and keep the school running!

Most times amulets are made in limited numbers and might be made of gold or silver (my favorite) and therefore are more expensive (about 1-2,500 for a silver amulet in the temple and up to 100,000 for a gold amulet, if it's copper or clay 59-99 Baht...).

 

There are also old amulets that might be several hundred years old and by that have a collectors value.

 

A copy is made in a factory just for the sake to sell, trying to cheat the people of their money for something that don't have any collectors value.

 

So would you also make fun of all that collects stamps, coins, art and anything else?!

Are you suggesting that a buddhist amulet is in no ways different from any other commercial object, and can be treated as such?

 

 

 

As an atheist I don't believe in spiritual stuff, but I don't think I am in a position to criticize or question other people's interpretation of their own beliefs. It is important to understand (our) western culture was built on 2000 years of religious beliefs and many times people acted against what their religious doctrine taught.

 

Just like christians wear gold and silver necklaces with cross pendants which they buy as fashion accessories and for divine protection and then sell in times of need. If you search a bit you will find many religions have some kind of amulet which also has a commercial value, despite the fact that every religion pretty much condemns greed.

 

I really don't understand what kind of higher moral ground you're coming from with all that sarcasm, but I am sure you wouldn't like to be scammed either or to have people question your interest in the item you got scammed for.

 

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The reverence many Thais have for Buddhists amulets is not related to precious metals as many are not metal at alk, but to the connection to a particular monk or monastery and wearing one or collecting some respectfully is far more related to their Buddhist beliefs than to protection. Good luck and or merit might be expected but to suggest that protection is the sole value is misleading.

 

I have had a couple of amulets in my time, the first was acquired maybe 18 years ago by my first wife and although supposed to be a 'strong' one, I never subscribed to any notion of luck or good health being bestowed by wearing it. Stuff of nonsense IMHO. Both wife and amulet are history.

 

About six years ago on a domestic flight to Bangkok, I was seated beside a middle-aged monk who appeared to be rather fidgety. Through my limited Thai and his virtually non-existent English we worked out that he was a reluctant and very, very nervous flier. I agreed that he could hold my hand while we took off and eventually, he relaxed, tilted his head back and closed his eyes.... and held my hand for the entire flight! Not a death grip so it wasn't at all uncomfortable. As we were taxiing in to the gate, he dug in his bag and thrust a small package into my hands that I waiied and accepted. I opened it up later and the yellow cloth wrapping had the usual Thai 'hieroglyphics' and inside was a piece of ocher colored string and two amulets, one the cheap clay figurine one and the other was the roll of gold inside a clear plastic tube. I asked my wife a few weeks later to have a look and confirmed what I thought that it was pretty much a 'standard' package that a temple will put together for fund-raising and not anything of great value.

 

However, the fact that it was a thank you gift from someone that was stressed and I had helped put at ease gave it more tangible worth than just a piece of misshapen cheap clay from some temple in bahn nork. I went by a gold shop and had it mounted in the standard gold and perspex holder and it travels in my backpack along with the other 'more essential' travel stuff like lounge passes and SIM cards. I won't be wearing it around my neck but it has been with me on every flight I have made since I received it. It has a special value for me as it did for the fretful, white-knuckle monk that gave it to me.

 

 

Edited by NanLaew
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How many of you collect anything or like to buy expensive things to show off?

 

I collect amulets, I don't go by value but the aesthetics of the amulet and I never spend more than a couple of hundred if i don't buy it in a temple.

 

An original Thai Buddhist amulet is made in a temple and blessed by one or more monks. It's a way for the temple to get money to for example modernise, renovate and build new buildings. One example I personally know is a temple school in Lampang province that sell amulets so that they can buy school books, computers and keep the school running!

Most times amulets are made in limited numbers and might be made of gold or silver (my favorite) and therefore are more expensive (about 1-2,500 for a silver amulet in the temple and up to 100,000 for a gold amulet, if it's copper or clay 59-99 Baht...).

 

There are also old amulets that might be several hundred years old and by that have a collectors value.

 

A copy is made in a factory just for the sake to sell, trying to cheat the people of their money for something that don't have any collectors value.

 

So would you also make fun of all that collects stamps, coins, art and anything else?!

Are you suggesting that a buddhist amulet is in no ways different from any other commercial object, and can be treated as such?

 

 

 

As an atheist I don't believe in spiritual stuff, but I don't think I am in a position to criticize or question other people's interpretation of their own beliefs. It is important to understand (our) western culture was built on 2000 years of religious beliefs and many times people acted against what their religious doctrine taught.

 

Just like christians wear gold and silver necklaces with cross pendants which they buy as fashion accessories and for divine protection and then sell in times of need. If you search a bit you will find many religions have some kind of amulet which also has a commercial value, despite the fact that every religion pretty much condemns greed.

 

I really don't understand what kind of higher moral ground you're coming from with all that sarcasm, but I am sure you wouldn't like to be scammed either or to have people question your interest in the item you got scammed for.

 

 

My point is that - as you illustrated - all religions are basically the same.

Some have evolved more then others, but they all share the same basic superstitions.

 

Moral high ground?

Am I allowed to say that my grandmother was ignorant (because of poor education) for wearing an amulet with a alledged piece of cloth of an alledged  saint inside? Not saying she was stupid, she raised 7 children through 2 world wars. She was ignorant, uneducated but clever.

Am I allowed to say the same things about other believers?

Doesn't watching human behaviour (including my own behaviour) lead to sarcasm, while hoping - "believing" that things will eventually get better?

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1 Million Baht purchase of “fake” Amulets reported to Police in Pattaya

amulet-1.jpg
PATTAYA:--A 57 year old collector of Buddhist Amulets reported the purchase of over 100 Amulets from a dealer based in Jomtien for 1 Million Baht, which were later confirmed as fake items worth less than 50,000 Baht.

Khun Suwat has an impressive collection of Amulets at his home and is always looking for new Amulets to purchase, especially rare pieces from remote Temples. He became friendly with a dealer who works from a shop on the Tepprasit Road in Jomtien who introduced him to a seller and assured Khun Suwat the Amulets were a good purchase.

80 Amulets were purchased by him in early July for 400,000 Baht. Happy with his recent acquisition, the shop owner referred Khun Suwat to another collector who was selling just over 100 Amulets for 600,000 Baht. Once again the shop owner assured Khun Suwat that the items he was purchasing were authentic and the sale went through without any issues.
- See more at: http://www.pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/137590/1-million-baht-purchase-of-fake-amulets-reported-to-police-in-pattaya/#sthash.3T0FEbjW.dpuf

 

[pattayaone]2014-08-06[/pattayaone]
 

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Some years ago I bought a fake Rolex watch from a street vendor in Turkey whose stall proudly proclaimed "Only genuine fake watches sold here"..................I will bet it has worked a lot better than any fake (or genuine!) amulet...............

Like one I saw.................."Ears pierced while you wait"

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I was given an amulet for nothing by a monk living by himself in a small mountain retreat,he was often visited by people from many miles around,he has predicted some astounding things which came true. One day on a visit,half the village came with us when they heard we were going, he nonchalantly gave me the amulet to the ooh's and aah's of the congregation. I asked why and he said he could see into me and i was a good person. Many months later i was at the immigration office wearing my amulet,i never take it off,the immigration officer seemed quite excited by the amulet and asked to examine it,he is an ardent collector, he judged it to be worth between 800,000 and one million Baht. I was intrigued and decided to test this by asking the town buyer and seller to appraise it, he offered me 30,000 Baht cash immediately but when my wife told him how i came to the amulet he shook his head and said that in that case he couldn't buy it,it would be a sin, i would't have sold it anyway.

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