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Khao Phansa Festival (Buddhist Lent Day)

The 5^thof July, 2011, our school held a candle making religious ceremony. With five monks on the stage, a queue of four large cylindrical metal containers were beautifully displayed in the middle of the program hall and parallel with it is a giant stainless bowl-shaped cooking ware filled with a mixture of oil and liquefied candle placed on top of a burning gas stove, four huge and long metal scoops, small pieces of square- shaped candles, a big metal bowl used as donation container.

After some chanted prayers from the monks, the school director started the candle making followed by the teachers, staff and students. The procedure is to pray before putting some amount on the donation bowl (giving donation is optional) then pick some pieces of candles and put it on the frying pan filled with hot oil then take the huge scoop and spoon up some liquid from the pan and pour it on the cylindrical container. The procedure is performed by each person once. This ceremony ends until all the attendees are done and the monks’ assistants bring the ceremonial materials back to the temple including the finished huge candle. It will be used by the monks who will be staying at the temple in three months.

This ceremony is in preparation for the upcoming Buddhist Lent Day or what they call in Thai as Khao Phansa Festival.  It usually starts on the first day after the full moon of the eight lunar month –this year is on the 15^th of July, 2011.  “Phansa” is the annual three-month retreat during rainy seasons. It is believed that this retreat is the time to renew one’s physical strength or vitality. This is the known merit-making festival for Buddhist.  As part of the retreat, monks are not allowed to go out from the temple or spend the night out from the temple unless for emergency cases, seven nights is the maximum allowed. This is the very moment for the monks to meditate, contemplate, study and preach the teachings of Buddha. It is also a custom that this is the perfect season for monk’s temporary ordination. Many young men enter the monkhood for spiritual training and for merit- making purpose. Their parents gain merit as well. It is a Buddhist belief that a man who has not experienced monkhood is not considered a mature person.

There are two important things that the people can give as an offering to the monks during this festival; candles and the monk’s traditional robe. Candles as means of light during night time has been carried out from ancient time’s practice where in most religious ceremonies use candles and when reading the sacred scriptures. The monks will use the offered candles inside the temple as they undergo a three- month spiritual retreat.

The day before Khao Phansa Festival is called Asalha Puja Day, an important day for Buddhist because it is believed that this day was the time when the Lord Buddha preached His sermons to His followers after attaining the enlightenment. The last day of Khao Phansa is called Ok Phansa Day, usually a day of joyful celebration and merit-making. It is also the day where most families welcome their son who was temporarily ordained for monkhood back home from a three-month stay at the temple.

I was encouraged to write about this Buddhists religious practice because I want to relate its similarity with Christians Lent Day. In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer — through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial — for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This
practice is common to much of Christendom, being celebrated by Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Anglicans. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent

If Buddhism starts their Lent on Asalha Puja Day and ends on Ok Phansa Day, the Christians start it on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday. Buddhist Lent Day is a three-month celebration while Christians Lent Day is a forty- day celebration.  Both of these religious ceremonies have almost the same purpose, the preparation of the believer through prayer, repentance and self-denial.

Sharing with you an excerpt from the MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVIFOR LENT 2008 says, “Lent invites us to “train ourselves” spiritually, also through the practice of almsgiving, in order to grow in charity and recognize in the poor Christ Himself.”

~~~ Nina Diwas Hilario (Anin Goldiwhil)

 

“Wai Kruu”- The Traditional Teachers Day in Thailand

Way back in my student life, I cannot recall any special program for Teachers Day. Most of the time, it is simply a ‘No Classes Day’. Unlike here in Thailand, there is a so called “Wai Kruu” or the traditional Teachers Day that has been celebrated every year. It falls in June – usually every 2nd week and scheduled on Thursday (Thursday is an auspicious day for Buddhist).

A pair of palms doing the "wai" as a sign of respect with Thai people. It is carved out of gabi root crops.

 A Sign Of Respect On Bed Of Flowers

Thai dessert offering

Thai dessert offering

Mixture of flowers hanged with Jasmine garland beutified with long and colorful chilis

An orange candle held and surrounded with joss-sticks decorated with different flowers hanged with Jasmine garland beutified with long and colorful chilis

 The first time I joined and witnessed ‘Wai Kruu’ was in 2006 at my former school in Ratchaburi province. On the day before the event, almost all students are busy arranging beautiful and colorful flowers, carving some fruits and doing their best to make their bouquet appear presentable and unique. The school usually requires each class in every year level to provide a handmade presents designed by the class. The present/ bouquet depend on the creativity and resourcefulness of every class. The best ones were usually been given a certificate or cash prizes.

The school celebration starts just after the flag ceremony, all students and teachers will go to the program hall. Some students carry their own presents like, a single stem of rose or Jasmine garland- “Phuang Malai” in Thai ( Jasmine garland is very common to Thai people as a special gift). All teachers sit on the chairs in front of the crowd of students. Each class representatives (usually by pair) need to walk on their knees carrying their bouquets and give it to the teacher, then prostate at teacher’s feet as a sign of respect. I really feel awkward every time the students do this to me, it seems I am a goddess being worshipped and adored (wink!). While the offering of bouquets is on-going, some selected students are softly and sweetly reading poems for teachers on a microphone. The program ends after more or less than an hour.

“Wai Kruu” is a manifestation of the nation’s high regard to teachers. Thai people, in my own opinion, considered teaching profession a socially respectable job. It even shows on the teacher’s lifestyle. Most of them go to school by their own car (second hand car is rare). Their salary goes up every year with proper benefits from the government.

~~~ Anin Goldiwhil

Ton Nga Chang Waterfalls (Namtok Ton Nga Chang)

Ton Nga Chang Waterfall is in Ton Nga Chang Wildlife Sanctuary. It is one of the beautiful waterfalls in the south of Thailand, about 26 kilometers from downtown Hatyai. This waterfall has seven levels. The first level which they call it as Ton Ba is obviously the picnic area- swimming, eating, playing, family fun or any activities are allowed. Ton Plew, the second level is about 200 meters high. Ton Nga Chang, the third level is about 450 meters high and the most beautiful and is named after the waterfall because its stream separates into two, resembling the elephant’s tusk Nga chang means elephant’s tusk Ton Dum, the fourth level is about 700 meters high. Ton Namproy, the fifth level is about 1050 meters high. Ton Ruesrikoybo, the sixth level is about 1300 meters high and the last level, the seventh level Ton Metchoon is about 1550 meters high. The best month to visit the place is from October to December.

 

Treks have been provided for tourists. Unfortunately, I was able to make it up on the third level only. In going up the second level, the pathway is just all right- some concrete steps have been made on steep and slippery soil. In climbing up the third level, the long trek goes through a steep rocky mountain, stony, slippery when wet, bushy and with some narrow pathway. The steep rock pathway really needs an extra care from the trekkers- slippery footwear is a big no- better go up on foot. Upon reaching the third level, my agony in climbing up was thrown away. The wonderful sight is such a treasure. Water from the two waterfalls meets together into a wide floor of flat golden and brownish steep rock flowing like crystals in the middle of thick forest. While I was standing with the two waterfalls behind me, I was facing a paradise of lush evergreen forest with clear blue sky above. I embraced my heart’s appreciation to this greatest art of the Almighty Creator. A nature paramour like me would surely feel great. I did not wonder why the waterfall was named after the third level’s name- Ton Nga Chang.

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Roo Noksak Cave

Roo Noksak Cave is located 14 kilometers from the District Office at Moo 4, Tambon Khooha, Amphoe Sabayoi, province of Songkhla, Thailand. It is a natural beauty of a rock cave awesomely preserved underneath a rock mountain. It is located just behind Wat Tham Khooha.

Underneath this rock mountain are entrances of natural caves. At the huge main entrance are two small man- made fish pools, a cabin and some statues placed on its wall. This is a cave filled with many Buddha images of various styles including Dvaravati (The term Dvaravati derives from coins which were inscribed in Sanskrit with śrī dvāravatī. The Sanskrit word dvāravatī means “she with many gates- ” from dvar “door gate”. Its name may derive from the mythical city of Dvāraka in ancient India.), Sri Vichai (A great monk of Lanna Northern Thailand.), Indian Pallava (Pallavas were followers of Hinduism and made gifts of land to gods and brahmins. The Pallavas were instrumental in the transition from rock-cut architecture to stone temples. The earliest examples of Pallava constructions are rock-cut temples dating from 610–690 CE and structural temples between 690–900 CE. A number of rock-cut cave temples bear the inscription of the Pallava king, Mahendravarman I and his successors.) and Ayutthaya (Ayutthaya was a Siamese kingdom that existed from 1351 to 1767. It was friendly towards foreign traders, including the Chinese, Vietnamese (Annamese), Indians, Japanese and Persians, and later the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and French, permitting them to set up villages outside the city walls. In the sixteenth century, it was described by foreign traders as one of the biggest and wealthiest cities in the East. The court of King Narai (1656–1688) had strong links with that of King Louis XIV of France, whose ambassadors compared the city in size and wealth to Paris.)

In going further, inside it is a concrete pathway leading to an entrance of a dark cave. It’s with pure rock walls and a crystal clear stream is flowing from within. There are also different forms of stalactites and stalagmites, a lush forest and another rocky mountain. Some teenagers standing by told us to take torch for us to go inside the dark cave but we don’t have the guts to push through- it seems an anaconda is sleeping behind, it is somewhat dangerous and scary and besides, there aren’t any tourist guides to lead us. On the left side of the huge main entrance is another cave housing a reclining Buddha with some statues which obviously appear as its guard or servants. In this cave, I have noticed an unusual practice wherein some fresh slice of meat were offered to a frog-like statue- I really cannot figure out what animal it is- it’s made with rough cement and was placed just beside the reclining Buddha and the rest of the Buddha images. These Buddha images are somewhat different with the other Buddha images I have seen- they seem short, dark skinned and have long ears. I wish there were notes written in English language explaining what is all about those things inside. It’s absolutely a rare one.

by Nina Diwas Hilario (Anin Goldiwhil)

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Khao Namkhang Historical Tunnel

Khao NamKhang Historical Tunnel is in Moo 1, Piyamit Village 5, Tambon Khlongkwang, Nattawi, Songkhla, Thailand. It is 4 kilometers from Khao Nam khang Historical Park. Visiting the place can take two routes; from Amphoe Sadao for 27 kilometers or from Amphoe Nattawi through Ban Prakop Road for 31 kilometers.

 I was encouraged to photo shoot this place by some staff of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Southern Office: Region 1. My enthusiasm and curiosity to see the place is not only because of its being a tourist attraction but to know why the place is a historical one. With ThaiFil company service car and its two staff accompanied by my sister Bhea, cousin Marydonn Palberas and friend Jen Felipe, we drove to this place through Nattawi route. The trip was absolutely enjoyable and fantastic. Aside from not being a rough road, the concrete road is in the middle of mountains covered with lush forest, also beautified with thousands of rubber trees. I felt going back home as we drove up the mountain- the cool breeze, the road zig zagging up, the thick forest, the green environment and the calming silence- almost similar to Cordillera mountains- my birthplace.

 Upon approaching the main entrance, the first thing that caught my attention was the signboards in Chinese characters. Almost all are in Chinese. The receptionist and the tour guides speak Chinese too. After paying the entrance fee (120 baht each), our group was joined with some tourist for a kind of an almost 20 minute introductory video presentation by one of the staff- unfortunately, the speaker presented it in Chinese language. After the presentation, another staff led us to a mini-museum and I suppose (since the language is in Chinese, I cannot understand), he is explaining what is all about those displayed old relics.

 From what I saw, read and observed on the site itself, this man-made Kha Nam Khang tunnel is no doubt an evidence of human struggles strongly powered by communist insurgents showing the real life inside a communist hide-out. This hide-out was dug inside Liang San Mountain, a mountain near the border of Malaysia. Tourists need to go up the 108 staircase before entering the tunnel. An exclusive entrance to the tunnel is on tunnel’s surface. At the top, the place appears as a typical small village. It has a basketball court with two rings, an open conference room, firewood storage, water tanks, an information area, wedding hut, resting huts, medical clinic, rest rooms and food storage. One thing that caught my attention was the Alarm tools that they have used. It is a bundle of 4-5 empty small cans tied up at the edge of a pulled up string tied at the tip of a stick turned downward in a curve connected to another stick somewhere else. It would surely create a loud noise if the crooked stick will be pulled out. Another thing is a signboard with an arrow using a drawing of a crater pointing the huge circle of sank soil just beside one mouth of the tunnel. It is obviously implying that this was once where the crater was dropped. I wonder if the crater is still underneath. I have also observed that almost all the openings of the tunnel have shade or a kind of canopy. Surely, it was put up for rainfall protection to prevent blockage from landslide. It was improved though using some patched up cement.

 This man-made tunnel was a stronghold of the Chinese Communist Party who surrendered and took part in the national development in 1987. It served as the headquarter, retreat area, weapons production plant, nursing home and a school of Marxism- Leninism or Maoism political science. There were required facilities and recreation such as a Chinese opera chamber, basketball ground, drilling ground, welfare shop, kitchen and 7 points of sentry boxes. The tunnel was dug in 1972, using the man power of 200 people per day, and was completed in 2 years. The 1,000 meters long tunnel has three levels with 16 entrances. This story was proven by one of the initiators of this project- Mr. Leong Yee Sing, a former Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) soldier. From my interview with him, he mentioned that in 1995, since the tunnel has been partly damaged after series of war, he and his partner- Mr. Pang Min Sang, also a former CPM soldier, renovated and preserved it as a site for study, history and tourist attraction. It was opened to public on March 22, 1997. It is then a heart warming feeling that for an almost 40 years fighting with the Thai government, the communist party terminated the fight and became part of the largest and longest man-made tunnel in the Kingdom of Thailand.

~~~ by Nina Diwas Hilario (Anin Goldiwhil)

 

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The Royal Buddha for Auspicious Life

Phra Phuttha Mongkhon Maharat, a huge statue located on top of Kho Hong Hill at Hatyai City Municipal Park, Hatyai,Songkhla,Thailand. “Phra” is a Thai word that means royal and “Phuttha” means Buddha. It is a golden Buddha statue with 25 meters high weighing about 200 tons. The statue is regarded by Buddhist people in the community as the royal Buddha for auspicious life.

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Bottle Temple (Wat Khuat)

Bottle Temple, known as Wat Khuat is a temple built with the use of empty bottles as its outer layer. “Khuat” is the Thai term for bottle. This temple is an almost 30 kilometers from Hatyai City downtown. It is located at Moo 5, Ban Khlong Harn, Tambon Khae, municipality of Chana, province of Natthawi, Thailand.

I was not aware with this temple until one of my Thai friends in Facebook has suggested it to me. Upon knowing it, I asked the address and was surprised that it isn’t that far from my present domicile. I took a van from Hatyai Plaza (Naho) on Petkasem Road with a 60 baht fare and traveled alone to the said temple. After less than an hour, the chauffer just dropped me on a not-so busy highway and was very much surprised that from where I stand I need to take a ride on a 6 kilometers road before reaching the temple. Hence, using my strong guts and the sweetest smile, I approached one of those curiously staring at me guys standing at a mini grocery store along the highway. They are all Muslim and I am not surprised because I have known ever since that Nattawi province is a place mostly dominated by Muslim people. Pulling out all my knowledge in Thai language, I talked with them bargaining to hire one of those sitting on their motorcycle to send me to the said temple- an hour service could do. Reminder to any visitors, the only option for public transportation from the main highway is a motorcycle taxi. It’s such an amazing ride. The unmade road is surrounded by green and refreshing rice fields. It is absolutely in the middle of farmland. The smell is soothingly relaxing- away from smoke pollution. As you reach the main gate of the temple, you’ll be amazed with the shade of curved rubber trees facing across each other. It looks like a huge cave formed by rubber trees. At the end of the road is a wall gate with three giant bottles on top of it. The three giant bottles and the rest of the structures built inside the temple- outhouses, monks’ quarter, statues, toilets, have been built normally in concrete with an outer layer of carefully uniformed position of empty bottles.

The temple is not that much to be appreciated. Not a very much ‘wow’ factor but the idea in building it is incredible. Resourcefulness and creativity is the greatest factor.  You would surely appreciate the way they put up the huge cone-shaped outer roof. Instead of throwing away those empty bottles in different sizes, they were used to beautify the temple. The bottles used as an outer layer were cemented in perfect line with white seashells as its division. Most of the bottles are in green and brown colors.

After less than an hour photo shooting, I went back to the main road waiting for any public transportation going to the city and while sitting on a songtaew (a pick-up truck turned into a kind of mini-bus), my thought was filled with a big question “Why did they build that Buddhist temple (Wat Khuat) inside a Muslim dominated remote place?”. I feel sorry that the temple has not been given much care and attention. If it was given so, the temple could have been a great tourist spot to boast on.

 

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Mahatamonkalaram Temple (Wat Hatyainai)

Mahatamonkalaram Temple, known as Wat Hatyainai, is  in the suburbs of Hatyai City. It is located at Soi 26 Petkasem Road just beside Hatyainai Public Market. This 60-year old temple houses the third largest reclining Buddha in the world- named Phra Phuttha Hattha Mongkhon, measured 35 meters long, 15 meters tall, and 10 meters wide. According to the monk I’ve talked with, the declining pose is very symbolic to Buddhism because it was this pose when Buddha died for the last time- this is the position when his body was found after his spirit submits to the Nirvana.

 The halls or buildings inside the temple are mostly built with typical Thai temple roof, designed and carved with authenthic Thai art, perfectly shaped golden Buddha images, well-decorated halls, stunning, colorful, well- engraved rooftops, inside roof/ceilings, walls, posts, gates, doors and windows. It is undeniable that Thai people are extra-ordinary artistic. Most of their temples, monasteries and pagodas were patiently engraved with attractive designs and well-carved images.

One attraction in this temple is the shrine underneath a building just opposite the reclining Buddha. On the walls of the underground hall are the uniformed size of boxes that looks like a small cabinet where the ashes of dead people were kept and are all in golden color with similar design. Photo and printed name on its opening were carefully in-tacked. The divisions of the undergound are glass cabinets where Buddha images were kept. This is the first underground Buddhist shrine I have ever seen. The undergound graveyard of ashes.

With all my photo shoots and several visits to Thailand temples, I do agree that the sacred nature of the representation is reflected in the artistic goal of creating an aura of equanimity, perfection, and holiness. The large number of rules governing the execution of a portrayal or a statue require an erudite understanding of Buddhist symbolism. Any Buddha figure made by a skilled artist exhibits a multitude of characteristics that communicate subtle meanings and intentions to the viewer. Since the making of human images of the Buddha was considered sacrilegious for a long time, Buddhist visual art has produced an elaborate vocabulary of symbolic and iconic forms of expressions. A great variety of Buddhist symbols is found in temples and in Buddhist visual art and literature.

With these beliefs, though I am a pure Christian- Roman Catholic, I do respect and follow the do’s and  don’ts in entering a Buddhist temples like wearing proper clothes, not wearing shoes inside a temple where Buddha images are kept, my head should always stay lower than any Buddha images because they are sacred, whatever size or condition, I need to cross my legs if I sit infront of a Buddha image, if not, my feet will point at the Buddha and this is an act of sacrilege.

To anyone interested to visit this temple, just email me because this temple is only a 5-10 minutes walk from my apartment!

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The Great Serpent “Nag” at Songkhla Samila Beach

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The Great Serpent “Nag” is the deity of the divine creation of water as well as fertility for all living things. The people of southern Thailand believe that ‘Nag” , the Great Serpent, sprays divine water so as to make people feel fresh and happy, as well as purify the blemishes which occur within our minds and bodies. As a result, Nag, the Great Serpent, is one of the most highly respected deities of Southern Thailand. Thus, the local people frequently pay respect to Nag and ask him to forever bring happiness and good fortune to their lives. In 2006, Mr. Utitt Chuchouy, Songkhla Mayor, decided to create a monument to Nag which could forever bring good fortune, wealth, fertility and prosperity to the people of Songkhla province. He asked Mr. Montri Sungmusikanon, a Thaksin University instructor, to design a sculpture of the deity which could be divided into three sections. The first section is the serpent’s head which symbolizes the intelligence and wisdom of the people of the city. The second section is the serpent’s navel which symbolizes the city’s riches. The last is the tail which symbolizes the charisma and strength of community of the people. To adorn the scenery of Samila beach, the serpent’s head was erected at Laem Sorn Om (just along Samila Beach), Suan Song Taley. The navel at Lan Chom Doaw, Sabua Laem Samila. The tail in one area of Samila beach along Chalatad Road. The sculpture’s opening ceremony was officially set in 2007.

@copied from the Serpent Nag’s sculpture notes