maxal Posted August 23, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2003 Says pattaya127: hey, hey, nevertheless I have a pix of that very spot with people dropping coins in the urns... I can send if you wish... Thanks pattaya127, like yourself I'm a cultural archivist. I have a few pix too. Understanding or trying to understand the many Wat Pho urns is my on-going mystery to solve. Thanks for the invite to see an item from your archive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted August 23, 2003 Report Share Posted August 23, 2003 Um..Have to do some detective work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted August 24, 2003 Report Share Posted August 24, 2003 Says khunsanuk: Hi, According to the missus it is for your birthday and the extra ones are for something she called "phra la hu" (I do not know what this means, and she couldn't explain it). Sanuk! Phra la hu...refers to the moon... We...well NTG asked the monks today at our local temple. Our temple has 8 one for each day and 2 for wednesday(night and day). So PTY...the extras are a day and night bowl ...sunday through to Saturday and an extra if born at night...so 14. Told also should only put coins in ""your""bowl"" not for friend they should come along and do for themselves. Can be an extra....just for donations.....separate from all others and a different shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted August 24, 2003 Report Share Posted August 24, 2003 Can be an extra....just for donations.....separate from all others and a different shape. ------------------------- I still think it's a different thing in Wat Po, as I am sure the people were putting a coin in each urn. Also, the pix shows the urns are all alike, one after each other, a bit disorderly though. The day may be written on them, but usually, I find Bday urns have a little gilt stand or Buddha of their day behind them to indicate the day. Time to e-mail Nattawud, the kid with a website on thai culture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted August 25, 2003 Report Share Posted August 25, 2003 Yes..statue behind each bowl..one for night one for day...all same shape..agree. The ones a little to the back of the line (out of line a little) is the one for night birth. Donation box ..away from these altogether. ::Thought we had this one all solved? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasmine Posted August 28, 2003 Report Share Posted August 28, 2003 Hi, ?Phra Ra Hu? (with an "r") is the moon who, according to astrology, can affect your stars (in a bad way when he is called "Ra HU"). The bowls in Wat Pho is for merits, some will do merit for their birthdays. They are actually for merits, whatever ones want to be. The last time I went there, after 20 something years, there were more bowls there than I remembered. Asking an old monk, all he said ?Wat needs more income for water, electricity?, IMO, straight and honest. I have studied Astrology and Tarot for a long time and ones will have "Phra Ra Hu" hanging around their stars sooner or later. The Buddhism allows ones to understand the religion according to their own capacity so many of them mix Hinduism and many other beleifs and I have no problem with it. I have never done a donation for my birthday in my life but do donation just for the sake of helping out. However, some people donate for a purpose other than that and I don't care. Temples do try to accomodate all beliefs (within limits, of course). Have you ever seen people ringing bells around a temple? Cheers! :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasmine Posted August 28, 2003 Report Share Posted August 28, 2003 [color:"red"] Donation box ..away from these altogether. [/color] Like I posted earlier, some Thais believe donation for certai purposes. For examples, if there is a building to be built, some people will rush to by material for roof because they believe that that merit will keep them coverred (peacefully), or others will by bricks for the "heaviness" of bricks are believed to make their life more stable, or building walls to make them feel protected. In Virginia, there is a Thai temple which is trying to build a main building and danations are priced according to the parts (materials) of the building. People flock to donate to buy only some items and left parts that they find "undesirables" because the merits may be less. I don't believe in that, so I (and a few others) normally wait to buy whatever leftover parts/materials needed. Another example, putting gold leaf on a statue of Buddha, most people don't believe in putting the leaf on the back of the statue because "Pid Tong Lanf Phra" is like no one recognizes your good deeds. Being a radical, I think it is pitiful!! There is a saying quoted from a Buddhism's scripture "Do not underestimate a good deed, no matter how small, also, do not be careless on a bad deed, no matter how trivial it may seem." Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted August 28, 2003 Report Share Posted August 28, 2003 Hi, "Have you ever seen people ringing bells around a temple?" Yes, I believe in Doi Suthep. This is also good luck, isn't it? Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasmine Posted August 28, 2003 Report Share Posted August 28, 2003 [color:"red"] This is also good luck, isn't it? [/color] One of my books said it is based on a Chinese Buddhism belief that they (they sound of the bells) are transmitted to heaven that they (the people) just do some merit. It is equivelant "toot your own horn" so to speak. Many Thai temples have Chinese influences because big donors are Chinese or Chinese descents. Cheers! :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rovineye Posted August 28, 2003 Report Share Posted August 28, 2003 Says khunsanuk: Hi, "Have you ever seen people ringing bells around a temple?" Yes, I believe in Doi Suthep. This is also good luck, isn't it? Sanuk! A few different sets of them at Doi Suthep. Gf says for good luck, not merit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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