A Non-Evangelical Post About Thai Buddhism

Yesterday, July 12th, was the big Buddhist holiday of Asanha Bucha.  I always confuse it with another holiday about a big meeting of monks who just showed up without being summoned, but they are two different holidays, I'm pretty sure.

Asanha Bucha celebrates the first meeting, the first lesson.  Mr. Buddha had been meditating at this temple for quite a while and was finally at the point where he felt that he had something so share.  So the holiday memorializes the birth of Buddhism as a movement, a religion, if you will.

It's simple.  There is suffering in human life, and it is caused by craving.  There is an achievable state of mind called nirvana, in which craving and suffering cannot thrive.  And there is a manner of living that can move a person towards that state.  Which would be good.  

What I like about Buddhism, and in particular Thai Buddhism, is that it is a "religion" without a God.  It is more of a way of life, a philosophy.  Here are some clues about what life is, and here are some suggestions as to how it can be made more bearable.  The Buddha understood better than almost anybody else in history that life is a steaming pile of Hundschmutz, and that some relief is necessary, some strategy to combat the constant disappointment, failure and outright horror of the whole enterprise. Twenty-five hundred years later we are still in his debt. 

Buddhism in other countries gets carried away with nirvana, and reincarnation, and saints and whatever, and praying for something, some benefit or little bit of luck, probably financial, but Thai Buddhism is wonderfully free of that kind of bullshit.   Thai Buddhism is very focused on our personal experiences of the world, relationships between parents and children, workers and bosses, the high and the low of society, like how to be a good person and how to avoid the worst of the suffering that is inevitable in life.  Thai Buddhism is very, very cool.

Not that I practice it, I'm a guest here, and I remain an observer of religion in general.

But it's a big holiday over here.  All of the temples are full of families who have come to make offerings of food, household items, candles and money to the monks, and to receive blessings in return.  These are really team-building exercises, community strengthening experiences.  It's also a good opportunity to put in a good word for the faithful departed. 

I let my friend go in for the meeting/blessing part of the visit with the monks alone.  I generally feel that the last thing Thais need while they are building their own sense of community is an outsider who doesn't know exactly where to place his feet.  I kicked in 100 Baht for the envelope, it was the least that I could do.  My friend told me to make a wish on the envelope, that's the custom.

My wish was, "please don't let the worst happen."  I do feel like it's  best to keep one's prayers simple.