In Bangkok, you can see monks wearing their orange robes pretty much everywhere. It is common for young men to become ordained as a monk for a certain period of time – traditionally for three months.
This is meant as a way to help them to become more insight into the nature of life, and it is also considered a meritorious deed towards their family, especially their mother.
If you want to learn more about Buddhism, monks, temples and the religious and spiritual life of the Thai people, why not book one of our Bangkok temple tours? Our guides can explain you about the meaning of certain symbols, architecture and more in good English and enjoy doing so.
Here is a great shot from Wat Mahathat, one of the not so well-known temples in Bangkok. It shows a row of golden Buddha statues sitting in a position that refers to an episode from the life of the Buddha.
This is one of the most common postures of the Buddha that you can see in Thailand. It represents steadfastness, the ability to remain calm even when things around you are going crazy. In modern words, you could translate it as “not loosing your cool” or “keeping a cool head”
He was sitting in meditation when demons came to challenge him. They wanted to break his state of meditation. The main demon was named Mara, and he tried to distract the Buddha with all kinds of means – including frightening evil demons, but also beautiful ones in the form of young women who tried to seduce him.
But the Buddha instead called the earth as his witness and proclaimed his meritorious past. The earth goddess Thorani appeared thereupon. She wringed the water from her hair and the water that dropped from her hair created a flood that drowned Mara and his other demons.
If you find this interesting, you might want to book a Bangkok temple tour with us, where we tell you all these stories and explain the details of gestures and meanings, the architecture of temples and so on.
This is a picture from the Wat Pra Kaew temple in Bangkok, Thailand. It depicts a mytical figure holding something in his hand that looks like a CD – but of course, it’s not. It’s one of those special weapons that you might have seen in one of the James Bond movies, that you can throw like a frisbee and cut someone’s head or extremeties off. I guess with the right hinge mechanism, you could also use it to slice pizza
One thing that is very typical for temples in Bangkok (and also other parts of Thailand) is that they are decorated with multi-colored glass mosaic. This is an art-style that started in the 19th century, so a temple that has these kinds of decorations is either built during or after the 19th century. Sometimes an older temple gets renovated and they put these glass mosaics up too. Nowadays, these glass mosaics are still being used.
These are symbols of the countries richness in gemstones of all kinds of colors. It is also possible that the mirrors are used as a way to deflect evil spirits, as is common in Chinese feng shui. Thai artists assimilated many elements of Chinese culture and beliefs, and this could be one of the results of such an assimilation, however, it can’t be said for sure.
Whatever the underlying meaning – it can make for spectacularly beautiful light effects in temples in Bangkok during different times of the day, and is in a way a good representation of the love that Thai people have for intensity and variety, which is also reflected in food, where they often mix opposing flavors together to balance each other out, and other areas of life. This is a very different concept from the Japanese sense of refined subtlety, which many foreigners can easily appreciate.
One reaction that I often get when I bring friends to temples in Bangkok is that they feel the temples are quiet “carnivalistic” (if that’s a word). Some people can relate to it, some people do not like it. Whatever it is to you, try to avoid any preconceived notions and concepts of what things should be like, and approach these temples with an open mind – that way, you’ll discover the joy and beauty that can be found within these temple walls.
This particular picture is taken from the Grand Palace (Wat Prakaew) in Bangkok.
This is a picture of one of the chedis (stupas) at Wat Phra Kaew (the Temple of The Emerald Buddha). You can see that this chedi has 20 corners (five on each side, times four), which is typical of Rattanakosin style chedis.
This chedi is covered with gold lacquer and it is quiet impressive standing next to it when the rays of the sunshine make it shine brightly.
Also, look at the skillful and detailed craftmanship that went into the mosaic covering the statue.
Lots of Thai people love to play the lottery. And quiet a few try to improve their chances with some supernatural help. When you buy lottery tickets on Chinese New Year at the Wat Trai Mit temple where the golden Buddha is located… well, THAT’s obviously gonna help you win the lottery, no?
Yesterday I posted a picture of a small girl getting blessed by a monk. Right after that, she made a donation. Thais almost always make a donation when visiting a temple, it’s a way of making merit. And they instill this behavior in a very early age already in their kids – but in a playful and fun way.
Girl makes a donation for a Thai Temple
This picture was taken at Wat Traimit during the Chinese New Years celebration 2010 (starting the year of the tiger).
Sprinkling lustral water is a way of giving blessings. Sometimes it is also called blessed water or hole water, and Thai people refer to it as “nam mon”. The monks bless water in a ceremony – they chant and drip a bit of candlewax into the water.
This has a symbolical meaning, it represents the four elements: earth, water, wind and fire. Water is the water itself, earth is the candle wax, fire is the flame of the candle, and wind is the blow of air that extinguishes the flame of the candle.
Thai people believe that a monk sprinkling this water on your head can bring you good luck, success and protect you from harm. The head is also the most blessed part of your body, that is why you can see people lowering their heads.
Buddhist monk sprinkling holy water
Buddhist Monk sprinkling holy water
These pictures where taken at the Chinese New Years celebration 2010 at the Wat Traimit Temple in Bangkok, where the golden Buddha is located.
Smiling monk sprinkles lustral water on young Thai girl
This one was taken on the Chinese New Years celebration at Wat Traimit in Chinatown, Bangkok. There were so many people. One of the nice things about Thailand is that even in the midst of large crowds, there’s still a relaxed and laid-back vibe to it. You have time and space to breath.
Maybe it has something to do with marayat (marayaat), which is a word that could be translated as “being well-behaved” or “having good manners” or simply “etiquette”. Most people are aware that the Japanese have very complex and detailed rules when it comes to social interaction, reigi saho. What most people are not so aware of, is that Thailand also has a highly defined and complex set of rules too. However, while the Japanese adhere to that code of conduct almost compulsively, Thai people in general are much more flexible, and for outsiders, it is often not easy to discover the subtle rules that influence social interactions in Thailand.
It might also be one of the reasons why so many Japanese businesses can be found in Thailand, and there are whole communities of Japanese businessmen. Because the highly defined rules of social interactions are something that the Japanese are used to, while the lack of these rules can be confusing for people accustomed to them.
But then, I’m starting to ramble here… let’s look at the picture.
Sometimes it’s the mundane things that catch your eyes.
There are so many temples in Thailand that are located atop a mountain hill, and the only way that leads up there is through a long range of hundreds of stairs, which actually makes it physically challenging to pay a visit to the temple.
But then of course, it makes it a very special experience. However, if it’s easy and convenient to go there, there’s nothing special about it. If climbing the Mount Everest would be as easy as, lets say, visiting Disneyland, it wouldn’t be nearly as great an experience for those who do it.
So when I saw the elevator, I thought: not so cool.
The Temple Elevator
But of course, for some people in that temple and maybe some elderly monks or layperson with knee problems, an elevator must come as a true blessing.
It’s just another example of the wild fusion of ancient and modern lifestyles in Bangkok. When I first came to it, it seemed like such a contrast to me, the old and the new, tradition and development. But contrast really isn’t the right word in the case of Thailand. It’s fusion. They just mix it together, almost like putting it in a blender, and it creates something that is unique, modern, fascinating, and at the same time traditional.
By the way – if you’re wondering where this is… it’s also in Wat Samphanthawongsaram Worawiharn in Chinatown. (That temple is not nearly as popular as Wat Traimit for example, because it’s kind of in a “hidden soi”, and lacks a major sensation like the Golden Buddha that the Traimit temple has).
