Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [42]
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Being Dharma: The Essence of the Buddha’s Teachings (2001) is an inspiring collection of talks on Buddhist practice given by the late Thai forest monk, Ajahn Chah.
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Monks who live in the city usually emphasise study of the Buddhist scriptures, while those who opt for the forest temples tend to emphasise meditation.
In Thai Buddhism, women who seek a monastic life are given a minor role in the temple that is not equal to full monkhood. A Buddhist nun is known as mâa chee (mother priest) and lives as an atthasila (eight-precept) nun, a position traditionally occupied by women who had no other place in society. Thai nuns shave their heads, wear white robes and take care of temple chores. Generally speaking, mâa chee aren’t considered as prestigious as monks and don’t have a function in the laypeople’s merit-making rituals.
Over the years there have been some rebels who have sought equal ordination status as monks. One of the most prominent was Voramai Kabilsingh, who went to Taiwan to receive full ordination as a bhikkhuni (the female version of a bhikku, or male monk) through the Mahayana tradition. She returned to Thailand to found Wat Songtham Kalayanee in Nakhon Pathom. Her daughter, Chatsumarn Kabilsingh, has continued the tradition by seeking a Theravada ordination in Sri Lanka in 2003; she is now the director of the temple her mother founded. Reviving the long-extinct tradition of female monks in Thai Buddhism has caused controversy among the established order, but the quiet resistance continues at the temple with the first ordination of a woman on Thai soil in 2002.
MONARCHY
Historically the Thai king has occupied a revered position in the fundamentals of the country and the religion, often viewed as semi-divine. The present Thai king, His Majesty Bhumibol Adulyadej, has held the position for 62 years, making him the world’s longest-reigning monarch. Thai royal ceremonies remain almost exclusively the domain of one of the most ancient religious traditions still functioning in the kingdom, Brahmanism. White-robed, top-knotted priests of Indian descent keep alive an arcane collection of rituals that, it is believed, must be performed regularly to sustain the three pillars of Thai nationhood, namely sovereignty, religion and the monarchy. Such rituals are performed regularly at a complex of shrines near Wat Suthat in Bangkok.
Other Religions
About 4.6% of the population are followers of Islam. The remainder are Christian, including missionised hill tribes and Vietnamese immigrants, as well as Confucianists, Taoists, Mahayana Buddhists and Hindus.
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Arts
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ARCHITECTURE
PAINTING & SCULPTURE
MUSIC
THEATRE & DANCE
CINEMA
LITERATURE
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Thailand has an intensely visual culture and an appreciation of beauty that infuses the audacious temple buildings, the humble old-fashioned houses and the high arts developed for the royal court.
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Thai House: History and Evolution (2002), by Ruethai Chaichongrak, explains the decorative and functional aspects of residential architecture.
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ARCHITECTURE
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Traditional Residential Architecture
A harmonious blend of function and style, traditional Thai homes were adapted to the weather, the family and artistic sensibilities. These antique specimens were humble dwellings consisting of a single-room wooden house raised on stilts. More elaborate homes, of the village chief or minor royalty for instance, might link a series of single rooms by elevated walkways. Since many Thai villages were built near rivers, the elevation provided protection from flooding during the annual monsoon. During the dry season the space beneath the house was used as a hideaway from the heat of the day, an outdoor kitchen or as a barn for farm animals. Later