Virtue of perseverance & virtue of giving
The Ninth Reign is devoted to two virtues simultaneously. To the King, “to be human” is everything and nothing. To be human is that one must have a reason to do things. To be inhuman is to do the incredible thing at the same time. We are here to be human, to make money so that we have money to spend and to make a good name for ourselves so that we have money to spend, and to make a good name for ourselves so that we are praised. But all this, if we have money, we will spend it and in the end we will lose the money. What is left is the pure soul. That is what we must attain – the pure soul. But if we want to attain the pure soul, we must give. Giving of the heart and feeling is one reason why leaders, if they are in a high position, should not think that their high position has been earned by hard work alone. Yes, it has been earned by hard work,. But, not only that, the position has to be maintained. This will lead to a more satisfying feeling for the soul. That is the reason why the leaders of the world should do that – they should give more, and take less.
The virtue of perseverance and the virtue of giving in line with the jataka, or the former lives of the Buddha. King Bhumibol has been aiming two virtues at the same time. For perseverance, one may visit a book store to read his book, the Phra Mahajanaka. For the virtue of giving, you should visit two temples, Wat Chong Nonsi in Bangkok and Wat Suwannaram in Thon Buri. Thai painting represents a precious heritage of art and spirituality extending over more than seven centuries of the life of this civilization. Yet this artistic heritage cannot be separated from the culture and the structures, whose walls were adorned with these paintings.
Phra Mahajanaka
Yet Phra Siamdevathiraj, or "the city angel", has become a recurring theme in modern Thai consciousness. For any time the country is in deep peril, Thais will pin their faith on Phra Siamdevathiraj in the belief that eventually the city angel will come to the country's rescue.
This is part of the ancient belief in gods that are omnipresent, residing in water, trees, the forest, practically everywhere. The beliefs date back long before Buddhism entered this country.
In the 19th century, King Mongkut, or Rama IV, believed strongly in the gods, or the superior beings, which he felt were protecting him, the royal family and Siam from all evils besetting their world. During his time, Burma, Malaya and Vietnam fell to Western imperialism. The king more often than not thanked Phra Siamdevathiraj for guarding Siam.
The Chatri Dynasty regards Phra Siamdevathiraj with the utmost reverence. A statue depicting the angel, all in gold and currently situated in the Dusit Palace inside the Grand Palace, is in a standing position and eight inches high. It is meticulously dressed in the form of a mythical god descending from heaven. In its right hand is a sword, while the left hand stretches out at breast level in a blessing posture.
Phra Siamdevathiraj also appears in different form in literature. Banthoon Lamsam, the president of Thai Farmers Bank, interpreted Mani Mekhala, a goddess in "The Story of Mahajanaka" written by His Majesty the King, as a sort of Phra Siamdevathiraj.
In this classic story, which is a best-seller, Mani Mekhala, assigned by the Four World Watchers to look after all virtuous creatures, descended from heaven to rescue the Great Being, who was Prince Mahajanaka. Prince Mahajanaka, or the prince who would be born Buddha, had been swimming in the deep sea for seven days. But as a virtuous prince, endowed with the virtue of perseverance, he was destined to be saved so that he could accomplish the greater goal.
But first he had to satisfy Mani Mekhala by solving the three riddles. This he was able to do, and so Mani Mekhala rescued him from the sea and took him to his destination.
This story provides moral guidance for Thais who wish to succeed. The gods will only help those who help themselves first, or those who have the wisdom to persevere.
Shortly after the 1997 economic crisis there were fears among Thai conservatives that Phra Siamdevathiraj might forsake Thailand, which could face complete ruin from the plummeting baht, bank runs, runaway inflation, skyrocketing unemployment and social crisis. But as it turned out, the crisis was contained between 1997 and 1999.
This could only be interpreted as Phra Siamdevathiraj still protecting Thailand.
If you travel around Ratanakosin Island, Old Bangkok remains unchanged. It stands elegantly against the test of time. But outside of Old Bangkok is New Bangkok and it has been crumbling since 1997 from its financial sins.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Vessantara Jataka
The Vessantara Jataka, the virtue of Giving, is the last and most venerated of the Ten Great Jatakas. It narrates the most recent former life of the Buddha, that of his rebirth as Prince Vessantara. Jujaka is the nemesis of Vessantara. He is depicted as a treachery and low rank Brahmin, similar to Shakespeare's Sherlock in the Merchants of Venice. Sherlock epitomises the greeds and worldly tricks. Jujaka also represents the greeds and human sins. Wat Chong Nonsi, in the Yanawa area of Bangkok, is quite a distance away from Old Bangkok. In the old days, it would take even more time to reach this temple, which was built in the late Ayutthaya period or around the third quarter of the 17th century. But here lies an invaluable clue to our understanding of the Ninth Reign. From the outside, Wat Chong Nonsi looks like most other temples in Thailand, with the main chapel, an all purpose building, and a living quarter for the monks. But inside Wat Chong Nonsi stands an ancient ubosot, built in a shape of a boat with exquisite roof. A steel fence surrounds this ubosot to prevent an uninvited intrusion. One needs special permission from the abbot to go inside this ancient chapel, which is decaying with time. There are several jedis, including eight sema made from clay, built around the chapel. One can also see the old brick wall surrounding the chapel.
The mural painting from the ubosot of Wat Chong Nonsi represents the high art of the late Ayutthaya period. It depicts the jataka, or the former lives of the Buddha. Only about 15 to 20 per cent of the mural painting survives. Phra Kittisak unlocks the door of the ubosot, which holds the secret of the past. "The Fine Arts Department has told us to keep the mural painting as it is. They do not want us to work on any renovation of the mural painting because it would destroy the original value. The mural painting is kept as it is to allow the new generation to study mural painting, its drawing patterns and colouring. If the mural painting is renovated, it would lose its originality," Phra Kittisak said. On the left hand side of the wall of the ubosot, you can see some scenes from the Vessantara Jataka. Jujaka, a Brahmin, asks a hermit the way to the hermitage of Vessantara.
The mural painting from the ubosot of Wat Chong Nonsi represents the high art of the late Ayutthaya period. It depicts the jataka, or the former lives of the Buddha. Only about 15 to 20 per cent of the mural painting survives. Phra Kittisak unlocks the door of the ubosot, which holds the secret of the past. "The Fine Arts Department has told us to keep the mural painting as it is. They do not want us to work on any renovation of the mural painting because it would destroy the original value. The mural painting is kept as it is to allow the new generation to study mural painting, its drawing patterns and colouring. If the mural painting is renovated, it would lose its originality," Phra Kittisak said. On the left hand side of the wall of the ubosot, you can see some scenes from the Vessantara Jataka. Jujaka, a Brahmin, asks a hermit the way to the hermitage of Vessantara.
Monarchy and traditions
Over the past 2 years or so, I have done some serious reflecting on the nature of the Republican and Democratic forms of government, and contrasted them in my mind with other forms of government; such as Communism and Socialism. I have found all these systems wanting in a greater or lesser degree, because in spite of the varied ideologies they have they all suffer from a diseased concept concerning the nature and purpose of the State, and its proper relations to the people. In regards to Republicanism and Democracy, these are based on the illusory concept of "Popular Suffrage," which in fact means nothing in that the masses have neither the capability or know-how to determine or understand the workings of the State in relation to the economy, so purely economic interests seize the opportunity of this vacuum to co-opt the State to insure their control over the economy and the socio-political system. Thus under the guise and fraud of the "will of the people," the most banal aspects of the mass culture enshrine themselves as an oligarchy and plutocracy, and through finance easily control the political class as well as the political process of so-called "elections."
It is common knowledge that all political candidates and parties are controlled by monied interests, just as the political system and its laws are in turn controlled by lobbyists who are also controlled by monied interests. Thus as Julius Evola has pointed out, in this way the purpose and nobility of the State is destroyed through its subordination to the principles of the economy. No matter what system you look at in the modern world, these same subversive processes hold sway and engage in a process of dialectical disintegration with one another. The machinations of high finance and distribution of currency in excess of the GNP of Nations, causes them to fall into patterns of debt in the public and private sectors. This is true no matter what the ideology, as the principles of economy are the same. Similarly the creation of surplus value through wage/profit coefficients, creates an inductive disparity between wages and prices which relocates all wealth to the Capitalist class through the draining of the purchasing power of the wage earners, distributing profit to themselves and scarcity to the workers respectively.
The perversion of Democracy is that it gives power to the plutocrats in light of the incoherent "mass-will."
In spite of the fact that this is also true in Communist countries as the party-bosses raid the coffers of the State to obtain the profits of "State Capitalism," such processes in Capitalist countries do nothing but foment discontent and further the interests of those who would preach the gospel of totalitarianism and Marxism. The perversion of Democracy is that it gives power to the plutocrats in light of the incoherent "mass-will," by default, and through making the State a vehicle of avarice devoid of honor; thereby gives the State too much centralizing power over all aspects of human life. Thus in all collectivist systems based on identification with the masses, (which is every State-based system other than Monarchy) you paradoxically have a totalitarian system based on the tyranny of economic interests and a ruling elite that is unfit to rule, due to the fact that they are beholden only to Mammon and not to any higher principle of honor.
Now, this is the malaise of our times, no doubt. Being an American and citizen of the U.S., I was raised to believe in the myth of Democracy and to view Monarchy as some kind of system of tyranny. But is it really? I think not! Societies of egalitarianism are in fact the biggest tyrannies, for they reduce all aspects of life to that which resonates to the lowest common demominator, and the stolid aspects of mass-culture and values are made into Law and wielded over the population like a gigantic club. The lowest is made highest and thus regiments all aspects of life in machine-like and brutal manner, and loyalty to the State is compelled by force from the top-down, rather than being inspired from the bottom-up, which is the case in Monarchies. Democracy, Republicanism, Socialism, Communism, as well as the over-industrialized and technological artifacts of the world need to be done away with. All of these are but interrelated syndromes of the same disease, which does nothing but reduce Man to a level that is almost less than an animal, by dehumanizing him with the false values of objectivity and modernity at the expense of the subjective verities of truth and honor. A return to Monarchy is the sole hope of the world. Under Monarchy the State is relegated to its primary purpose, to hold the power of economic interests in check so they cannot despoil the people or the land. The mercantile classes are fit to trade but not fit to rule, and the communists I include in this group, due to their myopia about anything outside of "principles of economy." The modern world is the result of this situation, and its diseased condition is blatantly obvious. The Monarchy and Nobility should be the masters of the wealth of society and not the Capitalists, and their wealth should be bestowed by right and not by virtue of the fact that it was earned. Only in this way can the classes of the Nobility have an unbroken training and tradition in the proper uses of wealth, for their benefit and that of their domains.
Even more so, does this apply to the Monarchy. Because the wealth is already in the possession of Royalty and Nobility, the profit-motive and the motive to exploit society for mundane ends is removed . There is nothing to be gained by such economic mediocrity, and thus the Monarchy and Nobility can be concerned with matters of Politics and Sociology, as well as matters pertaining to the well-being of their domains . The moderns will cry: "What is to be gained by such a leisure-class that do not earn their wealth like we do?" A great deal. Only by having a leisure-class freed from material cares is it possible to have a truly educated class. Many captains of industry and Capitalists have conceeded that they have not had the time to become well-read and cultured people. And yet they are leading and controlling the world with only the most feeble an d superficial of educations. Even if they spent a good time in college, this cannot match a lifetime of education that can be obtained by people who are freed from the cares of earning a living. Thus the knowledge of the Royals and Nobility will be superior and more qualitative; and not based on the mundane ends of economy alone, but on higher things and values that alone can give the laws of economy a purpose. The Monarchist traditions of the State and Nobility exercises dominion but not tyranny. In this dominion the various peoples among the ruled manifest loyalty to the Crown, not because the Crown dictates their every choice through the contingencies of the laws of economy, but because the Crown gives them the right to flower as peoples that are fully human, only needing to labor solely to support their own station in life. As Evola pointed out, the feudal system is organic and allows for individual self-actualization for the peoples under it, and does not just regard them as economic units.
Monarchy allows for tremendous decentralization between the auspices of the Royal House, the Nobility, the Houses of Government, and the people. Even the life of a serf is something that a modern worker would envy. A serf labored only during planting and harvesting under the agrarian system, the rest of that time was free-time for the serf to pursue his own interests. You had festivals that went on for months among the serfs, and a noble could be imprisoned for letting his serfs starve if they were old or sick. The ruling classes were accountable not just to their superiors, but also to those lesser than them. They profited from the serfs, but the serfs also profited from the use of the land and worked far less than people do now under the plutocratic tyranny of industrialism. Who is the bigger slave, the serf or the wage-earner? I am certain the wage-earner of modern times would envy the serf. And if Monarchy would treat even the serfs in a more humane way than the poor are treated now, how much better would it be for everyone else! The serfs were valued, and not stigmatized for their spartan life, it was proper to their station and not a reason for criticism. The modern poor are psychologically stigmatized for their inability to make a fortune, as if everyone could just go and do that! The stability of social stations and the purposes innate to them makes for psychological health among human beings. A place from which you can neither rise nor fall, is a rock from which all endeavor can flower and work can exist for its own sake, not for the ulterior motive of either rising from or preventing a fall from where you are. The instability of human purpose and work and its subordination to purely economic ends is the primary cause of social and individual instability and psycho-pathology. A cause and result of modernism. Monarchism with its castes and roles frees humanity from the anxiety of striving to or falling from a particular station in life, each of which is valued in the context of community. Trade guilds, serfs, the ministers of state, Nobility and Monarchy, were an organic continuity that allowed for the flowering of human nature in its diverse forms, from the most humble to the most lofty. Is it any wonder that Monarchy is the most stable and humane from of government the world has ever known? And is it also any wonder that Democracy, Capitalism, Communism, Socialism, Republicanism, are decaying and crumbling away as we speak, from the entropy of their ignorant and mis-begotten valuations and constructs?
Monarchy And Tradition
By Archonis
a:link.nav {
text-decoration: none;
color: #CC6666;}
a:visited.nav {
color: #CC6666;
text-decoration: none}
a:hover.nav {
color: white}
body {
background-attachment: fixed;
background-image: url(../images/backgrounds/nouveau_side01a_background.gif);
background-repeat: no-repeat;
background-position: center top;
background-color: black
}
Home
Articles
Essays
Interviews
Poetry
Miscellany
Reviews
Books
Archives
Links
I recently finished reading "Riding The Tiger" by Julius Evola. It raised some interesting questions in respect to certain matters that I have been thinking about quite a bit, that relates to Evola's corpus of work, and not just this particular book. Evola has been labled a Fascist, Nazi, etc., but these definitions are wrong. If anything, Evola was a Monarchist, and I must confess I also have always had leanings in this direction too, even when I was a Left Wing Anarchist.
There is something about the institutions of Monarchy as they existed in ancient times, when you actually had warrior-kings, and priest-kings, that seem to me to resonate to a much higher level than anything that exists now. And it also can be argued that the peasants and serfs loved their King or their Queen, and would lay down their lives for them, even if they hated their feudal lords. It seems that Monarchy resonates strongly in the psyche of humanity, and this is even true in America, as we Americans cannot get enough of the Royal Family in the news, and many are fascinated with Monarchy and its institutions. In my view, in the early history of Europe there were great Sovereigns. I saw the movie "Elizabeth," not too long ago, and there can be no doubt that Queen Elizabeth transcended the normal human follies of a woman and reached a level of sacrifice and nobility in respect to England, that could only be compared to that of the greatest hero, or mystic. I would have been honored to have lived under Alexander The Great, who was a ruthless conquerer, but a benign ruler. If Alexander could see the suffering that exists now in our drab industrial world, he would surely be horrified. For the evil of these days since the death of the Monarchies and the advent of economic-based Nation States, is that the present epoch and its mediocre and brutal institutions just do not wear down the body with toil and the mind with vexation, but they kill the soul as well. Not just in people, but in everything. That is why the last 300 years have been the most evil in human history. Because even during the reign of the Clerical Holy Roman Empire, people in general still had a sense of basic humanity.
Now you have to discard it, in order to get anywhere in a world that is predicated on force, fraud, brutality, and exploitation of the worst kind, wrapped up in a panopoly of lies. It is true that by the 15th century and beyond, the Monarchies of Europe become degraded. You went from Kings that would get off their thrones to go into battle, to worthless dandyism and the parasitism of the leisure classes. But even these fops had a higher sense of culture, aesthetics, and interest in things that bore upon issues of nobility and honor, than the vile plutocrats that exist now; that are nothing more than slavish-minded savages and greedy swine only concerned with the crude material excesses that a slave would fantasize about, and the plutocrats being devoid of all honor, have the mindset of a slave, and were seen as part of the slave-class, in the ancient world. There is no principle that they would not betray for profit. No degradation that they would not commit to get ahead.
The monarchs lost because their principles of honor dictated that they accept defeat at the hands of the merchant classes, rather than sully themselves by fighting enemies that were beneath them. Marie Antoinette (sp?) apologized to the executioner for stepping on his foot, just before she got her head cut off. The point I am making is the degradation of the monarchies in later European history was in no wise the fault of the monarchies. It was the fault of the "culture aliens," that introduced by stealth the principles of the merchant-state and the bourgoise mentality in the 15th and 16th centuries, and thereby weakened the Monarchies and the principles of Empire; degrading and destroying them by forcing them to fight against nascent Capitalism, in the name of progress. Every effort was made to trick the monarchs into forgetting ancient principles and degrading themselves, and the "culture aliens" used every means at their disposal to turn the Royal Courts into dens of mediocrity and nests of vipers. Monarchs being human after all, succumbed. But the dishonor is not theirs, but rather they are the victims of those who were more inhuman, callous, and shrewd, and these conspirators managed to divorce the monarchies from the higher principles which gave them legitimacy.
The founding fathers of America took money from the same shylocks that were responsible throughout history for destroying the whole of European culture and traditions, including monarchy, and yet blamed the monarchs for this state of things; rather than those who were responsible and who were using the founding fathers to continue their subversive influence to further destroy the West, by fragmenting England from Her colonies, and thereby dividing the West (devoid of its Traditions) into fractious states of savagery and base materialism. The Founding Fathers were obtuse in this respect, not seeing those influences that were hellbent on perverting and subverting everything noble in the world, and turning it to evil channels.
It is clear, and not obscured, that the corporate state in all of its forms with its wage/profit shellgames, issuance of excess currency in excess of the GNP to create inflationary debt and bank profits, and intentional indebting of governments by similar means, is not something that would ever have arisen out of the traditions of Western Civilization, but were imposed through mass movements and conspirators manipulating them who's values were totally alien to anything Western. They stopped at nothing to make this happen, subverting within and attacking without until they won. But the dishonor is not with the dethroned monarchs, but with the victors, the corporate socialist, bolshevik capitalists who created a system of socialism for the rich, and corporate serfdom for everyone else. What irks me is how people on the far Right see Capitalism as Western, and think that this system was created by Europeans, rather than seeing that they are accepting the system that was created by the enemies of everything western, to destroy the West, which they did.
And the serfs of olden times would weep to see the industrial slaves of today, being worked and exploited to death, rather than just having to labor enough to sustain what was their proper station in life, and have the rest of the time to themselves. The monarchs had all of the wealth, and did not have to grind the serfs into dust to get more of it. The plutocrats have all the wealth now too, but it is never enough. They have to squeeze the blood and sweat out of everyone to get more and more. Technology and the technocratic state are a burdensome artifact that turns people into economic units, who's value as human beings is measured in dollars. I would take the WORST monarchy over leaders like this, who are totalitarians who want to micromanage your every breath, whose sole desire is to grind you under heel in a brutal Communist state, or do the same by crushing you with their golden Capitalist cudgel. A choice that is no choice.
There is nothing that remains now of the West as it is, and I look forward to its much deserved destruction. Most likely the technological and ecological substatum will bottom out before the "New World Order" of totalitarian statist communo-corporate fascism gets off the ground. It is too bad that what remains of the "Black Nobility" of Europe lacks the will or power to dethrone the "Third Estate" and bring back a European Empire based on the traditions of Monarchy and feudal nobility, like in ancient times. You could have a constitutional monarchy even, where the King and nobility must prove that they are indeed like the monarchs of yore: resplendent in higher principles and embodying in themselves the spiritual life of the Western world. Then the whole of Europe could be reunited, and all European peoples joined as one in a global "Imperium Europa," spanning Eurasia, Europe, and the Americas.
The flame of Avalon burns as a torch in the sons and daughters of Europe throughout the world. Let it become a conflagration! Death to all imperialist states. Long Live Europe!
############
Magnetism of a unique monarch
Published on December 3, 2007
On the eve of his 80th birthday, King Bhumibol Adulyadej finds himself even more popular and respected than ever.
';
}
else if (google_ads[0].type=="text")
{
s += '
if (google_ads.length == 1)
{
/*
* Partners should adjust text sizes
* so ads occupy the majority of ad space.
*/
s += '' +
google_ads[0].line1 + '' +
'' + // text
google_ads[0].line2 + ' ' +
google_ads[0].line3 + '' +
'' +
google_ads[0].visible_url + '';
}
else if (google_ads.length > 1)
{
/*
* For text ads, append each ad to the string.
*/
for(i=0; i ' +
google_ads[i].line1 + '' +
'' + // text
google_ads[i].line2 + ' ' +
google_ads[i].line3 + '' +
'' +
google_ads[i].visible_url + '';
}
if (google_ads[0].bidtype == "CPC") { /* insert this snippet for each ad call */
google_adnum = google_adnum + google_ads.length;
}
}
}
document.write(s);
return;
}
google_ad_client = 'pub-1044823792492543'; // This is your client_id
google_ad_channel = '4768931034'; //You may contact google to create more channel ids to track various site's performance.
google_ad_output = 'js';
google_max_num_ads = '3';
google_ad_type = 'image,text,html';
google_image_size = '336x280';
google_feedback = 'on';
google_encoding = 'UTF-8';
google_language = 'en';
google_adtest = "off";
/*google_skip = google_adnum; insert this snippet for each ad call */
// -->
google_protectAndRun("render_ads.js::google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad);
Ads by Google
900% Gain on Penny Stocks
Penny Stocks that move up 900%. Join today for Free to profit.
www.monsterstox.com
In June last year, a sea of yellow - shirts, caps and scarves worn by almost a million Thais - greeted him during a public appearance on the 60th anniversary of his reign. The atmosphere was so electrifying that one could feel a shiver run through one's body.
The reserve power surrounding King Bhumibol is so awe-inspiring, beyond any worldly explanation, that any Thai is ready to fall on his or her knees to pay utmost respect to him. They love their King knowing full well that he is a good King; it's as simple as that.
Monarchs and heads of states from all over the world who were invited to bear witness to the grand celebrations of the King's 60th anniversary were amazed by his magnetic popularity among his people, a phenomenon that cannot be found elsewhere.
"My Thai girlfriend keeps on talking about the popularity of the King," said a foreign analyst working in Bangkok. "I am sure if a poll were to be held, his popularity would be almost 100 per cent."
About month ago, Thais gasped with worry over the health of His Majesty. The King was hospitalised at Siriraj Hospital, where incidentally HRH Princess Galayani Vadhana, his elder sister, had also been undergoing treatment. The people were relieved when His Majesty was discharged in good health, able to walk by himself.
The King's emergence from the hospital in a smart pink jacket instantly became a fixed and powerful image. There followed a public frenzy for pink T-shirts, which were quickly snapped up and declared out of stock.
The King has since returned to Siriraj Hospital to visit Princess Galayani, alternately wearing green and blue jackets. Again, Thais have been following news of the King's visits every step of the way.
The Ninth King of the Chakri Dynasty is the world's longest-reigning monarch. He has also broken all the records of his predecessors in the Chakri Dynasty. He has outlived all the previous Chakri kings. King Rama I, who founded Bangkok as the new capital in 1782, lived the second longest until 72 years of age.
King Bhumibol has also reigned on the throne longer than any previous Chakri king. King Chulalongkorn, the King's grandfather, reigned for 42 years before passing away, leaving behind a legacy of sweeping legal and administrative reforms that set the stage for Siam to emerge as a modern state.
Prince Chula Chakrabongse's, author of "Lords of Life: The Paternal Monarchy of Bangkok, 1782-1932", characterised the first seven Chakri kings in the first 150 years of the dynasty as the Founder, the Artist, the Ruler, the Enlightened, the Revolutionary, the Liberal and the Philosopher.
The prince did not expand his excellent history book to characterise Rama the Eighth, who passed away prematurely, and did not live long enough to witness the greatness of the reign of Rama the Ninth. He certainly would have ranked King Bhumibol as the greatest of all the Chakri kings.
King Chulalongkorn faced a dilemma from Western colonialism. If he did not open up Siam to the outside world, the Kingdom would, like its neighbours, be devoured by colonial powers. If he were to open up Siam fully, the colonial powers would also win it all. It was not easy, yet King Chulalongkorn relied on a middle-ground policy of avoiding confrontation and agreeing to huge monetary and territorial settlements to prevent Siam from being colonised.
The reign of King Bhumibol has faced a similar dilemma, first from the Cold War and second from globalisation. While Thailand emerged unscathed from the domino effect of communism, if it had failed to open up in the age of globalisation, it would have been left behind in terms of social and economic development. If it were to open up too much, it would have been taken over by outside interests at the expense of the poor. The little trick was to walk the middle path, or gradualism, which has been the hallmark policy of Siamese kings of the past.
King Bhumibol has advocated sufficiency, a theory that has been gravely misunderstood by outsiders, as a way to maintain Thailand's integrity amid the forces of globalisation. Sufficiency is to have enough and not to take risks beyond one's ability to survive. Should there be any global shock, Thailand must survive by being able to stand on its own feet.
The King has initiated several thousand projects to help the poor. Although he may be trapped by his office, his mind and his focus are always on the rural people. His 60-year reign can be characterised as a reign of justice and happiness for the rural people.
There are two aspects, which are most of the time intertwined, to the Thais' respect for the King. First, they respect the King as an individual. Second, they respect the institution of monarchy.
In a recent address to the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand, former prime minister Anand Panyarachun clarified these two points succinctly.
"I have often said that the status that our King has risen to after 60 years' reign is something that he has earned. It is not a hereditary thing. When he was made a King at the young age of 17 or 18, nobody knew what kind of King he was going to make. But I think that by his diligence and by his determination and dedication, he has developed into a very good King," Anand said.
"When you talk about our King, he is not only a great King, but he is a good King. I make this distinction, for you can be great man with so many shortcomings and so many faults, but when you say he is a good man, to me it means more. So to me, the fact that he is a good King personally means to me much more than that he is a great King. To be a good King, to be a good man, is something you have to earn. You do not inherit [it].
"So if you try to separate the person from the institution, yes, there is a big gap. Be that as it may, the institution of monarchy is very much ingrained into Thailand and into [the] Thai character. I have no doubt that the institution will remain intact and will go on," he said.
Thanong Khanthong
The Nation
It is common knowledge that all political candidates and parties are controlled by monied interests, just as the political system and its laws are in turn controlled by lobbyists who are also controlled by monied interests. Thus as Julius Evola has pointed out, in this way the purpose and nobility of the State is destroyed through its subordination to the principles of the economy. No matter what system you look at in the modern world, these same subversive processes hold sway and engage in a process of dialectical disintegration with one another. The machinations of high finance and distribution of currency in excess of the GNP of Nations, causes them to fall into patterns of debt in the public and private sectors. This is true no matter what the ideology, as the principles of economy are the same. Similarly the creation of surplus value through wage/profit coefficients, creates an inductive disparity between wages and prices which relocates all wealth to the Capitalist class through the draining of the purchasing power of the wage earners, distributing profit to themselves and scarcity to the workers respectively.
The perversion of Democracy is that it gives power to the plutocrats in light of the incoherent "mass-will."
In spite of the fact that this is also true in Communist countries as the party-bosses raid the coffers of the State to obtain the profits of "State Capitalism," such processes in Capitalist countries do nothing but foment discontent and further the interests of those who would preach the gospel of totalitarianism and Marxism. The perversion of Democracy is that it gives power to the plutocrats in light of the incoherent "mass-will," by default, and through making the State a vehicle of avarice devoid of honor; thereby gives the State too much centralizing power over all aspects of human life. Thus in all collectivist systems based on identification with the masses, (which is every State-based system other than Monarchy) you paradoxically have a totalitarian system based on the tyranny of economic interests and a ruling elite that is unfit to rule, due to the fact that they are beholden only to Mammon and not to any higher principle of honor.
Now, this is the malaise of our times, no doubt. Being an American and citizen of the U.S., I was raised to believe in the myth of Democracy and to view Monarchy as some kind of system of tyranny. But is it really? I think not! Societies of egalitarianism are in fact the biggest tyrannies, for they reduce all aspects of life to that which resonates to the lowest common demominator, and the stolid aspects of mass-culture and values are made into Law and wielded over the population like a gigantic club. The lowest is made highest and thus regiments all aspects of life in machine-like and brutal manner, and loyalty to the State is compelled by force from the top-down, rather than being inspired from the bottom-up, which is the case in Monarchies. Democracy, Republicanism, Socialism, Communism, as well as the over-industrialized and technological artifacts of the world need to be done away with. All of these are but interrelated syndromes of the same disease, which does nothing but reduce Man to a level that is almost less than an animal, by dehumanizing him with the false values of objectivity and modernity at the expense of the subjective verities of truth and honor. A return to Monarchy is the sole hope of the world. Under Monarchy the State is relegated to its primary purpose, to hold the power of economic interests in check so they cannot despoil the people or the land. The mercantile classes are fit to trade but not fit to rule, and the communists I include in this group, due to their myopia about anything outside of "principles of economy." The modern world is the result of this situation, and its diseased condition is blatantly obvious. The Monarchy and Nobility should be the masters of the wealth of society and not the Capitalists, and their wealth should be bestowed by right and not by virtue of the fact that it was earned. Only in this way can the classes of the Nobility have an unbroken training and tradition in the proper uses of wealth, for their benefit and that of their domains.
Even more so, does this apply to the Monarchy. Because the wealth is already in the possession of Royalty and Nobility, the profit-motive and the motive to exploit society for mundane ends is removed . There is nothing to be gained by such economic mediocrity, and thus the Monarchy and Nobility can be concerned with matters of Politics and Sociology, as well as matters pertaining to the well-being of their domains . The moderns will cry: "What is to be gained by such a leisure-class that do not earn their wealth like we do?" A great deal. Only by having a leisure-class freed from material cares is it possible to have a truly educated class. Many captains of industry and Capitalists have conceeded that they have not had the time to become well-read and cultured people. And yet they are leading and controlling the world with only the most feeble an d superficial of educations. Even if they spent a good time in college, this cannot match a lifetime of education that can be obtained by people who are freed from the cares of earning a living. Thus the knowledge of the Royals and Nobility will be superior and more qualitative; and not based on the mundane ends of economy alone, but on higher things and values that alone can give the laws of economy a purpose. The Monarchist traditions of the State and Nobility exercises dominion but not tyranny. In this dominion the various peoples among the ruled manifest loyalty to the Crown, not because the Crown dictates their every choice through the contingencies of the laws of economy, but because the Crown gives them the right to flower as peoples that are fully human, only needing to labor solely to support their own station in life. As Evola pointed out, the feudal system is organic and allows for individual self-actualization for the peoples under it, and does not just regard them as economic units.
Monarchy allows for tremendous decentralization between the auspices of the Royal House, the Nobility, the Houses of Government, and the people. Even the life of a serf is something that a modern worker would envy. A serf labored only during planting and harvesting under the agrarian system, the rest of that time was free-time for the serf to pursue his own interests. You had festivals that went on for months among the serfs, and a noble could be imprisoned for letting his serfs starve if they were old or sick. The ruling classes were accountable not just to their superiors, but also to those lesser than them. They profited from the serfs, but the serfs also profited from the use of the land and worked far less than people do now under the plutocratic tyranny of industrialism. Who is the bigger slave, the serf or the wage-earner? I am certain the wage-earner of modern times would envy the serf. And if Monarchy would treat even the serfs in a more humane way than the poor are treated now, how much better would it be for everyone else! The serfs were valued, and not stigmatized for their spartan life, it was proper to their station and not a reason for criticism. The modern poor are psychologically stigmatized for their inability to make a fortune, as if everyone could just go and do that! The stability of social stations and the purposes innate to them makes for psychological health among human beings. A place from which you can neither rise nor fall, is a rock from which all endeavor can flower and work can exist for its own sake, not for the ulterior motive of either rising from or preventing a fall from where you are. The instability of human purpose and work and its subordination to purely economic ends is the primary cause of social and individual instability and psycho-pathology. A cause and result of modernism. Monarchism with its castes and roles frees humanity from the anxiety of striving to or falling from a particular station in life, each of which is valued in the context of community. Trade guilds, serfs, the ministers of state, Nobility and Monarchy, were an organic continuity that allowed for the flowering of human nature in its diverse forms, from the most humble to the most lofty. Is it any wonder that Monarchy is the most stable and humane from of government the world has ever known? And is it also any wonder that Democracy, Capitalism, Communism, Socialism, Republicanism, are decaying and crumbling away as we speak, from the entropy of their ignorant and mis-begotten valuations and constructs?
Monarchy And Tradition
By Archonis
a:link.nav {
text-decoration: none;
color: #CC6666;}
a:visited.nav {
color: #CC6666;
text-decoration: none}
a:hover.nav {
color: white}
body {
background-attachment: fixed;
background-image: url(../images/backgrounds/nouveau_side01a_background.gif);
background-repeat: no-repeat;
background-position: center top;
background-color: black
}
Home
Articles
Essays
Interviews
Poetry
Miscellany
Reviews
Books
Archives
Links
I recently finished reading "Riding The Tiger" by Julius Evola. It raised some interesting questions in respect to certain matters that I have been thinking about quite a bit, that relates to Evola's corpus of work, and not just this particular book. Evola has been labled a Fascist, Nazi, etc., but these definitions are wrong. If anything, Evola was a Monarchist, and I must confess I also have always had leanings in this direction too, even when I was a Left Wing Anarchist.
There is something about the institutions of Monarchy as they existed in ancient times, when you actually had warrior-kings, and priest-kings, that seem to me to resonate to a much higher level than anything that exists now. And it also can be argued that the peasants and serfs loved their King or their Queen, and would lay down their lives for them, even if they hated their feudal lords. It seems that Monarchy resonates strongly in the psyche of humanity, and this is even true in America, as we Americans cannot get enough of the Royal Family in the news, and many are fascinated with Monarchy and its institutions. In my view, in the early history of Europe there were great Sovereigns. I saw the movie "Elizabeth," not too long ago, and there can be no doubt that Queen Elizabeth transcended the normal human follies of a woman and reached a level of sacrifice and nobility in respect to England, that could only be compared to that of the greatest hero, or mystic. I would have been honored to have lived under Alexander The Great, who was a ruthless conquerer, but a benign ruler. If Alexander could see the suffering that exists now in our drab industrial world, he would surely be horrified. For the evil of these days since the death of the Monarchies and the advent of economic-based Nation States, is that the present epoch and its mediocre and brutal institutions just do not wear down the body with toil and the mind with vexation, but they kill the soul as well. Not just in people, but in everything. That is why the last 300 years have been the most evil in human history. Because even during the reign of the Clerical Holy Roman Empire, people in general still had a sense of basic humanity.
Now you have to discard it, in order to get anywhere in a world that is predicated on force, fraud, brutality, and exploitation of the worst kind, wrapped up in a panopoly of lies. It is true that by the 15th century and beyond, the Monarchies of Europe become degraded. You went from Kings that would get off their thrones to go into battle, to worthless dandyism and the parasitism of the leisure classes. But even these fops had a higher sense of culture, aesthetics, and interest in things that bore upon issues of nobility and honor, than the vile plutocrats that exist now; that are nothing more than slavish-minded savages and greedy swine only concerned with the crude material excesses that a slave would fantasize about, and the plutocrats being devoid of all honor, have the mindset of a slave, and were seen as part of the slave-class, in the ancient world. There is no principle that they would not betray for profit. No degradation that they would not commit to get ahead.
The monarchs lost because their principles of honor dictated that they accept defeat at the hands of the merchant classes, rather than sully themselves by fighting enemies that were beneath them. Marie Antoinette (sp?) apologized to the executioner for stepping on his foot, just before she got her head cut off. The point I am making is the degradation of the monarchies in later European history was in no wise the fault of the monarchies. It was the fault of the "culture aliens," that introduced by stealth the principles of the merchant-state and the bourgoise mentality in the 15th and 16th centuries, and thereby weakened the Monarchies and the principles of Empire; degrading and destroying them by forcing them to fight against nascent Capitalism, in the name of progress. Every effort was made to trick the monarchs into forgetting ancient principles and degrading themselves, and the "culture aliens" used every means at their disposal to turn the Royal Courts into dens of mediocrity and nests of vipers. Monarchs being human after all, succumbed. But the dishonor is not theirs, but rather they are the victims of those who were more inhuman, callous, and shrewd, and these conspirators managed to divorce the monarchies from the higher principles which gave them legitimacy.
The founding fathers of America took money from the same shylocks that were responsible throughout history for destroying the whole of European culture and traditions, including monarchy, and yet blamed the monarchs for this state of things; rather than those who were responsible and who were using the founding fathers to continue their subversive influence to further destroy the West, by fragmenting England from Her colonies, and thereby dividing the West (devoid of its Traditions) into fractious states of savagery and base materialism. The Founding Fathers were obtuse in this respect, not seeing those influences that were hellbent on perverting and subverting everything noble in the world, and turning it to evil channels.
It is clear, and not obscured, that the corporate state in all of its forms with its wage/profit shellgames, issuance of excess currency in excess of the GNP to create inflationary debt and bank profits, and intentional indebting of governments by similar means, is not something that would ever have arisen out of the traditions of Western Civilization, but were imposed through mass movements and conspirators manipulating them who's values were totally alien to anything Western. They stopped at nothing to make this happen, subverting within and attacking without until they won. But the dishonor is not with the dethroned monarchs, but with the victors, the corporate socialist, bolshevik capitalists who created a system of socialism for the rich, and corporate serfdom for everyone else. What irks me is how people on the far Right see Capitalism as Western, and think that this system was created by Europeans, rather than seeing that they are accepting the system that was created by the enemies of everything western, to destroy the West, which they did.
And the serfs of olden times would weep to see the industrial slaves of today, being worked and exploited to death, rather than just having to labor enough to sustain what was their proper station in life, and have the rest of the time to themselves. The monarchs had all of the wealth, and did not have to grind the serfs into dust to get more of it. The plutocrats have all the wealth now too, but it is never enough. They have to squeeze the blood and sweat out of everyone to get more and more. Technology and the technocratic state are a burdensome artifact that turns people into economic units, who's value as human beings is measured in dollars. I would take the WORST monarchy over leaders like this, who are totalitarians who want to micromanage your every breath, whose sole desire is to grind you under heel in a brutal Communist state, or do the same by crushing you with their golden Capitalist cudgel. A choice that is no choice.
There is nothing that remains now of the West as it is, and I look forward to its much deserved destruction. Most likely the technological and ecological substatum will bottom out before the "New World Order" of totalitarian statist communo-corporate fascism gets off the ground. It is too bad that what remains of the "Black Nobility" of Europe lacks the will or power to dethrone the "Third Estate" and bring back a European Empire based on the traditions of Monarchy and feudal nobility, like in ancient times. You could have a constitutional monarchy even, where the King and nobility must prove that they are indeed like the monarchs of yore: resplendent in higher principles and embodying in themselves the spiritual life of the Western world. Then the whole of Europe could be reunited, and all European peoples joined as one in a global "Imperium Europa," spanning Eurasia, Europe, and the Americas.
The flame of Avalon burns as a torch in the sons and daughters of Europe throughout the world. Let it become a conflagration! Death to all imperialist states. Long Live Europe!
############
Magnetism of a unique monarch
Published on December 3, 2007
On the eve of his 80th birthday, King Bhumibol Adulyadej finds himself even more popular and respected than ever.
';
}
else if (google_ads[0].type=="text")
{
s += '
if (google_ads.length == 1)
{
/*
* Partners should adjust text sizes
* so ads occupy the majority of ad space.
*/
s += '' +
google_ads[0].line1 + '' +
'' + // text
google_ads[0].line2 + ' ' +
google_ads[0].line3 + '' +
'' +
google_ads[0].visible_url + '';
}
else if (google_ads.length > 1)
{
/*
* For text ads, append each ad to the string.
*/
for(i=0; i ' +
google_ads[i].line1 + '' +
'' + // text
google_ads[i].line2 + ' ' +
google_ads[i].line3 + '' +
'' +
google_ads[i].visible_url + '';
}
if (google_ads[0].bidtype == "CPC") { /* insert this snippet for each ad call */
google_adnum = google_adnum + google_ads.length;
}
}
}
document.write(s);
return;
}
google_ad_client = 'pub-1044823792492543'; // This is your client_id
google_ad_channel = '4768931034'; //You may contact google to create more channel ids to track various site's performance.
google_ad_output = 'js';
google_max_num_ads = '3';
google_ad_type = 'image,text,html';
google_image_size = '336x280';
google_feedback = 'on';
google_encoding = 'UTF-8';
google_language = 'en';
google_adtest = "off";
/*google_skip = google_adnum; insert this snippet for each ad call */
// -->
google_protectAndRun("render_ads.js::google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad);
Ads by Google
900% Gain on Penny Stocks
Penny Stocks that move up 900%. Join today for Free to profit.
www.monsterstox.com
In June last year, a sea of yellow - shirts, caps and scarves worn by almost a million Thais - greeted him during a public appearance on the 60th anniversary of his reign. The atmosphere was so electrifying that one could feel a shiver run through one's body.
The reserve power surrounding King Bhumibol is so awe-inspiring, beyond any worldly explanation, that any Thai is ready to fall on his or her knees to pay utmost respect to him. They love their King knowing full well that he is a good King; it's as simple as that.
Monarchs and heads of states from all over the world who were invited to bear witness to the grand celebrations of the King's 60th anniversary were amazed by his magnetic popularity among his people, a phenomenon that cannot be found elsewhere.
"My Thai girlfriend keeps on talking about the popularity of the King," said a foreign analyst working in Bangkok. "I am sure if a poll were to be held, his popularity would be almost 100 per cent."
About month ago, Thais gasped with worry over the health of His Majesty. The King was hospitalised at Siriraj Hospital, where incidentally HRH Princess Galayani Vadhana, his elder sister, had also been undergoing treatment. The people were relieved when His Majesty was discharged in good health, able to walk by himself.
The King's emergence from the hospital in a smart pink jacket instantly became a fixed and powerful image. There followed a public frenzy for pink T-shirts, which were quickly snapped up and declared out of stock.
The King has since returned to Siriraj Hospital to visit Princess Galayani, alternately wearing green and blue jackets. Again, Thais have been following news of the King's visits every step of the way.
The Ninth King of the Chakri Dynasty is the world's longest-reigning monarch. He has also broken all the records of his predecessors in the Chakri Dynasty. He has outlived all the previous Chakri kings. King Rama I, who founded Bangkok as the new capital in 1782, lived the second longest until 72 years of age.
King Bhumibol has also reigned on the throne longer than any previous Chakri king. King Chulalongkorn, the King's grandfather, reigned for 42 years before passing away, leaving behind a legacy of sweeping legal and administrative reforms that set the stage for Siam to emerge as a modern state.
Prince Chula Chakrabongse's, author of "Lords of Life: The Paternal Monarchy of Bangkok, 1782-1932", characterised the first seven Chakri kings in the first 150 years of the dynasty as the Founder, the Artist, the Ruler, the Enlightened, the Revolutionary, the Liberal and the Philosopher.
The prince did not expand his excellent history book to characterise Rama the Eighth, who passed away prematurely, and did not live long enough to witness the greatness of the reign of Rama the Ninth. He certainly would have ranked King Bhumibol as the greatest of all the Chakri kings.
King Chulalongkorn faced a dilemma from Western colonialism. If he did not open up Siam to the outside world, the Kingdom would, like its neighbours, be devoured by colonial powers. If he were to open up Siam fully, the colonial powers would also win it all. It was not easy, yet King Chulalongkorn relied on a middle-ground policy of avoiding confrontation and agreeing to huge monetary and territorial settlements to prevent Siam from being colonised.
The reign of King Bhumibol has faced a similar dilemma, first from the Cold War and second from globalisation. While Thailand emerged unscathed from the domino effect of communism, if it had failed to open up in the age of globalisation, it would have been left behind in terms of social and economic development. If it were to open up too much, it would have been taken over by outside interests at the expense of the poor. The little trick was to walk the middle path, or gradualism, which has been the hallmark policy of Siamese kings of the past.
King Bhumibol has advocated sufficiency, a theory that has been gravely misunderstood by outsiders, as a way to maintain Thailand's integrity amid the forces of globalisation. Sufficiency is to have enough and not to take risks beyond one's ability to survive. Should there be any global shock, Thailand must survive by being able to stand on its own feet.
The King has initiated several thousand projects to help the poor. Although he may be trapped by his office, his mind and his focus are always on the rural people. His 60-year reign can be characterised as a reign of justice and happiness for the rural people.
There are two aspects, which are most of the time intertwined, to the Thais' respect for the King. First, they respect the King as an individual. Second, they respect the institution of monarchy.
In a recent address to the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand, former prime minister Anand Panyarachun clarified these two points succinctly.
"I have often said that the status that our King has risen to after 60 years' reign is something that he has earned. It is not a hereditary thing. When he was made a King at the young age of 17 or 18, nobody knew what kind of King he was going to make. But I think that by his diligence and by his determination and dedication, he has developed into a very good King," Anand said.
"When you talk about our King, he is not only a great King, but he is a good King. I make this distinction, for you can be great man with so many shortcomings and so many faults, but when you say he is a good man, to me it means more. So to me, the fact that he is a good King personally means to me much more than that he is a great King. To be a good King, to be a good man, is something you have to earn. You do not inherit [it].
"So if you try to separate the person from the institution, yes, there is a big gap. Be that as it may, the institution of monarchy is very much ingrained into Thailand and into [the] Thai character. I have no doubt that the institution will remain intact and will go on," he said.
Thanong Khanthong
The Nation
Wat Pho
The Kingdom of Sukhothai had important contacts with Sri Lanka. Thai monks travelled to Sri Lanka for further religious instruction, and Sri Lankan monks settled in Sukhothai. Sukhothai religious art was thus influenced by Sri Lankan art. The Buddha images of the Sukhothai era gained important disdinguishing characteristics from the images during the Khmer and Mon era.A flame appeared on top of the head of the Buddha. The head is covered with fine curled hair. The face is oval, with high curving eyebrows, a hooked nose, a downward gaze, and overall displays a gentle smiling expression.The body of the Buddha images displays broad shoulders and a small waist. Overall it can be said that the Buddha Images do not appear human, but display idealistic or superhuman characteristics.During the Sukhothai era, the four postures of the Buddha (sitting, standing, walking, reclining) were created. Reclining Buddha at Wat Imprumoon, Ang Thong province. Why are reclining Buddha images so large? Well it likely relates to a 'story' of the life of the Buddha. The giant Asurindarahu wanted to see the Buddha, but was reluctant to bow before him. The Buddha, while lying down, presented himself as much larger than the giant. He then showed him the realm of heaven with heavenly figures all larger than the giant. After all this, Asurindarahu, the giant, was humbled, and made his obeisance to the Buddha before leaving.
It all ends at Wat Pho, with the Reclining Buddha. The state of Maha Prarinimphan.A wandering spirit rests
Published on June 7, 2007
The artistic legacy of poet Montri Umavijani is vividly remembered
The marathon memorial reading of the 27 volumes of Montri Umavijani's poetry at Wat Pho on Saturday took almost 13 and a half hours to complete, setting a record for the longest English-language poetry reading in Thailand.
It was indeed a day to remember.
The reading took place in a sala in front of the Reclining Buddha, where friends and family members of Montri took turns to read out the entire collection.
John Solt, an American academic and poet, has compiled all 27 of Montri's books in a complete set.
The new publication is called "As Old As The World: The Complete English Poetry Books Of Montri Umavijani (1942-2006)".
The reading, which started at around 9am, lasted until 10.
30pm, with the last few books taking three times longer to read than Montri's earlier books.
The nighttime atmosphere was beautiful, with a full moon and stupas aglow as the poems were read.
"Temples are like oases for those in Bangkok," said Chuthathip Umavijani, Montri's wife, who organised the event.
"All in all, it was one of those days that we will never forget.
"
Poetry reading, in a way, is a sacred ritual.
Although not many people showed up for the event, a small congregation was enough to keep its spirit moving.
Family members, relatives and friends all came for the same purpose of commemorating one of Thailand's greatest modern poets and appreciating his artistic legacy.
Montri wrote his poetry mostly in English, but with a distinctly noble Thai voice and Buddhist spirit.
But his Thai poetry was equally excellent.
He had a passion for travel in search of meaning and truth and attempted, throughout his life and work, to fathom the innermost level of human consciousness and experience.
He did not write his poetry in a static mode.
His poems were like frames of pictures, which appeared to juxtapose his confrontation with experience.
But there was always a unity of structure in his seemingly unconnected works.
Montri himself held a poetry reading for Prince Thammatibes (Chao Fa Kung) at Wat Chaiwatanaram in Ayutthaya in August 2005.
To him, Prince Thammatibes, with his exquisite barge songs, was the greatest poet of the Ayutthaya period.
Montri was born into this unruly world in order to redeem our lost innocence.
During his lifetime his physical condition had always been his burden.
Yet his mind was sharp, free, insightful, intellectual and noble.
He fought the vanities of life and always came back with a triumph of mind over body.
His earlier works were powerful and original.
His later works sometimes sounded redundant but they are all still very refreshing to read, as his consciousness wandered between the finite and the infinite, the particulars and the universals before ultimately reaching out for Buddhahood.
"I wonder how many poets' works would stand up to such 'scrutiny by reading'?" said Solt, who co-organised the reading event.
"I think one reason why Montri's poetry delights in different, nuanced ways is because his early poetry was already fully bloomed, like a young Arthur Rimbaud, Raymond Radiguet or Charles Henri Ford, what the French call 'genie.
'
"As he aged, the poetry which was already focused and one-pointed from the beginning, gradually thickens and becomes a superbly crunched residue of his fleeting consciousness.
His annoyance at seeing the same human follies is palpable but more humour-laden as he switches places and accumulates layers of time.
His devotion to writing broadens as his poet's quest is tested and re-tested by reflection from various angles on his journeys to many countries, each simultaneously an exploration of the past and an experiencing of his immediate present," Solt said.
Montri's soul must have been wandering around the area he cherished during his life.
Wat Pho is recognised as being Thailand's first open university.
It was an old temple when King Nangklao, or Rama III, renovated it so that Thais could study astrology, traditional massage, traditional medicine, religion and literature.
While he was alive, Montri came back again and again to Wat Pho to appreciate its beauty and grandeur, the highlight of which is the Reclining Buddha.
The stature represents the Buddha entering a stage of nirvana.
Solt said: "It is good that we read in front of the Reclining Buddha rather than the sitting one; it was easier for the Buddha that way.
"
Montri would have certainly taken a last look at the gathering before going through the cycle of rebirth again.
He was a selfless person who spent most of his life in search of the highest knowledge and the ultimate meaning; he could have been reborn as a Maitreya, the Buddha of the future.
Indeed, he wrote "The Book of Maitreya" after a trip to Korea and Western Australia in 1988.
Montri and Maitreya share the same linguistic root.
He also consciously wanted to follow in the footstep of Maitreya, who writes for the knowledge of enlightenment.
Maitreya
I wish I could once again
Look at Maitreya
In meditative pose
To understand
The nature of enlightenment
For somebody destined.
I have found him
The poet of life -
Reflecting and writing
On the path to
Supreme enlightenment.
Thanong Khanthong
The Nation
It all ends at Wat Pho, with the Reclining Buddha. The state of Maha Prarinimphan.A wandering spirit rests
Published on June 7, 2007
The artistic legacy of poet Montri Umavijani is vividly remembered
The marathon memorial reading of the 27 volumes of Montri Umavijani's poetry at Wat Pho on Saturday took almost 13 and a half hours to complete, setting a record for the longest English-language poetry reading in Thailand.
It was indeed a day to remember.
The reading took place in a sala in front of the Reclining Buddha, where friends and family members of Montri took turns to read out the entire collection.
John Solt, an American academic and poet, has compiled all 27 of Montri's books in a complete set.
The new publication is called "As Old As The World: The Complete English Poetry Books Of Montri Umavijani (1942-2006)".
The reading, which started at around 9am, lasted until 10.
30pm, with the last few books taking three times longer to read than Montri's earlier books.
The nighttime atmosphere was beautiful, with a full moon and stupas aglow as the poems were read.
"Temples are like oases for those in Bangkok," said Chuthathip Umavijani, Montri's wife, who organised the event.
"All in all, it was one of those days that we will never forget.
"
Poetry reading, in a way, is a sacred ritual.
Although not many people showed up for the event, a small congregation was enough to keep its spirit moving.
Family members, relatives and friends all came for the same purpose of commemorating one of Thailand's greatest modern poets and appreciating his artistic legacy.
Montri wrote his poetry mostly in English, but with a distinctly noble Thai voice and Buddhist spirit.
But his Thai poetry was equally excellent.
He had a passion for travel in search of meaning and truth and attempted, throughout his life and work, to fathom the innermost level of human consciousness and experience.
He did not write his poetry in a static mode.
His poems were like frames of pictures, which appeared to juxtapose his confrontation with experience.
But there was always a unity of structure in his seemingly unconnected works.
Montri himself held a poetry reading for Prince Thammatibes (Chao Fa Kung) at Wat Chaiwatanaram in Ayutthaya in August 2005.
To him, Prince Thammatibes, with his exquisite barge songs, was the greatest poet of the Ayutthaya period.
Montri was born into this unruly world in order to redeem our lost innocence.
During his lifetime his physical condition had always been his burden.
Yet his mind was sharp, free, insightful, intellectual and noble.
He fought the vanities of life and always came back with a triumph of mind over body.
His earlier works were powerful and original.
His later works sometimes sounded redundant but they are all still very refreshing to read, as his consciousness wandered between the finite and the infinite, the particulars and the universals before ultimately reaching out for Buddhahood.
"I wonder how many poets' works would stand up to such 'scrutiny by reading'?" said Solt, who co-organised the reading event.
"I think one reason why Montri's poetry delights in different, nuanced ways is because his early poetry was already fully bloomed, like a young Arthur Rimbaud, Raymond Radiguet or Charles Henri Ford, what the French call 'genie.
'
"As he aged, the poetry which was already focused and one-pointed from the beginning, gradually thickens and becomes a superbly crunched residue of his fleeting consciousness.
His annoyance at seeing the same human follies is palpable but more humour-laden as he switches places and accumulates layers of time.
His devotion to writing broadens as his poet's quest is tested and re-tested by reflection from various angles on his journeys to many countries, each simultaneously an exploration of the past and an experiencing of his immediate present," Solt said.
Montri's soul must have been wandering around the area he cherished during his life.
Wat Pho is recognised as being Thailand's first open university.
It was an old temple when King Nangklao, or Rama III, renovated it so that Thais could study astrology, traditional massage, traditional medicine, religion and literature.
While he was alive, Montri came back again and again to Wat Pho to appreciate its beauty and grandeur, the highlight of which is the Reclining Buddha.
The stature represents the Buddha entering a stage of nirvana.
Solt said: "It is good that we read in front of the Reclining Buddha rather than the sitting one; it was easier for the Buddha that way.
"
Montri would have certainly taken a last look at the gathering before going through the cycle of rebirth again.
He was a selfless person who spent most of his life in search of the highest knowledge and the ultimate meaning; he could have been reborn as a Maitreya, the Buddha of the future.
Indeed, he wrote "The Book of Maitreya" after a trip to Korea and Western Australia in 1988.
Montri and Maitreya share the same linguistic root.
He also consciously wanted to follow in the footstep of Maitreya, who writes for the knowledge of enlightenment.
Maitreya
I wish I could once again
Look at Maitreya
In meditative pose
To understand
The nature of enlightenment
For somebody destined.
I have found him
The poet of life -
Reflecting and writing
On the path to
Supreme enlightenment.
Thanong Khanthong
The Nation
Maitreya
Maitreya
Book of Maitreya
Wat Bangkhun Phrom
According to Buddhist cosmology, the world system would gradually decline after the passing of one Buddha and then gradually improve before the arrival of the next Buddha. Now it appears that we are seeing a fast degeneration of the world system, with the people becoming immoral with greed, hatred, jealousy and delusion and forgetting the Buddha's Dharma. Many people now expect the world would go through prolonged periods of famine, disease and continuous warfare. The catastrophe could plunge the people into complete despair and turn the world into a vast graveyard. Only then would the people realise that the roots of all the suffering arise from their greed, anger and ignorance. They would go back to embrace the old values and realise all of their short-comings. The conditions of the world would then improve. There upon Maitreya would appear to lead the people further to redemption. Then the people "will lose their doubts, and the torrents of their cravings will be cut off: free from all misery they will manage to cross the ocean of becoming; and, as a result of Maitreya's teachings, they will lead a holy life. No longer will they regard anything as their own, they will have no possession, no gold or silver, no home, no relatives! But they will lead the holy life of chastity under Maitreya's guidance. They will have torn the net of the passions, they will manage to enter into trances, and theirs will be an abundance of joy and happiness, for they will lead a holy life under Maitreya's guidance."
Maitreya (Sanskrit) or Metteyya (Pāli) is a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he is referred to as Ajita Bodhisattva.
Maitreya is a bodhisattva who in the Buddhist tradition is to appear on Earth, achieve complete enlightenment, and teach the pure dharma. According to scriptures, Maitreya will be a successor of the historic Śākyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. The prophecy of the arrival of Maitreya is found in the canonical literature of all Buddhist sects (Theravāda, Mahāyāna, Vajrayāna) and is accepted by most Buddhists as a statement about an actual event that will take place in the distant future.
One mention of the prophecy of Maitreya is prophesied in the Sanskrit text, the Maitreyavyākaraṇa (The Prophecy of Maitreya), stating that gods, men, and other beings will worship Maitreya; it implies that he is a teacher of trance sadhana:
"will lose their doubts, and the torrents of their cravings will be cut off: free from all misery they will manage to cross the ocean of becoming; and, as a result of Maitreya's teachings, they will lead a holy life. No longer will they regard anything as their own, they will have no possession, no gold or silver, no home, no relatives! But they will lead the holy life of chastity under Maitreya's guidance. They will have torn the net of the passions, they will manage to enter into trances, and theirs will be an abundance of joy and happiness, for they will lead a holy life under Maitreya's guidance." (Trans. in Conze 1959:241)
Maitreya currently resides in the Tuṣita Heaven (Pāli: Tusita), said to be reachable through meditation. Śākyamuni Buddha also lived here before he was born into the world as all bodhisattvas live in the Tuṣita Heaven before they descend to the human realm to become Buddhas. Although all bodhisattvas are destined to become Buddhas, the concept of a bodhisattva differs slightly in Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. In Theravada Buddhism, a bodhisattva is one who is only destined to one day become a Buddha, whereas in Mahayana Buddhism, a bodhisattva is one who has already reached a very advanced state of grace or enlightenment but holds back from entering nirvana so that he may help others.
Once Maitreya becomes a Buddha, he will rule over the Ketumati Pure Land, an earthly paradise sometimes associated with the Indian city of Varanasi (also known as Benares) in Uttar Pradesh. (All Buddhas preside over a Pure Land; the Buddha Amitabha presides over the Sukhavati Pure Land, more popularly known as the Western Paradise.)
The name Maitreya or Metteyya is derived from the word maitrī (Sanskrit) or mettā (Pāli) meaning "loving-kindness", which is in turn derived from the noun mitra (Pāli: mitta) in the sense of "friend".
The earliest mention of Metteyya is in the Cakavatti (Sihanada) Sutta in the Digha Nikaya 26 of the Pali Canon. He occurs in no other sutta, and this casts doubt as to the sutta's authenticity. Most of the Buddha's sermons are presented as preached in answer to a question, or in some other appropriate context, but this one has a beginning and an ending in which the Buddha is talking to monks about something totally different. This leads Gombrich to conclude that either whole sutta is apocryphal, or it has at least been tampered with.[1]
Just ask your friend a simple question: which institution in this whole world is the most revered? Western institutions are crumbling. Capitalism is going downhill, dragging the institutions that support it down with it. We have the best system of Monarchy in this world, while most other institutions are very corrupted. The Monarchy combines our history of more than 700 years since Sukhothai with the present and the future of Suvarnabhumi when we reemerge again as a gentler and kinder nation. We are now preparing for the coming of Maitreya, the next Buddha, who will be born in this Golden Land 2,000 or 5000 years from and will replace Lord Buddha. We're already in the Age of Maitreya, the world's ultimate utopia. But first, there would have to be calamities and catastrophies. Only then would be realised our ignorance. Suvarnabhumi will be the land where Maitreya gives sermon of the revived Buddhism. The current Buddhism of Sakayamuni Buddha is declining. Jasmine, you're witnessing the end of the beginning.
Book of Maitreya
Wat Bangkhun Phrom
According to Buddhist cosmology, the world system would gradually decline after the passing of one Buddha and then gradually improve before the arrival of the next Buddha. Now it appears that we are seeing a fast degeneration of the world system, with the people becoming immoral with greed, hatred, jealousy and delusion and forgetting the Buddha's Dharma. Many people now expect the world would go through prolonged periods of famine, disease and continuous warfare. The catastrophe could plunge the people into complete despair and turn the world into a vast graveyard. Only then would the people realise that the roots of all the suffering arise from their greed, anger and ignorance. They would go back to embrace the old values and realise all of their short-comings. The conditions of the world would then improve. There upon Maitreya would appear to lead the people further to redemption. Then the people "will lose their doubts, and the torrents of their cravings will be cut off: free from all misery they will manage to cross the ocean of becoming; and, as a result of Maitreya's teachings, they will lead a holy life. No longer will they regard anything as their own, they will have no possession, no gold or silver, no home, no relatives! But they will lead the holy life of chastity under Maitreya's guidance. They will have torn the net of the passions, they will manage to enter into trances, and theirs will be an abundance of joy and happiness, for they will lead a holy life under Maitreya's guidance."
Maitreya (Sanskrit) or Metteyya (Pāli) is a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he is referred to as Ajita Bodhisattva.
Maitreya is a bodhisattva who in the Buddhist tradition is to appear on Earth, achieve complete enlightenment, and teach the pure dharma. According to scriptures, Maitreya will be a successor of the historic Śākyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. The prophecy of the arrival of Maitreya is found in the canonical literature of all Buddhist sects (Theravāda, Mahāyāna, Vajrayāna) and is accepted by most Buddhists as a statement about an actual event that will take place in the distant future.
One mention of the prophecy of Maitreya is prophesied in the Sanskrit text, the Maitreyavyākaraṇa (The Prophecy of Maitreya), stating that gods, men, and other beings will worship Maitreya; it implies that he is a teacher of trance sadhana:
"will lose their doubts, and the torrents of their cravings will be cut off: free from all misery they will manage to cross the ocean of becoming; and, as a result of Maitreya's teachings, they will lead a holy life. No longer will they regard anything as their own, they will have no possession, no gold or silver, no home, no relatives! But they will lead the holy life of chastity under Maitreya's guidance. They will have torn the net of the passions, they will manage to enter into trances, and theirs will be an abundance of joy and happiness, for they will lead a holy life under Maitreya's guidance." (Trans. in Conze 1959:241)
Maitreya currently resides in the Tuṣita Heaven (Pāli: Tusita), said to be reachable through meditation. Śākyamuni Buddha also lived here before he was born into the world as all bodhisattvas live in the Tuṣita Heaven before they descend to the human realm to become Buddhas. Although all bodhisattvas are destined to become Buddhas, the concept of a bodhisattva differs slightly in Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. In Theravada Buddhism, a bodhisattva is one who is only destined to one day become a Buddha, whereas in Mahayana Buddhism, a bodhisattva is one who has already reached a very advanced state of grace or enlightenment but holds back from entering nirvana so that he may help others.
Once Maitreya becomes a Buddha, he will rule over the Ketumati Pure Land, an earthly paradise sometimes associated with the Indian city of Varanasi (also known as Benares) in Uttar Pradesh. (All Buddhas preside over a Pure Land; the Buddha Amitabha presides over the Sukhavati Pure Land, more popularly known as the Western Paradise.)
The name Maitreya or Metteyya is derived from the word maitrī (Sanskrit) or mettā (Pāli) meaning "loving-kindness", which is in turn derived from the noun mitra (Pāli: mitta) in the sense of "friend".
The earliest mention of Metteyya is in the Cakavatti (Sihanada) Sutta in the Digha Nikaya 26 of the Pali Canon. He occurs in no other sutta, and this casts doubt as to the sutta's authenticity. Most of the Buddha's sermons are presented as preached in answer to a question, or in some other appropriate context, but this one has a beginning and an ending in which the Buddha is talking to monks about something totally different. This leads Gombrich to conclude that either whole sutta is apocryphal, or it has at least been tampered with.[1]
Just ask your friend a simple question: which institution in this whole world is the most revered? Western institutions are crumbling. Capitalism is going downhill, dragging the institutions that support it down with it. We have the best system of Monarchy in this world, while most other institutions are very corrupted. The Monarchy combines our history of more than 700 years since Sukhothai with the present and the future of Suvarnabhumi when we reemerge again as a gentler and kinder nation. We are now preparing for the coming of Maitreya, the next Buddha, who will be born in this Golden Land 2,000 or 5000 years from and will replace Lord Buddha. We're already in the Age of Maitreya, the world's ultimate utopia. But first, there would have to be calamities and catastrophies. Only then would be realised our ignorance. Suvarnabhumi will be the land where Maitreya gives sermon of the revived Buddhism. The current Buddhism of Sakayamuni Buddha is declining. Jasmine, you're witnessing the end of the beginning.
Thai divine comedy
The Thai Divine Comedy
By Thanong Khanthong
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paradise
Have you ever experienced Paradise, Hell and Purgatory in the City of Angels? Let me show you around Bangkok because I do at times venture beyond my home in the Sukhumvit area to visit Old Bangkok.
You start at Phanfah Leela Bridge, a distinct point that leads you to the gateway into the Paradise of Old Bangkok. King Rama III statue offers you a golden key for you to enter into the realm of the Paradise, where at the night time the angels descend to dance and pick up flowers. You can smell Paradise, the fragrance that is not of this world, as you watch the Stupas and the Loha Prasath behind.
There Paradise interacts with you in several dimensions, with the lure of aesthetics. If you could make your way up to Paradise, the background scenary behind the Rama III statue would have been the physical structure where the Angels take their residence.
Rama III built most of the permanent structures of Bangkok so that angels and the Thais mingle together in harmony. Here is the gateway and corridor to the inner parts of Paradise that is Bangkok.
As you travel from Lanluang Road and cross the Phan Fah Leelas Bridge into the broad Rajdamnoen Road, you immediately enter into the heart of Old Bangkok, the City of Angels. On the left, you come face to face with the statue of King Nangkhlao, or King Rama III (1824-1851). He was the Builder of Bangkok in a true sense. For this King commissioned the construction of most of the permanent structures in the City of Angels. Bangkok, once known as the Venice of the East, is located on the tiny Rattanakosin Island and surrounded by the khlongs or canals.
Before his reign, wooden structures were common features of Bangkok. The wooden structures did not last through generations; they caught fire easily and decayed with time. King Nangkhlao virtually had Bangkok rebuilt with concrete structures so that they, for all of their unique character and exquisite architectural design, would last into the future. The king ended up having 73 temples built and renovated, including the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the Grand Palace, the Temple of Dawn and Wat Pho. Most important, the temples and palaces of Old Bangkok would manifest the grandeur of a new Kingdom, where the angels, the gods, and his people, by following the highest Buddhist ideals, could live in harmony.
The statue of the King Nangkhlao sits in a upright position as if he were presiding over the construction of Bangkok. Following the path of his grandfather, King Yodfa, who founded Bangkok as the capital of Siam in 1782, King Nangkhlao had in his mind Bangkok as an unbroken link with the past glory of Ayutthaya. In short, Bangkok would represent a rebirth of Ayutthaya, once one of the most beautiful and marvellous capitals of the world.
London as a city could not compare in aesthetic aspects with Ayutthaya of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. So any grandiose celebrations of Bangkok have to auspiciously start on March 31st, the date of King Nangkhlao's birthday.
In a way, the statue gives an impression of a kind and gentle king. He sits right at the gate of Old Bangkok, proudly welcoming us into the City of Angels he rebuilt with a selfless Buddhist sense.
The golden Jessada Bodin (King Nangkhlao's title before his ascendance to the throne) Pavilion, which is located right beside the statue, represents the City Gate. Only honourable guests visiting Bangkok on state visits or special arrangements, are officially welcomed here. In a typical official ceremony, a Bangkok governor hands over a golden key to a VIP guest so that he or she may symbolically open the gate to enter the City of Angels.
As you explore the city further and adjust your frame of mind as a Buddhist, you'll find that in its true spirit, Old Bangkok is Heaven manifested on earth. You will also find that it is a sacred city.
*********************
That's the outer layer of Paradise. But Paradise is also hidden in your consciousness. As you experience the beauty of the Stupas and the Loha Prasat and the temples which moves your yearning for Paradise, that Paradise gradually permeats your own consciousness in a struggle for self-realisation. You finally come to terms with your self, your elusive self.
That which is Paradise is your process of understanding or the denial of all happiness, which charaterises the self, so that you confront the self in the most critical moment.
Between the self and no-self, which path do you choose?
Then you walk on along the Rachadamnoen Road. It is about midnight. You pass the Democracy Monument. How many people have died in futile for this worthless landmark that signifies greeds and crude power in this land? How many military strongmen come and go as the Democracy Monument is forever condemned with their curse? How many politicians have promised us with the loots before ending up with rampant corruption? How many times do the poor have to shed their tears just to get a fair share of their life on this earth?
Hell
Along the pavements, you see Hell and all the sufferings that go with it. Homeless people lie on the benches or on the tiny space close to the shop window. They do not have any other places to sleep.
Prostitutes, in their forties or fifties, gesture to you with their sign language. This is their turf. When dark night descends on Rachadamnoen, they come out to reclaim their territory. They perform the oldest trade of this world just to survive, with a heart that is beyond the sufferings of any human descriptions until it becomes normal.
You see people getting lost with their way because they cannot afford even Bt200-Bt300 for a night say in one of the cockroach motels in the backstreets, where rats are scurrying around looking for their stench food.
The sufferings you encounter manifest Hell in its physical form. The homeless and the prostitutes suffer from all kinds of physical abuse. They struggle to keep their self moving. They only have the will to live, to protect the self.
But Hell is also your obsession with the self. The Hell in your consciousness is your experience of the sufferings from the outside and the struggle of for the upkeep of the self from the inside.
As an observer of Hell, you set yourself apart from the sufferings. You start to doubt whether your comfortable life in a four-cornered office room is better than theirs. Your continuation to have obsession with the self does not make you having any status any better than them. For we all are born and have to go through the cycle of birth and death, in a seemingly eternal struggle for existence.
Those people in rags and ruins have no more strength left to have obsession with the self as they only need a few breath of strength to keep their sheer existence going. The Hell that is in your consciousness returns to haunt you as you hold it to be the absolute truth.
You have almost forgot the Paradise, the real Paradise that you have walked past almost a kilometre behind, the real Paradise that points to redemption.
Purgatory
The Triology would not come full cycle without your final confrontation with Purgatory. Purgatory signifies your aimless travelling through time. You are now in the human world, lying perhaps on the edge of this world.
In Buddhist terminology, Purgatory is a region where you place three circles together. You see vendors of fake Buddhas and second hand or third hand garments and electronics products. You can also buy a mobile phone there, with the service excellence of a mouth-to-teeth technician. You can have your future read by the palm of the astrologers of the land. You can eat a plate of phad thai or khai dao with garlic pork at Bt15 or Bt20. You can buy a buay drink to water down your thirst after a long walk. This is the medieval market of Siam, cut off from the Finance Ministry's tax arm. Prices are in the low range. You can buy an antique clock or watch for a couple of hundred baht.
You aren't sure how these people can make a living with their medieval trade because in the afternoon of that day, you just have a nice meal at Siam Paragon. As you pass the court buildings opposite Sanam Luang, you feel tired with the weighing down of the sights on your mind.
After Paradise and Hell, you could have thought that you find the answer to your true self. But no, you're still wandering without any direction. If you're not sure with Paradise and reject Hell altogether, you'll be left in a state of flux, of not knowing where else to go to or what else to do.
Finally, you stop at the City Pillar at the corner opposite Wat Phrakaew. You pay homage to the City Pillar, that provides strength and power to the longliveity of this Kingdom. You glance at Wat Phrakaew, which stands as a testimony of the ultimate Paradise. You pay your utmost respect to the ultimate sacred site of Bangkok, while the nihilism that goes around Wat Phrakaew is intensifying on the bedrock of ignorance.
There, you at once come to term with your self for the third critical moment of your brief travel in search for the lost meanings. Between Paradise, or the redemption of your soul, Hell, your preoccupation with the ignorant self, or Purgatory, your travelling through time without any meanings or purposes, what path would you choose?
As you return home, you feel tired with the dark vision, your confused mind and also your realisation of your potential to break away from your consciousness. The interplay between Hell, Purgatory and Paradise allows you to at once realise the sufferings, the peripatetic travelling through time before you arrive at the crucial juncture of whether you will enter the gate of absolute serenity, where the self is no longer what it is.
If you find my guided tour of the City of Angels of some thought, then you may see the light of how we all can break away from this sufferings by helping the poor first. Helping the poor does not mean that you have to demolish Paradise. You have to get it right at the Purgatory level first. This has to do with the police, politicians, military, prosecutors. When the poor is better, we all have shared meanings in the Purgatory as we look for the final exit to Paradise.
With this, I lay my case. I have taken you all to the epic journey in the spirit of Dante's Divine Comedy and Milton's Paradise Lost. I have to pay tribute to my deceased teacher Montri Umavijani and the Illustrious One, my beloved uncle, who both gave me the wisdom to see through the Three Worlds.
############################################
How the concept of Three World provides a way out for Thailand. In Hell, we have 40 million Thais living in tough conditions and engaging in agriculture. If we can improve their standard of living, we'll get rid of yellow, red and blue or any shades of colour. We'll achieve unity or political symmetry.But so far the businessmen, politicians, traders, financiers, bureaucrats or local authorities take advantage of them so that they remain poor. It is very difficult for legislation aimed at improving the welfare of the poor get passed by Parliament. The poor are being taken advantaged by the modern sector, which is far smarter.The Monarchy can only involved in development projects and provide moral guideance. But it does not have the resources nor is it a direct job of the Monarchy to engage in economic development. So the poor Thais are cursed to live in Hell.
Thaksin does not see it through, he only tries to take advantage of the poor for his own political gain. Much worse, there has been a smear campaign to suggest that the Monarchy has been taken advantage over the poor.The rest of us are moving about in Purgatory, including all the systems of government and the institutions and the modern sector. We fight for the resources, for the concessions, for a larger pie of the GDP. We go about to get rich and to take advantage over others. We do not care how the country will suffer in the end. We blame each other because we don't know the roots of the problem. Power play occurs at this level in the pursuit of self-interest and greeds. All the problems happen here in Purgatory.
Thailand does not now where it is going, except to serve the short-term greeds.Paradise is in our heart. His Majesty the King is already there by virtue of Detachment.
To enter Paradise, you must have detachment. Everybody can enter Paradise. Detachment is self-less or not craving for materialism or wanting something that does not belong to us, or not wanting to take advantage over other people, other animals, or refraining from harming the natural resources and environment.Once you have detachment, you have concentration to see through the Three Worlds. Concentration is the process of learning, of discerning, of separating reality from illusion, of understanding the essence of nature, of seeing Dharmma.Non-detachment stands in the way of everything, the worst of all is ignorance.Once you have the detachment (not me, not mine) and concetration (process of learning and discerning) to see through the Three Worlds, you'll achieve wisdom (complete understanding). You may call this wisdom as enlightenment or nirvana, depending on the gradation of your own barami or intelligence or perseverance or your pure heart.This is the Thai Utopia, a universe of ideas complete in itself.#######################################
By Thanong Khanthong
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paradise
Have you ever experienced Paradise, Hell and Purgatory in the City of Angels? Let me show you around Bangkok because I do at times venture beyond my home in the Sukhumvit area to visit Old Bangkok.
You start at Phanfah Leela Bridge, a distinct point that leads you to the gateway into the Paradise of Old Bangkok. King Rama III statue offers you a golden key for you to enter into the realm of the Paradise, where at the night time the angels descend to dance and pick up flowers. You can smell Paradise, the fragrance that is not of this world, as you watch the Stupas and the Loha Prasath behind.
There Paradise interacts with you in several dimensions, with the lure of aesthetics. If you could make your way up to Paradise, the background scenary behind the Rama III statue would have been the physical structure where the Angels take their residence.
Rama III built most of the permanent structures of Bangkok so that angels and the Thais mingle together in harmony. Here is the gateway and corridor to the inner parts of Paradise that is Bangkok.
As you travel from Lanluang Road and cross the Phan Fah Leelas Bridge into the broad Rajdamnoen Road, you immediately enter into the heart of Old Bangkok, the City of Angels. On the left, you come face to face with the statue of King Nangkhlao, or King Rama III (1824-1851). He was the Builder of Bangkok in a true sense. For this King commissioned the construction of most of the permanent structures in the City of Angels. Bangkok, once known as the Venice of the East, is located on the tiny Rattanakosin Island and surrounded by the khlongs or canals.
Before his reign, wooden structures were common features of Bangkok. The wooden structures did not last through generations; they caught fire easily and decayed with time. King Nangkhlao virtually had Bangkok rebuilt with concrete structures so that they, for all of their unique character and exquisite architectural design, would last into the future. The king ended up having 73 temples built and renovated, including the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the Grand Palace, the Temple of Dawn and Wat Pho. Most important, the temples and palaces of Old Bangkok would manifest the grandeur of a new Kingdom, where the angels, the gods, and his people, by following the highest Buddhist ideals, could live in harmony.
The statue of the King Nangkhlao sits in a upright position as if he were presiding over the construction of Bangkok. Following the path of his grandfather, King Yodfa, who founded Bangkok as the capital of Siam in 1782, King Nangkhlao had in his mind Bangkok as an unbroken link with the past glory of Ayutthaya. In short, Bangkok would represent a rebirth of Ayutthaya, once one of the most beautiful and marvellous capitals of the world.
London as a city could not compare in aesthetic aspects with Ayutthaya of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. So any grandiose celebrations of Bangkok have to auspiciously start on March 31st, the date of King Nangkhlao's birthday.
In a way, the statue gives an impression of a kind and gentle king. He sits right at the gate of Old Bangkok, proudly welcoming us into the City of Angels he rebuilt with a selfless Buddhist sense.
The golden Jessada Bodin (King Nangkhlao's title before his ascendance to the throne) Pavilion, which is located right beside the statue, represents the City Gate. Only honourable guests visiting Bangkok on state visits or special arrangements, are officially welcomed here. In a typical official ceremony, a Bangkok governor hands over a golden key to a VIP guest so that he or she may symbolically open the gate to enter the City of Angels.
As you explore the city further and adjust your frame of mind as a Buddhist, you'll find that in its true spirit, Old Bangkok is Heaven manifested on earth. You will also find that it is a sacred city.
*********************
That's the outer layer of Paradise. But Paradise is also hidden in your consciousness. As you experience the beauty of the Stupas and the Loha Prasat and the temples which moves your yearning for Paradise, that Paradise gradually permeats your own consciousness in a struggle for self-realisation. You finally come to terms with your self, your elusive self.
That which is Paradise is your process of understanding or the denial of all happiness, which charaterises the self, so that you confront the self in the most critical moment.
Between the self and no-self, which path do you choose?
Then you walk on along the Rachadamnoen Road. It is about midnight. You pass the Democracy Monument. How many people have died in futile for this worthless landmark that signifies greeds and crude power in this land? How many military strongmen come and go as the Democracy Monument is forever condemned with their curse? How many politicians have promised us with the loots before ending up with rampant corruption? How many times do the poor have to shed their tears just to get a fair share of their life on this earth?
Hell
Along the pavements, you see Hell and all the sufferings that go with it. Homeless people lie on the benches or on the tiny space close to the shop window. They do not have any other places to sleep.
Prostitutes, in their forties or fifties, gesture to you with their sign language. This is their turf. When dark night descends on Rachadamnoen, they come out to reclaim their territory. They perform the oldest trade of this world just to survive, with a heart that is beyond the sufferings of any human descriptions until it becomes normal.
You see people getting lost with their way because they cannot afford even Bt200-Bt300 for a night say in one of the cockroach motels in the backstreets, where rats are scurrying around looking for their stench food.
The sufferings you encounter manifest Hell in its physical form. The homeless and the prostitutes suffer from all kinds of physical abuse. They struggle to keep their self moving. They only have the will to live, to protect the self.
But Hell is also your obsession with the self. The Hell in your consciousness is your experience of the sufferings from the outside and the struggle of for the upkeep of the self from the inside.
As an observer of Hell, you set yourself apart from the sufferings. You start to doubt whether your comfortable life in a four-cornered office room is better than theirs. Your continuation to have obsession with the self does not make you having any status any better than them. For we all are born and have to go through the cycle of birth and death, in a seemingly eternal struggle for existence.
Those people in rags and ruins have no more strength left to have obsession with the self as they only need a few breath of strength to keep their sheer existence going. The Hell that is in your consciousness returns to haunt you as you hold it to be the absolute truth.
You have almost forgot the Paradise, the real Paradise that you have walked past almost a kilometre behind, the real Paradise that points to redemption.
Purgatory
The Triology would not come full cycle without your final confrontation with Purgatory. Purgatory signifies your aimless travelling through time. You are now in the human world, lying perhaps on the edge of this world.
In Buddhist terminology, Purgatory is a region where you place three circles together. You see vendors of fake Buddhas and second hand or third hand garments and electronics products. You can also buy a mobile phone there, with the service excellence of a mouth-to-teeth technician. You can have your future read by the palm of the astrologers of the land. You can eat a plate of phad thai or khai dao with garlic pork at Bt15 or Bt20. You can buy a buay drink to water down your thirst after a long walk. This is the medieval market of Siam, cut off from the Finance Ministry's tax arm. Prices are in the low range. You can buy an antique clock or watch for a couple of hundred baht.
You aren't sure how these people can make a living with their medieval trade because in the afternoon of that day, you just have a nice meal at Siam Paragon. As you pass the court buildings opposite Sanam Luang, you feel tired with the weighing down of the sights on your mind.
After Paradise and Hell, you could have thought that you find the answer to your true self. But no, you're still wandering without any direction. If you're not sure with Paradise and reject Hell altogether, you'll be left in a state of flux, of not knowing where else to go to or what else to do.
Finally, you stop at the City Pillar at the corner opposite Wat Phrakaew. You pay homage to the City Pillar, that provides strength and power to the longliveity of this Kingdom. You glance at Wat Phrakaew, which stands as a testimony of the ultimate Paradise. You pay your utmost respect to the ultimate sacred site of Bangkok, while the nihilism that goes around Wat Phrakaew is intensifying on the bedrock of ignorance.
There, you at once come to term with your self for the third critical moment of your brief travel in search for the lost meanings. Between Paradise, or the redemption of your soul, Hell, your preoccupation with the ignorant self, or Purgatory, your travelling through time without any meanings or purposes, what path would you choose?
As you return home, you feel tired with the dark vision, your confused mind and also your realisation of your potential to break away from your consciousness. The interplay between Hell, Purgatory and Paradise allows you to at once realise the sufferings, the peripatetic travelling through time before you arrive at the crucial juncture of whether you will enter the gate of absolute serenity, where the self is no longer what it is.
If you find my guided tour of the City of Angels of some thought, then you may see the light of how we all can break away from this sufferings by helping the poor first. Helping the poor does not mean that you have to demolish Paradise. You have to get it right at the Purgatory level first. This has to do with the police, politicians, military, prosecutors. When the poor is better, we all have shared meanings in the Purgatory as we look for the final exit to Paradise.
With this, I lay my case. I have taken you all to the epic journey in the spirit of Dante's Divine Comedy and Milton's Paradise Lost. I have to pay tribute to my deceased teacher Montri Umavijani and the Illustrious One, my beloved uncle, who both gave me the wisdom to see through the Three Worlds.
############################################
How the concept of Three World provides a way out for Thailand. In Hell, we have 40 million Thais living in tough conditions and engaging in agriculture. If we can improve their standard of living, we'll get rid of yellow, red and blue or any shades of colour. We'll achieve unity or political symmetry.But so far the businessmen, politicians, traders, financiers, bureaucrats or local authorities take advantage of them so that they remain poor. It is very difficult for legislation aimed at improving the welfare of the poor get passed by Parliament. The poor are being taken advantaged by the modern sector, which is far smarter.The Monarchy can only involved in development projects and provide moral guideance. But it does not have the resources nor is it a direct job of the Monarchy to engage in economic development. So the poor Thais are cursed to live in Hell.
Thaksin does not see it through, he only tries to take advantage of the poor for his own political gain. Much worse, there has been a smear campaign to suggest that the Monarchy has been taken advantage over the poor.The rest of us are moving about in Purgatory, including all the systems of government and the institutions and the modern sector. We fight for the resources, for the concessions, for a larger pie of the GDP. We go about to get rich and to take advantage over others. We do not care how the country will suffer in the end. We blame each other because we don't know the roots of the problem. Power play occurs at this level in the pursuit of self-interest and greeds. All the problems happen here in Purgatory.
Thailand does not now where it is going, except to serve the short-term greeds.Paradise is in our heart. His Majesty the King is already there by virtue of Detachment.
To enter Paradise, you must have detachment. Everybody can enter Paradise. Detachment is self-less or not craving for materialism or wanting something that does not belong to us, or not wanting to take advantage over other people, other animals, or refraining from harming the natural resources and environment.Once you have detachment, you have concentration to see through the Three Worlds. Concentration is the process of learning, of discerning, of separating reality from illusion, of understanding the essence of nature, of seeing Dharmma.Non-detachment stands in the way of everything, the worst of all is ignorance.Once you have the detachment (not me, not mine) and concetration (process of learning and discerning) to see through the Three Worlds, you'll achieve wisdom (complete understanding). You may call this wisdom as enlightenment or nirvana, depending on the gradation of your own barami or intelligence or perseverance or your pure heart.This is the Thai Utopia, a universe of ideas complete in itself.#######################################
Goddess of Earth and Subduing of Mara and Spirit House
OVERDRIVE: Will the Goddess of Earth bless or destroy?
What will become of the Democrat Party after the ill omen that befell its emblem, the Goddess of Earth statue? Earlier this week as workers were trying to remove the statue from party headquarters, they accidentally dropped it and broke her ponytail.
The Goddess of Earth's ponytail had to be taped to prevent it from falling apart.
Nobody knows for sure what bad luck will follow.
But most Democrats must realise that their fate has already been written on the wall.
The Goddess of Earth is sculpted in the act of wringing water from her hair.
You can also see a similar statue at a corner near Sanam Luang.
Queen Saovabha, wife of King Chulalongkorn and mother of King Rama VI and King Rama VII, had the statue of the Goddess of Earth erected in 1917.
This was in celebration of her fiftieth birthday.
A day before the opening ceremony for this statue, Queen Saovabha wrote to Minister of the City Chao Phraya Yomarat as follows: "Tomorrow I will make merit for my anniversary here, as usual.
I ask you to open the ceremony of the Statue of the Goddess of Earth with a water fountain, which I have paid to be erected by the Phan Philip Lila Bridge.
And I would like to dedicate this water fountain for public use; for the people who are my friends of the earth to drink and quench their thirst as they please.
" Thus those who passed by Sanam Luang in the old days could drink and wash their faces from the water provided from the Goddess of Earth's hair, built as a water fountain.
Nowadays people may no longer need water from the Goddess of Earth but they still worship her.
Interestingly, the Goddess of Earth is one of the characters of the Buddhist era.
In the story, before the enlightenment of the Lord Buddha, he was attacked by the Mara King, Vassavati.
The Mara King rode on elephant back ahead of a fierce army, trying to disrupt his path to enlightenment.
The Lord Buddha called Vasundhara, or the Goddess of Earth, to witness this confrontation with the Mara King and his army.
The Goddess of Earth said she would return to the Buddha the water he had poured on the earth in an act of making merit (tham boon kruad nam).
Thus she began to wring water from her hair.
All of a sudden, the water flowing from her hair became a mighty ocean, sweeping away the Mara King and his army to the ends of the earth and killing most of them.
Frightened by this power, the Mara King fled in disgrace.
The Lord Buddha's confrontation with the Mara King has deeply caught the imagination of Thai artists, inspiring them to create statues and paintings of the Buddha in the act of subduing the Mara King.
More than half a century ago, the late Khuang Abhaiwong, a founder of the Democrat Party, was staging a political rally at Sanan Luang.
Suddenly, there was a heavy downpour.
But the people did not move.
They stayed on to listen to his campaign speech.
When Khuang went back to his party headquarters and talked to other members, he thought that there must have been some supernatural force that had protected him and his party from the rain.
He recalled the nearby statue of the Goddess of the Earth.
Afterward a decision was made to take the Goddess of the Earth as the symbol of the Democrat Party.
Now many wonder whether the Goddess of the Earth's broken ponytail will spell doom for the Democrat Party.
The Goddess of Earth not only extends her love and compassion to the people by giving water from her hair, but she can also destroy bad people by sending an angry ocean from her hair to drown them.
We will have to wait and see whether a broken ponytail can prevent the Goddess of Earth from manifesting her magical power.
Thanong Khanthong The Nation
OVERDRIVE: Civilisations in conflict - but we can handle it
Even at the very micro level, we routinely witness clashes between the khaek civilisation and the jek civilisation in Thailand.
Khaek is a convenient term that Thais use to refer to Indians.
Jek denotes the Chinese.
One such clash is taking place at a site where I am building a house on extended land for my family.
It would not be surprising to witness similar clashes between the khaek and the jek elsewhere - clashes that profoundly shape the way the Thai people live, speak, act, worship and believe.
In the backyard of my house will stand a spirit house.
Next month a Brahmin priest will conduct a sacred ceremony to erect the spirit house for the god or the gods to reside.
The gods will live side by side with my family and ensure that we live in peace and with happiness.
Coincidentally, my next door neighbour is also building a new house.
He is spying on what we are doing.
He has just consulted a feng shui master on the design and the construction of his house.
Feng shui is the Chinese art of living in harmony with nature.
My neighbour sometimes sneaks onto my site to send out a signal that I am not building my house within the principles of feng shui.
Apparently, he believes that the spirit house is not good enough for me to ensure luck and prosperity.
This is a big difference in our values.
I am more inclined toward the khaek civilisation.
For, through the spirit house, I want peace and happiness in my house.
My neighbour strictly follows feng shui because he wants luck and prosperity for his family.
Jamlong, the head of the construction site at my house, remarked with a good heart about the rivalry that is going on between the two beliefs.
"It is fun as we are going to see a fierce battle between the feng shui master and the priest," he said.
As Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Indian prime minister, leads a top-level delegation to Thailand to open up a new era of bilateral relations, he will immediately recognise the profound influence that India has had on Thailand for thousands of years.
Thailand is a recipient country of two great civilisations - India from the West and China from the North.
But the influence from India is deeper, forming layers and layers in the foundation of Thai civilisation.
From religion to the arts, language, music, culture, law and literature, you see significant Indian elements in the ways of the Thais.
We borrowed ideas from India and used them rather conveniently until they were considered Thai ideas.
It was Emperor Asoka of India who in the third century played a key role in turning Suvarnabhumi, or the Golden Land, into a more civilised land.
Before, the local people in Suvarnabhumi worshipped ghosts and gods, who were believed to reside everywhere in rivers, in trees, in mountains, in the fields.
Emperor Asoka sent two chief missionaries to the east to propagate Buddhism.
One missionary went to Suvarnabhumi, the other to China, to then go on and teach Buddhism in Korea and Japan.
But before that, Hinduism, brought to this region by Indian merchants, had strengthened its foothold in the Cham civilisation of Vietnam and the Khmer civilisation, as witnessed by the grandeur of Angkor Wat.
When King Rama I, who founded Bangkok in 1782, wrote his own version of "Ramayana", originally written in Sanskrit by Valmiki, he did so in a poetic style and it now has its theme rooted in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in the Grand Palace of Bangkok.
"Ramayana" is widely read by Thais, who also adapted it into khlon plays.
It's immediately recognisable by the fact that the kings of the Chakri Dynasty use the title Rama, a name derived from the "Ramayana".
One of our deputy prime ministers, Dr Vishanu Krua-ngam, has a khaek first name.
Lord Vishnu is one of the Indian Gods.
But somehow the Indian elements have permeated Thai culture so deeply that we have forgotten their origin.
Pragmatic as we Thais are, we have also come to assume that the Indian elements are Thai.
Then the jek came later on with their forceful civilisation, their food, customs, beliefs and trading practices, to provide a topping for Thai civilisation.
Feng shui is only one of the examples.
The Chinese began building Chinatown from the founding of Bangkok.
We can also see the Indian community, around Phahurat near Chinatown.
Somehow the Chinese have overshadowed the Indians and now exert more influence on the Thais.
Yet the Indian spirit is always there in the consciousness of the Thais.
For the Thais, whether it is khaek or jek, we don't mind as long as it works.
Thanong Khanthong The Nation
What will become of the Democrat Party after the ill omen that befell its emblem, the Goddess of Earth statue? Earlier this week as workers were trying to remove the statue from party headquarters, they accidentally dropped it and broke her ponytail.
The Goddess of Earth's ponytail had to be taped to prevent it from falling apart.
Nobody knows for sure what bad luck will follow.
But most Democrats must realise that their fate has already been written on the wall.
The Goddess of Earth is sculpted in the act of wringing water from her hair.
You can also see a similar statue at a corner near Sanam Luang.
Queen Saovabha, wife of King Chulalongkorn and mother of King Rama VI and King Rama VII, had the statue of the Goddess of Earth erected in 1917.
This was in celebration of her fiftieth birthday.
A day before the opening ceremony for this statue, Queen Saovabha wrote to Minister of the City Chao Phraya Yomarat as follows: "Tomorrow I will make merit for my anniversary here, as usual.
I ask you to open the ceremony of the Statue of the Goddess of Earth with a water fountain, which I have paid to be erected by the Phan Philip Lila Bridge.
And I would like to dedicate this water fountain for public use; for the people who are my friends of the earth to drink and quench their thirst as they please.
" Thus those who passed by Sanam Luang in the old days could drink and wash their faces from the water provided from the Goddess of Earth's hair, built as a water fountain.
Nowadays people may no longer need water from the Goddess of Earth but they still worship her.
Interestingly, the Goddess of Earth is one of the characters of the Buddhist era.
In the story, before the enlightenment of the Lord Buddha, he was attacked by the Mara King, Vassavati.
The Mara King rode on elephant back ahead of a fierce army, trying to disrupt his path to enlightenment.
The Lord Buddha called Vasundhara, or the Goddess of Earth, to witness this confrontation with the Mara King and his army.
The Goddess of Earth said she would return to the Buddha the water he had poured on the earth in an act of making merit (tham boon kruad nam).
Thus she began to wring water from her hair.
All of a sudden, the water flowing from her hair became a mighty ocean, sweeping away the Mara King and his army to the ends of the earth and killing most of them.
Frightened by this power, the Mara King fled in disgrace.
The Lord Buddha's confrontation with the Mara King has deeply caught the imagination of Thai artists, inspiring them to create statues and paintings of the Buddha in the act of subduing the Mara King.
More than half a century ago, the late Khuang Abhaiwong, a founder of the Democrat Party, was staging a political rally at Sanan Luang.
Suddenly, there was a heavy downpour.
But the people did not move.
They stayed on to listen to his campaign speech.
When Khuang went back to his party headquarters and talked to other members, he thought that there must have been some supernatural force that had protected him and his party from the rain.
He recalled the nearby statue of the Goddess of the Earth.
Afterward a decision was made to take the Goddess of the Earth as the symbol of the Democrat Party.
Now many wonder whether the Goddess of the Earth's broken ponytail will spell doom for the Democrat Party.
The Goddess of Earth not only extends her love and compassion to the people by giving water from her hair, but she can also destroy bad people by sending an angry ocean from her hair to drown them.
We will have to wait and see whether a broken ponytail can prevent the Goddess of Earth from manifesting her magical power.
Thanong Khanthong The Nation
OVERDRIVE: Civilisations in conflict - but we can handle it
Even at the very micro level, we routinely witness clashes between the khaek civilisation and the jek civilisation in Thailand.
Khaek is a convenient term that Thais use to refer to Indians.
Jek denotes the Chinese.
One such clash is taking place at a site where I am building a house on extended land for my family.
It would not be surprising to witness similar clashes between the khaek and the jek elsewhere - clashes that profoundly shape the way the Thai people live, speak, act, worship and believe.
In the backyard of my house will stand a spirit house.
Next month a Brahmin priest will conduct a sacred ceremony to erect the spirit house for the god or the gods to reside.
The gods will live side by side with my family and ensure that we live in peace and with happiness.
Coincidentally, my next door neighbour is also building a new house.
He is spying on what we are doing.
He has just consulted a feng shui master on the design and the construction of his house.
Feng shui is the Chinese art of living in harmony with nature.
My neighbour sometimes sneaks onto my site to send out a signal that I am not building my house within the principles of feng shui.
Apparently, he believes that the spirit house is not good enough for me to ensure luck and prosperity.
This is a big difference in our values.
I am more inclined toward the khaek civilisation.
For, through the spirit house, I want peace and happiness in my house.
My neighbour strictly follows feng shui because he wants luck and prosperity for his family.
Jamlong, the head of the construction site at my house, remarked with a good heart about the rivalry that is going on between the two beliefs.
"It is fun as we are going to see a fierce battle between the feng shui master and the priest," he said.
As Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Indian prime minister, leads a top-level delegation to Thailand to open up a new era of bilateral relations, he will immediately recognise the profound influence that India has had on Thailand for thousands of years.
Thailand is a recipient country of two great civilisations - India from the West and China from the North.
But the influence from India is deeper, forming layers and layers in the foundation of Thai civilisation.
From religion to the arts, language, music, culture, law and literature, you see significant Indian elements in the ways of the Thais.
We borrowed ideas from India and used them rather conveniently until they were considered Thai ideas.
It was Emperor Asoka of India who in the third century played a key role in turning Suvarnabhumi, or the Golden Land, into a more civilised land.
Before, the local people in Suvarnabhumi worshipped ghosts and gods, who were believed to reside everywhere in rivers, in trees, in mountains, in the fields.
Emperor Asoka sent two chief missionaries to the east to propagate Buddhism.
One missionary went to Suvarnabhumi, the other to China, to then go on and teach Buddhism in Korea and Japan.
But before that, Hinduism, brought to this region by Indian merchants, had strengthened its foothold in the Cham civilisation of Vietnam and the Khmer civilisation, as witnessed by the grandeur of Angkor Wat.
When King Rama I, who founded Bangkok in 1782, wrote his own version of "Ramayana", originally written in Sanskrit by Valmiki, he did so in a poetic style and it now has its theme rooted in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in the Grand Palace of Bangkok.
"Ramayana" is widely read by Thais, who also adapted it into khlon plays.
It's immediately recognisable by the fact that the kings of the Chakri Dynasty use the title Rama, a name derived from the "Ramayana".
One of our deputy prime ministers, Dr Vishanu Krua-ngam, has a khaek first name.
Lord Vishnu is one of the Indian Gods.
But somehow the Indian elements have permeated Thai culture so deeply that we have forgotten their origin.
Pragmatic as we Thais are, we have also come to assume that the Indian elements are Thai.
Then the jek came later on with their forceful civilisation, their food, customs, beliefs and trading practices, to provide a topping for Thai civilisation.
Feng shui is only one of the examples.
The Chinese began building Chinatown from the founding of Bangkok.
We can also see the Indian community, around Phahurat near Chinatown.
Somehow the Chinese have overshadowed the Indians and now exert more influence on the Thais.
Yet the Indian spirit is always there in the consciousness of the Thais.
For the Thais, whether it is khaek or jek, we don't mind as long as it works.
Thanong Khanthong The Nation
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)