Thai New Year

Happy New Year! Today was the celebration fo the Songkran Festival or the Thai New Year. Technically it's not a Buddhist holiday, but who cares? Like any holiday it's a mixture of elements. I thought I would share some pictures from the day with you all.

The Thai New Year is a huge holiday in Thailand. Some of you may be wondering why there are so many 'New Years' celebrations on dates other than December 31 and January 1st. Don't worry I'm not about to try and explain all the different calendars that have been created over time. That stuff will make your head spin. But suffice to say that for most of history different cultures have used their own method of calculating time.

The Thais used a method that utilized the son and the moon.
Thailand, like the rest of the world, goes by the now standard Gregorian Calendar, but the Thai New Year remains a festive holiday. But for all intents and purposes of business and such the New Year for Thais began on January 1st like it did for the rest of us. Okie dokie?

Below is one of the monks making the rounds as the laity give alms. You can't see it in this picture, but the monk is holding an alms bowl and as he makes his rounds people scoop a few spoon fulls of rice into his bowl. For today's occasion this is mostly ceremonial because the monks are treated to quite a feast today.




As the monks make their way around, they head for the dining hall. Before entering a lay person washes their feet and pays respect to them.



Once seated in the dining hall, the real food starts pouring in. The laity for a big line and dish after suculent dish of yummy Thai food is passed into the dining hall to the monks, beginning with the Abbot and working its way around. Each monks takes a small portion and passes the plate around. This takes quite some time because there was a TON of food.
While the monks are eating, the laity begin to chant. No, we don't chant "Eat, eat, eat!" I know that's what you were thinking. I'll provide a small excerpt of our morning chant in English:

The Blessed One is Worthy & Rightly Self-awakenedI bow down before the Awakened, Blessed One.The Dhamma is well-expounded by the Blessed OneI pay homage to the DhammaThe Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples has practiced well.I pay respect to the Sangha.
Keep in mind that we chant in Pali the ancient language of the Buddhist texts. It's really quite beautiful.



This is also a special time at which the laity donate gifts to the temple and to our monks: robes, vitamins, bandaids, soap, and other essential items are donated.



Two things to describe in the picture below. The tree in the background is a money tree that has been donated to the Temple. Just prior to this shot there was a small ceremony where the tree is brought to the abbot of our temple and presented.


This leads to the washing ceremony. The laity lines up to pour water on the hands of our monks for being such a good example to us and there are also a few elders that we pay respect to. The small bowl is filled with water with a few rose petals in it.



The ceremony begins by paying respect to the Buddha and pouring a small amount of water on the small Buddha statue you see in front of me.





As you can see below I've made my rounds through the monks and now I am 'washing' one of the elders of our temple. They are so sweet!
The picture below is a little out of sequence. I really like it. The money tree had been presented to the Temple and the monks have just started to chant. The laity also joins in the chants.



It's the celebration of the Thai New Year with a host of activities thrown in for good measure. It's a wonderful experience. It's fascinating how Buddhists were able to harness what were very secular holidays and use them as a tool for spiritual growth.
To an outsider the spiritual nature of the festival is maybe easy to miss. But it begins with the revrence we show the Sangha (the order of monks) and to our elders. We must practice humility. And in so doing we reflect on the immense good that is brought by our Sangha as they provide a living breathing example of the Dhamma (The Buddha's teachings). Our faith is not dead, only to be found in some book. It is a living, breathing tradition. And we are thankful to our monks and nuns for that.



On that note, I'll leave you all with one of the chants we did that day called the Sublime Attitudes. It's one of the most beautiful and meaningful chants we do:

May I be happy.
May I be free from stress and pain.
May I be free from animosity.
May I be free from oppression.
May I be free from trouble.
May I look after myself with ease.
May all living beings be happy.
May all living beings be frree from animosity.
May all living beings be free from oppression.
May all living beings be free from trouble.
May all living beings look after themselves with ease.
May all living beings be freed from all stress and pain.
May all living beings not be deprived of the good fortune they have attained.
All living beings are owners of their actions,
heir to their actions,
born of their actions,
related through their actions,
and live dependent on their actions.
Whatever they do, for good or for evil,
to that will they fall heir.
May all beings live happily, free from animosity.
May all share in the blessings springing from the good I have done.
May there be every good blessing.
May the devas protect you.
Through the power of all the Buddhas,May you forever be well.
May there be every good blessing.
May the devas protect you.
Through the power of all the Dhamma
May you forever be well.
May there be every good blessing.
May the devas protect you.
Through the power of all the Sangha,
May you forever be well.

Introducing Buddhism

. As the Buddha's birth quickly approaches I'll probably do a number of entries on Buddhism. And I'm sure I'll do one on the Buddha at some point. But I'd like to begin with the beginning, a little orientation, a little introduction, if you will.

Buddhism can be a bit complicated to introduce people to because it defies most of the categories and concepts we think of when we think of religion. To illustrate this I've created a conversation between me and someone who is curious about Buddhism. I have engaged in such conversations to one degree or another for some time.

"So the Buddha is you're god?"

"No. The Buddha was a human like you and I."

"Oh? So, who is your God? Who do you pray to?"

"We don't have a god. We don't pray to anyone."

"I see. So how exactly do you think everything got created?"

"I'm not sure what you mean. Creation generally implies something being created from something else. I can create a home out of steel studs, dry-wall, and cement. But your question poses a much different use of the term creation. You mean creation ex nihlo or creation from nothing, i.e., the actual creation of matter. To that question I look to science. It is not something the Buddha felt was worth speculating about. To put it simply: we have no creation myth.

"The Buddha was aware that people want to know how it all started. He likened such people to the man who has been shot by a poisonous arrow. Before he will allow the doctor to do his job he demands to know who shot him, where the man came from, what type of bow he used, etc. All very interesting questions, but none of them will help the man overcome the poison racing through his body. The Buddha teaches us how to eradicate suffering.

"OK, no God, no creation account...what about your soul? Where does your soul go when you die?"

"We hold no theories regarding a soul. A lot of people falsley believe the Buddha taught there is no soul. Actually what he did was teach us ways to shed false views of self, including false views regarding the soul so that we unecessarily cling to. When asked point blank if there is or is not a soul the Buddha declined to answer.

"The 'self' according to the Buddha is composed of five aggregates or skandhas. A good analogy is a car. We think of a car as a 'thing' but in actuality it is a composition of many parts that together form the car. Likewise, we are composed of many parts. There is no one permanent and eternal me or you."

"Oh boy! No God, no soul, no creation...are you sure Buddhism isn't just a philosophy? Is it really even a religion?"

"I realize it can seem a bit strange. It's non-theistic, posits no creation myth, no belief in an eternal soul and yet claims to be a religion! What gives? What on earth could possibly make Buddhism a religion?
"Yes, the Buddha was a man. But unlike philosphers he didn't sit around speculating about the nature of reality. Instead he harnessed his powers of awareness and peered through the veil of illusion into the true nature of reality. His Awakening and subsequent fifty year teaching career are the result of his direct experience of Nirvana.

"Unlike Moses, Jesus, Muhammed, Joseph Smith and other religious figures, the Buddha never claimed divine guidance. He never claimed divinity. Instead, he claimed that through his own hardwork, dilligence, and perseverance he had unraveled the karmic knot of suffering and attained the bliss of Nirvana and that we too could attain such bliss."

Keep in mind that none of the above questions are 'stupid questions.' They are very normal questions that I get asked all the time and I don't mind trying to answer them. It can be hard at times because Buddhism is so different from most other religions that it's hard for people to wrap their minds around.

Most people assume that the 'other' religions are similar to theirs. The main difference being that 'they' simply worship another god or they read a different "Bible" (literally book). But it's these assumptions, whick make perfect sense if you're a Christian, that can make it a bit difficult to explain just what Buddhism is all about.

If you are interested in learning about Buddhism you have to try and meet it on its own terms. It's a very radical religion in many ways. It's a religion free of dogma and empty assertions about gods, souls, and creation. It's a religion that cares more about how you live your life than what you believe. It's a religion with a remarkably peacefull history that has gained followers around the globe through the sheer power of its message.

Some sites you might find interesting:
A Buddhist Critique of Christianity: This is actually an electronic version of a book printed in Sri Lanka. Christians and non-Christians will find it very interesting.

Access to Insight: This is my favorite Buddhist site. There are a lot of really bad books on Buddhism out there. Here you will find many of the texts from the Pali Canon so that you can see for yourself what the Buddha actually taught. There is a ton of information here.
There are a bazillion more Buddhist sites out there, but I don't want to bog ya down. I'd also like to let you all know that there is a Buddhist chat every Monday evening hosted by Ghana Bhuti. It begins at 10:00 pm Eastern Time. If you're interested in stopping by let me know and I'll give you the information.

Coming Soon: An entry on the Buddha