The Age of Reason

[moe666]

I do agree.

[Torurot]

Damn that was good Thaibound!

[stogie bear]

 Yes it was...  

The ability to live in the moment is all about being a Buddhist and...

I might have made that assumption before I moved here a few years ago... But now I have lived here a while I'd say that most Thais that come into regular contact with farang tourists are about as Buddhist as me... by which I mean: NOT VERY!

The principles of Buddhism are not the same as the 'way of life' in Thailand and it's easy to think that they are one and the same. It's just like saying that everyone in the USA lives a Christian lifestyle... It's simply not true.

I'd say that a lack of experience of confrontation both socially and internationally have made Thais a non-inventive race of automatons who lack the initiative to be 'mature' or 'forward thinking.'

(Of course there are exceptions and I'm generalising to make a point, so please don't flame me with posts like "Bullshit - I know one who can work out how to set a digital clock!")

[kahuna]

(stogie bear @ Jul. 28 2007,21:08) The principles of Buddhism are not the same as the 'way of life' in Thailand and it's easy to think that they are one and the same. It's just like saying that everyone in the USA lives a Christian lifestyle... It's simply not true.

I'm generalising to make a point, so please don't flame me with posts like "Bullshit - I know one who can work out how to set a digital clock!")

I agree in part...My brief experience tells me that there is something more to Buddhism than a wah, a string around your wrist to ward off the ghosts or leaving food and flowers for the rats...but there does remains a sociocultral dimension that you can't ignore...And it's a dimension of their behavior that, no matter how long a westerner lives in Thailand, he/she can only have a marginal understanding of...(sorry, I ended a sentence in a preposition)...

Now...can someone help me set my watch???

[Guest]

I would say there is more Buddhism in Thailand than Christianity in the west, but it is Thai culture, with our without Buddhism that creates the live for a day, non-confrontational personalities.

While I do see problems sometimes in business in that some Thais are not aggressive enough for difficult situations, the fact is the Thai economy is stronger than most other Asian countries.

And surely something is right, inventive or not, as so many foreigners want to live here vs anywhere else, and there are more businesses setting up here than in say, Jakarta, KL, Manila, Hanoi, etc. The only real competition if you don't want to go Chinese (i.e., to HK) is Singapore, and especially this year, that country is near going off the market due to exhorbitant housing prices.

I guess we're off topic but it's a hard topic to answer, except with simpliciities like new teenage-hood, and Buddhist culture.

[moe666]

We may not agree with the way Thais do things but it seems to work for them. We are just visitors.

[kahuna]

(ziggystardust @ Jul. 28 2007,23:23) I would say there is more Buddhism in Thailand than Christianity in the west, but it is Thai culture, with our without Buddhism that creates the live for a day, non-confrontational personalities.

You can't separate their religion from the remainder of their culture...it's a part of it...However, strenuously they individually do or not not practice Buddhism, it's a major part of their lives...The same way the Judeo-Christian paradigm is a part of our cultures...

Right Moe...we are all just observers...and very unscientific ones at that...Just enjoy them...I do...

[moe666]

Kahuna, I do agree with that. There is a lot to be learned from each and ever trip to Thailand, I learn more about my self each time I go.