May: Time in Thailand today : What you can see

Nowadays, if people come to visit Thailand they can participate in many festival. Many of these festival is concern with way of life of people in Thailand. Here, I present two festival that will be act in May 2012. Visakha Bucha/Vesak, (nationwide) mid-May (full moon of 6th lunar month). Makha Bucha Day is very special day for Buddhists around the world. Because in the Makha Bucha Day is on the full moon day of the 3rd lunar month, Makha, of the year, 4 special events happened: 1. There were 1,250 Sangha followers, that came to see the Buddha that evening without any schedule. 2. All of them were "Arhantas', the Enlightened One, and all of them were ordained by the Buddha himself. 3. The Buddha gave those Arhantas the principles of the Buddhism, called "The Ovadhapatimokha". Those principles are: - To cease from all evil, - To do what is good, - To cleanse one's mind; 4. It was the full moon day. Activities to be Observed on Makha Bucha Day 'TUM BOON': Making merit by going to temples for special observances, making merit, listening to Dhamma preaching, giving some donations and join in the other Buddhist activities. 'RUB SIL': Keeping the Five Precepts, including abstinence from alcoholic drinks and all kinds of immoral acts. 'TUK BARD': Offering food to the monks and novices (in the alm bowl). Practice of renuciation: Observe the Eight Precepts, practice of meditation and mental discipline, stay in the temple, wearing white robes, for a number of days. 'VIEN TIEN': Attending the Candle Light Procession around the Uposatha Hall, in the evening of the Vesak full moon day.

Royal Ploughing Ceremony, (Sanam Luang, Bangkok) May 11 (roughly 8-9 am.). An ancient Brahman ritual, this celebrates the official start of the rice-planting season. Scarlet-clad handlers who sacred oxen pulling ploughs, followed by the Minister of Agriculture who scatters consecrated rice seed. The colourful ceremony is presided over by the King and Brahman priests, with court and government officials participating. At the end, upcountry formers leap the barriers and rush to dig up the auspicious seed in o grand melee. Access: Sanam Luang is the large oval field north of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Bangkok. Rocket Festival, (Yasothon, Northeast) second weekend, Saturday-Sunday. There is one more festival that people don't miss to visit that is Rocket Festival. This is you will be fun with it because they will start by rocket parade, in there, the folk dance also will be perform by at least 50 girl in one group. So people would like to take photos more as they can.  Rocket Festival is a widespread custom in the northeast, most exuberant at Yasothon province of Thailand. Normally they call “Bang Fi” festival. Villagers build elaborate wooden rocket launchers and shoot huge squibs from them which go spluttering wildly across the fields. This takes place on the Sunday and is supposed to ensure plentiful rains for the imminent rice-planting season. On the Saturday, there ore colourful parades of rockets and folk dancers, and the obligatory beauty contest.

Valentine's Day : Love in Buddhism

PhraDhamrajanuwatra, Wat Phrakaew
Chiang Rai : Thailand

Phradhamarajanuwatra (Suthasana Suthasano), as he is one of the higher Sangha Order governor (the Sangha dean of the Sangha region 6 in Thailand, and the abbot of Wat Phrakaew, Chiang Rai, Thailand) reminds all people in the festive season of love, the Saint Valentine’s day, on the l4th of February, 2012, saying that all of us should think over about what love is. One should have consciousness, physical collectedness and mindfulness. Do not do any damage physical damage to anyone or create regret to others especially to the members in the family. Once the bad things happen, both physically or mentally, it can never be the same again. The followings questions he explained to remind us on this auspicious occasion.

Q: Pay to your Holy Highness. Sir, May I ask, what does love in Buddhism mean?

A: Love in Buddhism may mean kindliness or pitiful, which is a kind of love that reaches out to all creatures on earth, and not only to the ones we love, but to all things that exist in the universe. For example, when we make merit, as when we pour the ceremonial water. This ceremonial water pouring is a way of emitting kindliness, pitiful and love to all creatures exist in the world or universe. Let them be happier or let them be free from any kinds of suffering. Love in Buddhism is so great and without bound.

Q: How should we lead our life?

A: In Buddhism, we have the 5 precepts (Panca Sila) as a guideline to lead our life. If everyone follows these 5 precepts, I believe that the society as a whole will be free from problems and be more peaceful.

The 5 precepts (Panca Sila) are considered as a guarantee to good life for everyone as follow:

Precept one: Guarantee of peaceful life, Panati-pata veramani sikkha padam samadiyami. All creatures on earth love their own lives, if we do not infringe on other creatures' life, other creatures also will not infringe on us, all will live a peaceful life, there would be not fighting and there would be no killing.

Precept two: Guarantee of asset, Adinna-dana veramani sikkha padam samadiyami. If everyone is honest, do not encroach on other's property, no greed in unlawful possession, the society, as a whole would be more livable and safer, be wealthier and money would not be a source of conflict.

Precept three: Guarantee of good family life, Kamesu miccha-cara veramani sikkha padam samadiyami. People should have only one life, one love, one family. The family bond of the relationship of the family is strong, the other institutes would follows suit and for one thing the bond in the higher society like the notion would be stronger as a whole.

Precept four: Guarantee of good society, Musavada veramani sikkha padam samadiyami. Refrain yourself from false speech and always tell the truths. By doing this, the society is more reliable when everyone honors what they hove said. This will create a better working atmosphere and the whole notion will be more civilized.

Precept five: Guarantee for health, Sura meraya-majja-pama-datthana veramani sikkha padam samadiyami. All kinds of intoxicated drinks like alcoholic drinks may lead you to lose of conscientiousness and it also endanger your health, if we can avoid them, we will become stronger and more vigorous.

Can you see that in reality, all things are connected and linked together? So, before you do anything, you must think carefully and do not lose your conscientiousness.

"Do not attach yourself to anything but follow the middle path of life. We are parts of the society. 

Do not use ourselves as a scale to judge others. We must take others into consideration. Know how to give and share."

Source: chivamagazine

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Sangha

Buddhist monastic order, traditionally composed of four groups: monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. Established by the Buddha, it is the world's oldest body of celibate clerics. Together with the Buddha and the dharma, it makes up the Threefold Refuge, a basic creed of Buddhism. Buddha established the bhiksu sangha for men and later the bhiksuni sangha for women. Members depend on alms from the community, since they are discouraged from engaging in commerce or agriculture. They live according to the Vinaya Pitaka.