A temple in Thailand arms Buddhist deity with modern appliances

[webfact]

Chonburi Temple Arms Buddhist Deity With Modern Appliances
By Khaosod English


Phra Mahasawai Santamano, the deputy abbot of Samsae San temple, told Khaosod that the mural is intended to remind temple-goers that the cosmic power of karma is still reigning, despite how much the world has changed.

CHONBURI – A Buddhist temple in Chonburi province is drawing attention with unusual murals that depict a Buddhist deity holding a laptop and GPS.

The murals show Thao Vessuwan, the god who guards the realms of demons and keeps track of sinners in Buddhist cosmology, holding a laptop open to a Facebook screen in his left hand, and a magnifying glass that says “GPS” in the other. The lap top screen says "Good Karma" and "Bad Karma."

Phra Mahasawai Santamano, the deputy abbot of Samsae San temple, told Khaosod that the mural is intended to remind temple-goers that the cosmic power of karma is still reigning, despite how much the world has changed.

"No matter how much technology has improved, you still cannot escape the karmic consequence of what you have done," Phra Mahasawai said. "It is a mystery of Dhamma. The karma we collect will affect us in the present and the future. Therefore, people will be reminded that they should do more good than evil."

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1427019517&typecate=06&section=

-- Khaosod English 2015-03-23

[daoyai]

I want to see one taking a selfie.

[docshock13]

Notwithstanding the ridiculousness of the "deity" holding a laptop, it has always been my understanding that Buddhism was a non-theistic faith. So how can they have "gods?"

[NeverSure]

I think the gods are thousand baht notes.

[JoePai]

A good idea as they can now keep track of their money and possessions on a spreadsheet - makes it so much easier to see how much they are worth.

[Thaddeus]

iMerit app coming soon.

[Commerce]

Notwithstanding the ridiculousness of the "deity" holding a laptop, it has always been my understanding that Buddhism was a non-theistic faith. So how can they have "gods?"

http://www.letusreason.org/Buddh1.htm

[clockman]

Just men in orange robes!

[trogers]

Do these deities need personal planes, or can they fly on their own?

Seems this temple is demoting it's deities to the level of humans, needing human technology.

[Just1Voice]

This is just wrong on so many levels.

[JOC]

"No matter how much technology has improved, you still cannot escape the karmic consequence of what you have done," Phra Mahasawai said. "It is a mystery of Dhamma. The karma we collect will affect us in the present and the future. Therefore, people will be reminded that they should do more good than evil."

I guess that is the same "logic" behind the monks watching sex movies in the temples, to remind themselves about how evil it is?

And they keep reminding, keep reminding..................................................

[JOC]

How utterly disrespectful to the few real believers still left in this country!!

[jaywalker]

I want to see one taking a selfie.

I want to see one taking an "Under-Boob" shot.

[kinmaew]

I didn't know "god's" needed laptops to create universes. What if there is a power cut? Speaks volumes about Buddhism.

[kkerry]

Plenty of monks to be found wandering the corridors of Pantip Plaza... so hardly surprising.

[maidee]

i tought buddism was all about: don't long for things you cannot have, as it will only bring suffer

so, is that why some monks accept cheques from stolen money and have hundreds of millions of baht on their personel account ?

so they don't have to suffer and just buy anything or anyone ???

[cookee68]

I think that most of these Buddhist have lost the plot and make all this bull shit up, before it showed one with AK47 and a rifle, next they will arm a deity with a bomb pack and a hoody, fools

[cookee68]

How utterly disrespectful to the few real believers still left in this country!!

Few you got that bit right, I think this religion is starting to go down the shitter along with many others, what we need is a new up to date religion now, any ideas any one

[Benmart]

Beliefs that are organized into formal structure are often contaminated by that very institution.

[MJP]

This is just wrong on so many levels.

I know. It should have been an ipad.

[Emster23]

Lucky they didn't do this in Burma. They'd get 2+ years in prison like those blokes sentenced last week over Buddha with headphones. No reason to think Buddha couldn't or wouldn't use a laptop, or headphones, if he were alive today. He wasn't Amish...

[arunsakda]

I get facebook updates from HH Gyalwa Karmapa quite frequently.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ThaidaGwaii]

This is just wrong on so many levels.

How many exactly?

[khaowong1]

I know this is going to sound like Thai bashing, and that's not my intent. But Buddhism in Thailand has gone off the track. They seem to think that Thai style Buddhism is premier to all other countries. Everyone else is 2nd class. I was at a major Buddhism event in Phoenix Arizona once, sponsored by Vietnamese Buddhists. There were Buddhist monks and nuns from all over Asia there. The Thai monks there were strutting around like the King pins they thought they were, pretty much ignoring all the others. As most of you know who read these Buddhist type posts on Thai Visa, there needs to be a major overhaul of religion here. But when the head honcho, the Surpreme Patriarch, is from the same Buddhist sect as those who worship in a space ship, it ain't going to happen. And as you know and I know, the people of Thailand most assuredly don't like to admit they are wrong on anything.

[NeverSure]

How utterly disrespectful to the few real believers still left in this country!!

Both of them?

[baboon]

How is this not some kind of oriental Jimmy Swaggart operation?

[timber]

another dent in Thai Buddhism