i have been a christian born 

Muslim for some years

atheist 

now a free mind to think for myself

without  the b/s thinking of somebody else with a smart mouth 

all telling  you a good story  where you will go to a greater place/-what concrete proof

religion is a great thing for people with a small mind and cannot  think for them self

my wife is a strict Buddhist praying every day /and at temple regular

makes here happy so i am happy 

When someone dies in Isaan, everyone in the immediate area is expected to contribute money for the funeral, 200, 300 baht whatever, maybe more. I think it's a good system, many people don't have money. However you constantly find yourself paying out when people die, people you've never met.

 

There is a guy with down syndrome, or autism or something in the village I live in Isaan. This guy just goes around to peoples' funerals constantly. People will call him to let him know there's a funeral going on, he gets himself tanked up on their rice whisky, free food and dances around like a mad man. I don't like the thought of my wedding, or funeral, befitting people I've never even met.

On ‎14‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 8:09 AM, khunPer said:

A Singaporean newspaper wrote after the 2004-tsunami, that the Christian Westerners suffered a lot more than the Asian Buddhists, as the the Christians got stuck in the grief, whilst Buddhists live in the "now" and easily moved on. Seem like Thais accept that you cannot change the past, and move on...

Per said: Seem like Thais accept that you cannot change the past,

To me it seems that Thais also  "accept" that you cannot change the future. That is why they still live in the past, as compared to Farangs.

42 minutes ago, oldhippy said:

Per said: Seem like Thais accept that you cannot change the past,

To me it seems that Thais also  "accept" that you cannot change the future. That is why they still live in the past, as compared to Farangs.

Thanks for you point-of-view.

It was a citation from the Singaporean paper, which to me seemed like a reasonable explanation.

Yes, Thais, or Buddhist, are said to live in the "now", and not care much about past or future – should have to do with "fate", that you cannot change fate – however, the Buddhist way of thinking, saying "what you send out is what you get back", and making merit, seem like they do try to change the future, or near future, in a positive direction. Furthermore all kind of fortune telling are also used to predict what merit making shall be made, and what shall be avoided, or just preparing one for the future fate...

 

But you are right, many Thais don't care as much about the future, as we farangs – I often hear, that they don't know if they are alive next week, or even tomorrow, so better use the money in the pocket now...

58 minutes ago, oldhippy said:

Per said: Seem like Thais accept that you cannot change the past,

To me it seems that Thais also  "accept" that you cannot change the future. That is why they still live in the past, as compared to Farangs.

Or perhaps they live for today?

1 hour ago, faraday said:

Or perhaps they live for today?

Living for today sounds great, but what if you have children?

 

As in so many cases, I think that Thais are one extreme, and Farangs the other opposite extreme.

A middle way might be nice?

Maybe looking for that middle way could be a useful job for philosophers?

 

 

23 minutes ago, oldhippy said:

...A middle way might be nice?...

 

The eightfold path of Buddhism between indulgence and asceticism is supposed to be the "middle way".  But with roads and traffic being what they are in LOS, wrong turns are inevitable.

On 11/03/2017 at 4:23 PM, Damrongsak said:

I was the one who had to tell my Thai wife that our first-born son was killed in combat in Iraq at age 20. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do.  I will never forget her screaming, over and over and over...

 

She was a mess for several days, barely ambulatory.  I think I was simply in shock.  But we both bounced back.  She said "That was all the time he had for us."  Learn what you need in this lifetime and move on to the next, I guess.  She thought he was about perfect and so moved on quickly.

 

 

Blimey.  

On 6/12/2017 at 8:36 PM, Grubster said:

Very true but maybe their quality of life is better while they are alive.

does  it  look  like  that  to  you?

On 6/13/2017 at 8:05 AM, Ramen087 said:

 

Living a good life while on the planet... No one has all the answers.

good is  a  human  definition , reality is there  is  no  good  or bad,  when  a  fox  kills 10  chickens and  eats  one..............

19 minutes ago, kannot said:

good is  a  human  definition , reality is there  is  no  good  or bad,  when  a  fox  kills 10  chickens and  eats  one..............

It's 'good' for the fox, but 'bad' for the chickens.

However, if the farmer was going to kill the chickens anyway, because they were sick, he then doesn't have to. So that 'bad' becomes 'good'.

Is the definition of 'good' therefore, subjective, or does it depend on circumstance ?

3 minutes ago, faraday said:

It's 'good' for the fox, but 'bad' for the chickens.

However, if the farmer was going to kill the chickens anyway, because they were sick, he then doesn't have to. So that 'bad' becomes 'good'.

Is the definition of 'good' therefore, subjective, or does it depend on circumstance ?

its man made, the fox  and chicken dont think good  or bad  at all

9 minutes ago, kannot said:

its man made, the fox  and chicken dont think good  or bad  at all

If God made man, does your reply mean that He decides?

If God made man, does your reply mean that He decides?

God didn't make Thai people, Thai chickens or Thai Foxes

3 hours ago, kannot said:

does  it  look  like  that  to  you?

Yes it does, material things aside. They seem much more content on a daily basis than westerners. Have you ever noticed how easy it is for them to sleep? While we toss and turn worrying about yesterday and tomorrow. Wealthy complicated lives are not necessarily happy lives.

15 minutes ago, Grubster said:

Yes it does, material things aside. They seem much more content on a daily basis than westerners. Have you ever noticed how easy it is for them to sleep? While we toss and turn worrying about yesterday and tomorrow. Wealthy complicated lives are not necessarily happy lives.

The same could be said about fish in a bowl.

 

32 minutes ago, oldhippy said:

The same could be said about fish in a bowl.

 

Thats right the fish in a bowl are wealthy and do not have to look for food, they have everything they need.

Just now, Grubster said:

Thats right the fish in a bowl are wealthy and do not have to look for food, they have everything they need.

I am not a fish.

I want more.

This is the fundamental flaw in the original buddhist philosophy (not to be confounded with the Asian aberration of buddhism)

11 minutes ago, oldhippy said:

I am not a fish.

I want more.

This is the fundamental flaw in the original buddhist philosophy (not to be confounded with the Asian aberration of buddhism)

And you will always want more no matter how much you have, this is the fundamental flaw of capitalism.

3 minutes ago, Grubster said:

And you will always want more no matter how much you have, this is the fundamental flaw of capitalism.

True.

The flaw of not only capitalism, but of every western philosophy.

Naïve me hoped to find a middle way here in Thailand, avoiding both (opposite) flaws.

I still hope that there is a middle way, but Thailand surely is not the best place to search for it.

But I live in a beautiful tropical garden in Thailand, and yearly visit Norway and Madeira, I keep searching.....

 

Death is simply part of the cycle of rebirth in Buddhism. Sure they are missed but the perspective is much different and much more enlightened than in the west.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

On 6/18/2017 at 10:02 AM, kannot said:

good is  a  human  definition , reality is there  is  no  good  or bad,  when  a  fox  kills 10  chickens and  eats  one..............

That's what separates us from them...