Phuket Views : Let’s get back to basics
Amy Fellingham searches for ways of becoming more intergrated in Thai society
I am getting rather frustrated looking for the reason why there is so much segregation on this island. Since I arrived, I have, without success, been searching for ‘mixed’ groups or clubs.
I lived in South Africa for nine years and can honestly say that the segregation between expats and Thai people in Thailand is far more apparent than black and white. And Thailand doesn’t have ‘apartheid’ as an excuse for discrimination.
A girls network added the word ‘expat’ into its title, which clearly makes it unwelcoming to Thai women. (What is the point? Surely it makes sense for expat women to have Thai friends?) As an expat woman I want to make Thai friends.
The same mistakes are being perpetuated time and time again, so it is no wonder such a deep crevice of prejudice continues to exist and why so many do not question the status quo and blindly accept intolerance. It is far easier to accept than challenge.
Ask yourself: Do you ask questions that are central to what makes Thai people inherently Thai? Do you challenge the way you think about the Thai way of life? Do you ask people why and how they do certain things?
Perhaps a better understanding will lead to more people connecting. Ignorance is not bliss, it is racism, it is arrogance, it is the opposite of moving forward.
I am therefore going to dedicate the next few articles to learning something about Thailand, its people and its culture in the hopes of taking one small step towards one another.
I have been fascinated by Buddhism since moving here and I have found that the more I know about the religion and its practices, the better I understand the Thai way of life.
I hope even an elementary understanding of what it means to be Buddhist will open your eyes to a deeper level of respect and appreciation.
Who is Buddha and where did he come from? Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE.
What does Buddha mean? – one who has awakened
He is recognised by adherents as an awakened teacher who shared his insights to help sentient beings end suffering, achieve nirvana, and escape what is seen as a cycle of suffering and rebirth.
The foundations of Buddhist tradition and practice are the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma (the teachings), and the Sangha (the community)
Cycle of suffering and rebirth: Sasāra or Sangsara, a term which translates as “continuous movement” or “continuous flowing”, which, in Buddhism, refers to the concept of a cycle of birth and consequent decay and death, in which all beings in the universe participate, and which can only be escaped through enlightenment. Sasāra is associated with suffering and is generally considered the antithesis of Nirvana.
Enlightenment or Awakening: being freed from greed, hate and delusion
Nirvana: the state of being free from suffering (or dukkha) in sramanic thought.
According to typical śramaa worldviews, a human being is responsible for their own deeds and will reap the fruits of those deeds for good or ill. Liberation, therefore, may be achieved by anybody irrespective of caste, creed, colour or culture.
My Thai friend says that each man will reach a certain age (usually around 24 or 25) in which he will spend some time as a monk to learn more about consciousness and spiritual fulfillment. The individual may become a monk for one week, or six months, the choice is his. He may never return to normal civilian life.
Buddha teaches to accept no teaching without testing it. Instead of believing in teachings, one needs to practice the teachings in order to realise the truth of them for ourselves.
The first teaching from which all other teachings flow is that of the Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths:
1.The truth of suffering (dukkha)
2.The truth of the cause of suffering (samudaya)
3.The truth of the end of suffering (nirhodha)
4.The truth of the path that frees us from suffering (magga)
Karma is a word everyone knows, yet few in the West understand what it means. Westerners too often think it means “fate” or is some kind of cosmic justice system. This is not the Buddhist understanding of the word.
Karma is a Sanskrit word that means ‘action’ In Buddhism, karma has a more specific meaning, which is volitional or willful action. Things we choose to do or say or think set karma into motion. The law of karma is a law of cause and effect.
What is rebirth? When the physical body is no more capable of functioning, energies do not die with it, but continue to take some other shape or form, which Buddhists call another life. Physical and mental energies, which constitute the so-called being, have within themselves the power to take a new form, and grow gradually and gather force to the full.
I was just reading this morning that people in a northern village said that a man who died recently had come back as a rooster. This rooster was following his widow around the village, never leaving her side.
Well, I hope I have opened your eyes a little bit to one of the religions on Phuket. Ask questions, you never know what you will learn about yourself in the process.
A girls network added the word ‘expat’ into its title, which clearly makes it unwelcoming to Thai women. (What is the point? Surely it makes sense for expat women to have Thai friends?) As an expat woman I want to make Thai friends.
The same mistakes are being perpetuated time and time again, so it is no wonder such a deep crevice of prejudice continues to exist and why so many do not question the status quo and blindly accept intolerance. It is far easier to accept than challenge.
Ask yourself: Do you ask questions that are central to what makes Thai people inherently Thai? Do you challenge the way you think about the Thai way of life? Do you ask people why and how they do certain things?
Perhaps a better understanding will lead to more people connecting. Ignorance is not bliss, it is racism, it is arrogance, it is the opposite of moving forward.
I am therefore going to dedicate the next few articles to learning something about Thailand, its people and its culture in the hopes of taking one small step towards one another.
I have been fascinated by Buddhism since moving here and I have found that the more I know about the religion and its practices, the better I understand the Thai way of life.
I hope even an elementary understanding of what it means to be Buddhist will open your eyes to a deeper level of respect and appreciation.
Who is Buddha and where did he come from? Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE.
What does Buddha mean? – one who has awakened
He is recognised by adherents as an awakened teacher who shared his insights to help sentient beings end suffering, achieve nirvana, and escape what is seen as a cycle of suffering and rebirth.
The foundations of Buddhist tradition and practice are the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma (the teachings), and the Sangha (the community)
Cycle of suffering and rebirth: Sasāra or Sangsara, a term which translates as “continuous movement” or “continuous flowing”, which, in Buddhism, refers to the concept of a cycle of birth and consequent decay and death, in which all beings in the universe participate, and which can only be escaped through enlightenment. Sasāra is associated with suffering and is generally considered the antithesis of Nirvana.
Enlightenment or Awakening: being freed from greed, hate and delusion
Nirvana: the state of being free from suffering (or dukkha) in sramanic thought.
According to typical śramaa worldviews, a human being is responsible for their own deeds and will reap the fruits of those deeds for good or ill. Liberation, therefore, may be achieved by anybody irrespective of caste, creed, colour or culture.
My Thai friend says that each man will reach a certain age (usually around 24 or 25) in which he will spend some time as a monk to learn more about consciousness and spiritual fulfillment. The individual may become a monk for one week, or six months, the choice is his. He may never return to normal civilian life.
Buddha teaches to accept no teaching without testing it. Instead of believing in teachings, one needs to practice the teachings in order to realise the truth of them for ourselves.
The first teaching from which all other teachings flow is that of the Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths:
1.The truth of suffering (dukkha)
2.The truth of the cause of suffering (samudaya)
3.The truth of the end of suffering (nirhodha)
4.The truth of the path that frees us from suffering (magga)
Karma is a word everyone knows, yet few in the West understand what it means. Westerners too often think it means “fate” or is some kind of cosmic justice system. This is not the Buddhist understanding of the word.
Karma is a Sanskrit word that means ‘action’ In Buddhism, karma has a more specific meaning, which is volitional or willful action. Things we choose to do or say or think set karma into motion. The law of karma is a law of cause and effect.
What is rebirth? When the physical body is no more capable of functioning, energies do not die with it, but continue to take some other shape or form, which Buddhists call another life. Physical and mental energies, which constitute the so-called being, have within themselves the power to take a new form, and grow gradually and gather force to the full.
I was just reading this morning that people in a northern village said that a man who died recently had come back as a rooster. This rooster was following his widow around the village, never leaving her side.
Well, I hope I have opened your eyes a little bit to one of the religions on Phuket. Ask questions, you never know what you will learn about yourself in the process.
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