Tag Archives: buddha
Asahna Bucha Day Posted by sasha on Jul 19, 2016
Buddhism is a crucial part of Thai culture, as nearly 95% of the population are Buddhists. As a result, many of the country’s most important holidays are Buddhist. Today is one of those days – Asahna Bucha Day (วันอาสาฬหบูชา wan aa-săan-hà-boo-chaa). It’s a public holiday, so people all over the country enjoy a day off to…
Vesak in Thailand Posted by sasha on Jun 1, 2015
Today is an important holiday for Buddhists all over the world, marking the birth, enlightenment, and death of Guatama Buddha. This day goes by many names – Vesak, Vesākha, and Buddha Purnima to name a few – and in Thailand it’s called Visakha Bucha (วิสาขบูชา). The date varies from country to country depending on what calendar…
Buddhist Heaven and Buddhist Hell Posted by palmisano on Dec 29, 2012
Where do we go when we die? Every religion has an answer to that question. In Buddhism, one is first reincarnated over and over and over until one achieves nirvana (or deserves hell). Afterwards, one either enters heaven สวรรค์ (sa2waan5) or hell นรก (na4rok4). Details of each are complicated and filled with mythology. In short…
The End of the World, according to Buddha Posted by palmisano on Dec 20, 2012
Perhaps the most fundamental, most core belief, of the Buddhist religion is the concept of impermanence: that nothing lasts forever. That which didn’t exist at one time, will cease to exist in another time. Everything you own, everyone you know, all the places you’ve been to, your memories, the entire planet, the sun, the galaxy…
Creation, according to Buddha Posted by palmisano on Dec 18, 2012
Thailand is a country where 95% of its inhabitants are Buddhists, and its language is very much linked to its religion. Since the world will end this month (due to running out of days on the Mayan calendar), I thought it appropriate to describe the Buddhist version of the end of the world. But with…