Buddha in renovation

Lord Buddha goes to Thailand

Here I start an album about the Buddhism in Thailand. It takes time to collect all the informations and selection of the photos I captured. Please give me some weeks to complied the album. Historians consider that the first Thai or Siamese state was the Buddhist kingdom of Sukhothai, which was founded in 1238 AD. Roughly 94% of the Thai population are Theravada Buddhists. This is the oldest of t…  (read more)
In the cave Tam Khao Wong

In the cave Tam Khao Wong

22 Nov 2006 1 1 633
Nearly all of the caves discovered in Thailand are used as holy places to display Buddha images and to find a destination for meditation.
In the cave Tam Khao Wong

In the cave Tam Khao Wong

22 Nov 2006 3 3 663
There are probably thousands of caves in Thailand. At least 112 Buddhist sacred caves have been identified in Thailand.
White Buddha statue at the mountainside

White Buddha statue at the mountainside

23 Nov 2006 1 672
Close to the huge Bhumibol Dam (formerly known as the Yanhi Dam) is a concrete Buddha statue in the Vitarka Mudrā position. The Vitarka Mudrā ("mudrā of discussion") is the gesture of discussion and transmission of Buddhist teaching.
Meditation in front of a reclining Buddha

Meditation in front of a reclining Buddha

22 Nov 2006 1 3 670
The reclining Buddha represents Shakyamuni Buddha (the historical Buddha) at his death. It is said that the Buddha knew death was approaching, and asked his disciples to prepare a couch for him in a grove. He lay there, reclining on his right side, facing west, with his head supported by his hand, as he passed into nirvana.
Antique Buddha statue in Sukhothai park

Antique Buddha statue in Sukhothai park

13 Mar 2006 2 566
Sitting Buddha statue in Bhumisparsa Mudra position. Touching the earth as Gautama did, to invoke the earth as witness to the truth of his words.
Buddha statue Sukhothai epoche

Buddha statue Sukhothai epoche

13 Mar 2006 7 1 861
Buddha image in the attitude Subduing Mara, called "Phra Achana". This Buddha measures eleven and a half meters from knee to knee. Wat Sri Chum is well known for this large sitting Buddha image. The statue is in the subduing Mara posture.
Historic Buddha statue in Sukhothai

Historic Buddha statue in Sukhothai

13 Mar 2006 3 2 606
During the Sukhothai period (14. century), the style of the Thai Buddha images radically changed due to the influx of new ideas from Sri Lankan Buddhism. Buddha images were cast with the intention of depicting superhuman traits of the Buddha, and were designed to express compassion and serenity in posture and facial expression.
Sacrificial altar in front of the Buddha statue

Sacrificial altar in front of the Buddha statue

13 Mar 2006 454
These tables can be quite elaborate; they are often a set of small tables which stack upon one atop another so there are different levels on which to place multiple statues. Here the people sacrifice with garlands of flowers, candles and light up an incense stick.
Your future is told on one of the slips

Your future is told on one of the slips

13 Mar 2006 470
During praying to Buddha the believer shakes a glass with many rods, until one drops out. On the rods are numbers. The number of the rod which dropped out he has to keep in mind. At the entrance of the temple are in numbered boxes list, which one takes out according to the number to the fallen out rod. On the paper there is a prophecy. If this is positive, he'll take this list home, if it contains a bad thing, he'll ignore the list in the temple. A sort of superstition and most Thai people believe on it, although this custom hasn't any referring to the Buddhism at all.
Places to administer own Buddha images

Places to administer own Buddha images

13 Mar 2006 1 586
Buddhist believers often donor a personal Buddha image to the temple. Some are big and some very small, some are simple and some are made with solid gold, but every statue finds its place either in a niche, slot, whole or on a sill.
Recesses in the wall for Buddha images

Recesses in the wall for Buddha images

13 Mar 2006 3 616
Every of many Buddha images has its own niche in this historical wall which was built in the 13th and 14th centuriy.
Buddha in lotus sitting position

Buddha in lotus sitting position

13 Mar 2006 5 1 1189
Statue of "the Buddha calling the earth to witness," the most known common representation of the Buddha. The Buddha's hands are in the bhūmisparśa mudrā (Earth-touching position).
Thai Buddhist gravesite

Thai Buddhist gravesite

22 Nov 2006 1 554
Sentient beings crave pleasure and are averse to pain from birth to death. In being controlled by these attitudes, they perpetuate the cycle of conditioned existence and suffering (saṃsāra), and produce the causes and conditions of the next rebirth after death. Each rebirth repeats this process in an involuntary cycle, which Buddhists strive to end by eradicating these causes and conditions, applying the methods laid out by the Buddha and subsequent Buddhists.
Place for meditation near Loei city

Place for meditation near Loei city

11 Mar 2006 620
On the way to Phu Bobid, an hill near the city of Loei a small cave is used for this holy meditation place. Local citizen spend their time to respect Buddha in their minds.
The steps to the chedi

The steps to the chedi

28 Apr 2010 1 1 661
The architectural structure of Phra That Satcha consists of the blossomed lotuses with 3 layered petals, one meter high sprung around pagoda. The Phra That, similar in style to Phra That Phanom, is 33 meters high and topped with the white 7 tiered umbrella of sovereignty. The seven headed Nāga snake and the temple guards left and right welcome every believer and visitor.
Guanyin the female Buddha

Guanyin the female Buddha

28 Apr 2010 3 762
Actually Guanyin is a Bodhisattva, an human being who reached the Nirvana already and returns to earth to teach the humanity. The original meaning of the name fits the Buddhist understanding of the role of a Bodhisattva. Some attributes of such a god were transmitted to the bodhisattva, but the mainstream of those who venerated Avalokiteśvara upheld the Buddhist rejection of the doctrine of any creator god.
Buddha altar U Thong style

Buddha altar U Thong style

01 May 2010 1 686
Uthong (1314–1369) was the first king of the kingdom Ayutthaya (now part of Thailand), reigning from 1351 to 1369. He was known as Prince U Thong before he ascended to the throne on March 4, 1351. The U Thong style, one of the canonical styles for Buddha icons developed in Thailand (Siam) in the southern capital of Ayutthaya, beginning in the 14th century. To retain the greatest spiritual potency, Buddha icons in Thai temples had to resemble as closely as possible an original prototype that tradition erroneously believed had been made during the lifetime of the Buddha.
Budai is placed to welcome visitors

Budai is placed to welcome visitors

01 May 2010 734
Budai is traditionally depicted as a fat bald buddha image wearing a robe and wearing or otherwise carrying prayer beads. He carries his few possessions in a cloth sack, being poor but content.
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