Visiting temples had been a fascination because of the brand architecture but nothing compares when I visited the biggest Chinese temple in Thailand, the Wat Boromracha. The temple is built in Ming-Ching architectural style reminiscent of my visit to the Forbidden City in Beijing, of which this was copied. The temple was built in commemoration of the 80th birthday of the King of Thailand and the temple took 12 years to finished. Let me give you a tour.
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| Floating candles as a sign of offering |
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| 1,000-handed Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva statue |
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| Buddha images cast from brass |
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| Granite engraving |
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| Sukkavadi Meun Buddhasukkavadi Buddhakaset Hall |
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| Ornate ceilings |
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| Elaborately carved beam-and-bracket roof support |
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| A glimpse of the huge Brass Buddha |
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| Carved and painted wooden doors |
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| Imposing architectural craftmanship |
The temple was built to accommodate worshippers and the growing number of monks. It was also built to establish a learning institute that will incorporate Buddhist doctrines for Chinese-Thai novices. (Bangkok Post- Patsinee Kranlert)
When I visit a country, I often go to their churches or their temples. By doing so, I enter a new place with much reverence to the people of that country while embracing their beliefs and traditions be it of a different religion from mine.
Teachings from Gautama Buddha:
On Truth:
Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.
On Anger:
You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.
On Work:
To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.
On Friends:
An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.
Leaving you with some wise words. Peace!
gusto ko rin na bumisita sa mga templo kaso bihira naman yun dito sa pinas yun :(
ReplyDeleteVery well said , sana makapunta din ako dyan someday qt sana patuluyin mo ko sa munti mong tahanan hehe
ReplyDeleteCher Jo, paampon... Kahit isang linggo lang tapos pasyal sa mga ganyan.. Huhu.. Kagaganda ng mga kulay...
ReplyDeleteYou will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.
ReplyDeleteThat teaching has lots of wisdom.
@ Rix,
ReplyDeleteI once visited a Taoist temple around Abad Santos and it was an experience as well. The monks answered our questions well but because I spoke in Chinese. I went there as part of my studies in Religions.
@ josh,
ReplyDeleteMukhang pupunta ka na nga. Ilang araw ba ang balak mo. Better if the dates fall on my holidays para mapasyal ko kayo ni Cher Kat. July will be good, second week before I go somewhere else, lol!
@ Cher Kat,
ReplyDeleteSama na lang kayo ni Josh at ni Arvin din para isang lakaran na lang. Paampon as in bahay at food. Puwede ba kayo sa living room? Sige pag ok na ang bansang ito, dami pa silang away.
wala pa akong napupuntahang mga temples kundi yung Bell Church lang sa Baguio :)
ReplyDeleteparang gusto ko nga mag-stay sa isang templo kasi napaka-peaceful at magaan sa pakiramdam :)
bakit di mo po in-upload yung "dungaw sa bintana" picture mo? dito ba yun sa templong ito? :)
@ overthinker,
ReplyDeleteTama ka diyan. Buddhism is very meaningful and practical. I see them in practice as well everyday.
Wise words. Yung pwede maisabuhay sa pang araw araw.
ReplyDelete@ Jep,
ReplyDeleteI also thought of staying in a temple for a while but the stories of my friend scared me, ha,ha,ha. Pero mayroon ditong mga meditation retreat which I will enroll into one of these days. Mas praktikal for me as in use.
Hindi pa ito yun, next posting na lang yung bintana. That temple is spectacular!
@ June,
ReplyDeleteMinsan naisip ko nang magpalit ng religion dahil mas may kabuluhan ang mga mensahe ng Buddhism pero naisip ko lang naman. What I do I follow some their most common practices of not wasting, meditating, recollecting and mindfulness.
I also love the Chinese culture (but not it's government - territorial issues and everything lol)
ReplyDeleteAnyways, ang gaganda talaga ng mga Chinese temples. Nakakamangha yung architectural designs nila.
at ang cute nung floating candles :D
at...
at...
yung last quote about friend, quotes namen ni Rix yan last year sa fb during nung "war" nyahahaha! ewan ko kung natatandaan pa ni Rix yan XD
When I visited Siem Reap, naumay ako sa temples, though na-enjoy ko naman. I hope to visit Thailand someday. :)
ReplyDelete"To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent." Wow this has struck me.. Maybe I shouldn't be lazy anymore and pull myself together
ReplyDeleteYou will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger. - THIS.
ReplyDeleteI love how the temples are just so colorful and vibrant.
ay ganun?
ReplyDeleteahaha. sige nga maghahanap ako ng malapit ng temple dito ay magninilay nilay din ako..
I'm seriously starting to envy your around-the-world trips, sir.
ReplyDelete@ Fiel,
ReplyDeleteGenius nga. If you ever have the chance to visit Mainland China, kamangha mangha. I enjoyed walking through the Imperial Garden and others but I literally died sa laki ng gusali. Nakakapagod much!
May war kayo ni Rix, ano na ang kaganapan ngayon?
gawan mo ko ng itinerary pag numatak ako jan ha. pls pls pls... bet ko rin ang mga temples eh!
ReplyDelete@ Geosef,
ReplyDeleteEh yung mga temples naman sa Angkor Wat eh ruins na but filled with stories and history. My tour guide explained well the different structures at hindi ako nagmamadali. It was a day experience and worth every minute.
Sige sama ka kay Rix at Kat, sabay sabay na kayo.
@Simon,
ReplyDeleteYes, be diligent and all will fall in the right places. Do it for yourself not for others. Good luck my friend.
@ Marshee,
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, when I walked through the halls of the temple, it was like walking again in China, it was so exact, colours and designs.
@ Rix,
ReplyDeleteMag monk ka na lang. Puwede siya for three days lang but you need to shave your head and eyebrows.
@ Olivr,
ReplyDeleteI seriously envy your talent in writing reviews and your up and down mountain climbing with your peers. You can do what I do, one day, one at a time. All the best my friend.
@ senyor,
ReplyDeleteThere is this famous one called Grand Palace and that itself is a worthy trip. It is also grand in scale and filled with stories.
Sige, sabay sabay na nga kayo para arkila na tayo ng van. Sobra sigurong ingay niyan, ha,ha,ha.
My religious predisposition requires me not to enter any pagan temple or do any ritual that is normally done by tourists. Obviously I am a particular person. I wouldn't say that I'm a rebel. But it's not like I'm worshiping other gods other than the Almight One, Creator of Heaven and Earth, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, wala pa naman akong napapasukan na mga ganitong klaseng temple. I've been to Catholic Churches and Greek and Russion orthodox churches, and synagogues. No offense to Muslims but I'm not interested with your mosques, except for the Catholic Church which you transformed into a mosque in Turkey.
I also make it a point to visit a church or the cathedral of the country I'm visiting. I'm saying church and cathedral because I've been to European countries so far. Well, I've been to the ancient temples in Greece, but that's another thing. And yes, to visit their holy places is to know the very fabrics that make up the country and its people. It helps you know more about them.
Thailand pala yan. How's the night life? Hehehehe...
Ayaw! ahahahaha
ReplyDeleteganda nung granite carvings!
ReplyDeleteanyway ganda talaga ng wisdom na shinashare nila! i mean simply done pero ung meaning ee ambigat
Hello Mr. Tripster,
ReplyDeleteComing from two backgrounds, culturally and religiously, I came to accept two different religions as well. I go to a Catholic church but offer food and prayers to the Chinese Gods. We have two altars at home and we pray to both. When I arrived Thailand, I continued my faith in both religions and became more exposed to Buddhism because this is predominantly Buddhist. I attend mass at a Catholic church but I also offer prayers to the temple, both Taoist and Buddhist. My last few birthdays were mostly Buddhist related.
I understood the religion better because of the practice. I studied Oriental Religions as part of my Masters but those were all theories. The practice is all here. Aside from temples, markets are next to visit for they tell many things about the place I visit.
I can't share much because I am a homebody so nightlife is not a part of my daily life unless someone will force me to go with them. Visiting and seeing the nightlife of a certain place is also great.
@ Rix,
ReplyDeleteNatakot, ha,ha,ha!
Hi MeCoy,
ReplyDeleteGaling ng mata mo, may eye for beauty. Lahat ng makita ko, done expertly. Speaking of words of wisdom, napakahirap magnilay nilay dahil nga sa dami ng meanings.