This week is a blogging week again so I wanted to share a few fun facts that I have learned recently about Buddhism and a temple that we visited this morning! We climbed about 300 steps to a temple called Doi Suthep. It is a sacred site to many Thai people and is named after the mountain it is located on. Once we were inside the temple grounds, appropriate attire of covered shoulders and legs is required out of respect for the temple and the culture. The views that we could see of all of Chiang Man were breathtaking, as we were on top of the highest peak looking down! I was particularly interested in the fact that many of the statues and shrines were influenced by the Buddhist and Hindu religion - some of Buddha and some of the Hindu God Ganesh.
Upon entering the sacred area, Lindsey and I were told that getting blessed by a monk at the temple was appropriate even if a person was not a follower of the Buddhist faith - so naturally, we wanted to see what it was about! We kneeled before the monk and placed our palms together in the form of prayer while the monk chanted and spritz water over our heads four times. After a little bit of research I found out that the offering of holy water symbolizes calmness, clarity and purity of body, speech and mind. Water is also meant to remind us to cleanse ourselves of our attachments and generate generosity, compassion and wisdom. What a beautiful message - I feel very grateful to have had the chance to blessed by a monk today.
After that, I noticed that many Thai people had purchased a lotus flower and candles and were walking clockwise around a centered shrine of Buddha with those items in hand, for a total of three times. The number three in Buddhism represents "Three Jewels": 1. Buddha 2. Dharma (teachings of Buddha) and 3. Sangha (the community of believers who follow the teachings of Buddha).
I was inspired by the way every detail of the procession had a meaning behind it! This is very similar to my religion, Hinduism, and therefore extremely interesting for me to learn about. Buddhists seek to reach a state of Nirvana which is about peace, spiritual joy, compassion and reaching a refined, subtle awareness. They follow the path of Buddha, Siddharta Guatama, who went on a quest for enlightenment in the 6th Century. There is no personal belief in a God, but rather that nothing is fixed or permanent and that change is always possible.
I hope you learned a little of something new today :) Check in tomorrow!
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