God bless the King of Thailand
God bless the King of Thailand
Lets hope he has a very happy birthday on the 5th and may he get well soon!!!!
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HM THE KING'S BIRTHDAY
Lord of Suvarnabhumi
By Thanong Khanthong
The Nation
Published on December 5, 2009
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who turns 82 today, has been practising two virtues simultaneously as he aims for complete enlightenment.
With perseverance and giving as his goal,
King Bhumibol has attained a pure soul.
He guides his people to realise Suvarnabhumi,
The Golden Land for a Buddha-to-be.
The virtue of perseverance, and the virtue of giving are both in line with the Jatakas, or stories of the former lives of the Buddha.
The King drew his inspiration from one of the last 10 lives of the Buddha to write his own version of Phra Mahajanaka. The book was published in 1996, the year he celebrated his 60th anniversary on the throne as the Ninth King of the Chakri Dynasty.
In this classic Buddhist story, Mani Mekhala, assigned by the Four World Watchers to look after all virtuous creatures, descended from heaven to rescue the Great Being, who was Prince Mahajanaka. Prince Mahajanaka, or the prince who would be born as the Buddha, was swimming in the deep sea for seven days after his ship was wrecked in a fierce storm. As a virtuous prince, endowed with the virtue of perseverance, he would be saved so that he could accomplish the greater goal not only for himself but also for mankind.
But first the prince had to satisfy Mani Mekhala by correctly responding to three riddles. This he was able to do, and so Mani Mekhala rescued him from the sea and took him to his destination.
This story provides moral guidance for Thais who wish to succeed. The gods will only help those who help themselves first, or those who have the wisdom and the courage to persevere. When the King prays, he seeks blessings for more wisdom and courage to do what is right.
As for the virtue of giving, the King's life and practice should be seen in the context of the Vessantara Jataka, which is the last and the most venerated of the 10 great Jatakas. It narrates the most recent former life of the Buddha - that of his rebirth as Prince Vessantara. The prince practised the virtue of giving, so that he would be liberated from all attachment. He ended up giving away his wife and his children in order to achieve complete liberation.
Not holding onto anything, or detachment, is the highest ideal among Buddhist virtues. Since the ultimate essence of reality is nothingness, holding on to our desire for material gain is an act of delusion or ignorance. In the Buddha statue "Subduing Mara", we can see a beautiful curve of the bare left hand of the Buddha. This implies that the Buddha is not holding on to anything, fully liberated and enlightened.
Jujaka is the nemesis of Vessantara. He is depicted as a treacherous and low rank Brahmin, similar to Shakespeare's Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Shylock epitomises greed and worldly sin. Jujaka also represents greed and human sins. He took away the children of Vessantara and returned them later only for rewards. He ate a big feast until his stomach exploded and killed him.
King Bhumibol has been giving himself to his people throughout his reign. In an interview to Leaders Magazine in 1982, the King explained his Buddhist philosophy.
He said: "To be human is that one must have a reason to do things. To be inhuman is to do the incredible thing at the same time. We are here to be human, to make money so that we have money to spend and to make a good name for ourselves so that we are praised. But all this, if we have money, we will spend it and in the end we will lose the money. What is left is the pure soul. That is what we must attain - the pure soul.
"But if we want to attain the pure soul, we must give. Giving of the heart and feeling is one reason why leaders, if they are in a high position, should not think that their high position has been earned by hard work alone. Yes, it has been earned by hard work. But, not only that, the position has to be maintained. This will lead to a more satisfying feeling for the soul. That is the reason why the leaders of the world should do that - they should give more, and take less."
To give more and take less may be seen as a Middle Path teaching. Most people like to take rather than give. As they take and scramble for power or personal benefits, they participate in the degradation or the destruction of the current world order. To save the world, we only have to go back to embrace the old virtues of perseverance and giving. The Jatakas tell it all.
By aiming his life toward the Jatakas, the King follows the tradition of his ancestors and predecessors. King Yodfa or Rama I was also deeply religious, although he was widely seen as an able administrator and warrior. King Yodfa commissioned the moving of Phra Sri Sakyamuni from Wat Mahathat in Sukhothai to a new temple, which would later become Wat Suthat. The Buddha image landed at Tha Chang pier in front of the Royal Grand Palace. The King took part in a grand ceremony to transfer this beautiful Buddha image from Tha Chang pier to the new temple. In spite of his fragile health, he walked in front of the procession, holding another small Buddha statue in his hand all the while praying for Buddha-hood.
King Bhumibol also aims for this complete enlightenment in the ancient land of Suvarnabhumi, which is the traditional, cultural and geographical root of Thailand. The groundwork has been laid so that when the next Buddha arrives on this earth again to lead mankind to redemption, he would choose to be born and propagate the Dharma in Suvarnabhumi.
Lord of Suvarnabhumi
By Thanong Khanthong
The Nation
Published on December 5, 2009
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who turns 82 today, has been practising two virtues simultaneously as he aims for complete enlightenment.
With perseverance and giving as his goal,
King Bhumibol has attained a pure soul.
He guides his people to realise Suvarnabhumi,
The Golden Land for a Buddha-to-be.
The virtue of perseverance, and the virtue of giving are both in line with the Jatakas, or stories of the former lives of the Buddha.
The King drew his inspiration from one of the last 10 lives of the Buddha to write his own version of Phra Mahajanaka. The book was published in 1996, the year he celebrated his 60th anniversary on the throne as the Ninth King of the Chakri Dynasty.
In this classic Buddhist story, Mani Mekhala, assigned by the Four World Watchers to look after all virtuous creatures, descended from heaven to rescue the Great Being, who was Prince Mahajanaka. Prince Mahajanaka, or the prince who would be born as the Buddha, was swimming in the deep sea for seven days after his ship was wrecked in a fierce storm. As a virtuous prince, endowed with the virtue of perseverance, he would be saved so that he could accomplish the greater goal not only for himself but also for mankind.
But first the prince had to satisfy Mani Mekhala by correctly responding to three riddles. This he was able to do, and so Mani Mekhala rescued him from the sea and took him to his destination.
This story provides moral guidance for Thais who wish to succeed. The gods will only help those who help themselves first, or those who have the wisdom and the courage to persevere. When the King prays, he seeks blessings for more wisdom and courage to do what is right.
As for the virtue of giving, the King's life and practice should be seen in the context of the Vessantara Jataka, which is the last and the most venerated of the 10 great Jatakas. It narrates the most recent former life of the Buddha - that of his rebirth as Prince Vessantara. The prince practised the virtue of giving, so that he would be liberated from all attachment. He ended up giving away his wife and his children in order to achieve complete liberation.
Not holding onto anything, or detachment, is the highest ideal among Buddhist virtues. Since the ultimate essence of reality is nothingness, holding on to our desire for material gain is an act of delusion or ignorance. In the Buddha statue "Subduing Mara", we can see a beautiful curve of the bare left hand of the Buddha. This implies that the Buddha is not holding on to anything, fully liberated and enlightened.
Jujaka is the nemesis of Vessantara. He is depicted as a treacherous and low rank Brahmin, similar to Shakespeare's Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Shylock epitomises greed and worldly sin. Jujaka also represents greed and human sins. He took away the children of Vessantara and returned them later only for rewards. He ate a big feast until his stomach exploded and killed him.
King Bhumibol has been giving himself to his people throughout his reign. In an interview to Leaders Magazine in 1982, the King explained his Buddhist philosophy.
He said: "To be human is that one must have a reason to do things. To be inhuman is to do the incredible thing at the same time. We are here to be human, to make money so that we have money to spend and to make a good name for ourselves so that we are praised. But all this, if we have money, we will spend it and in the end we will lose the money. What is left is the pure soul. That is what we must attain - the pure soul.
"But if we want to attain the pure soul, we must give. Giving of the heart and feeling is one reason why leaders, if they are in a high position, should not think that their high position has been earned by hard work alone. Yes, it has been earned by hard work. But, not only that, the position has to be maintained. This will lead to a more satisfying feeling for the soul. That is the reason why the leaders of the world should do that - they should give more, and take less."
To give more and take less may be seen as a Middle Path teaching. Most people like to take rather than give. As they take and scramble for power or personal benefits, they participate in the degradation or the destruction of the current world order. To save the world, we only have to go back to embrace the old virtues of perseverance and giving. The Jatakas tell it all.
By aiming his life toward the Jatakas, the King follows the tradition of his ancestors and predecessors. King Yodfa or Rama I was also deeply religious, although he was widely seen as an able administrator and warrior. King Yodfa commissioned the moving of Phra Sri Sakyamuni from Wat Mahathat in Sukhothai to a new temple, which would later become Wat Suthat. The Buddha image landed at Tha Chang pier in front of the Royal Grand Palace. The King took part in a grand ceremony to transfer this beautiful Buddha image from Tha Chang pier to the new temple. In spite of his fragile health, he walked in front of the procession, holding another small Buddha statue in his hand all the while praying for Buddha-hood.
King Bhumibol also aims for this complete enlightenment in the ancient land of Suvarnabhumi, which is the traditional, cultural and geographical root of Thailand. The groundwork has been laid so that when the next Buddha arrives on this earth again to lead mankind to redemption, he would choose to be born and propagate the Dharma in Suvarnabhumi.
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
Yep, it was 2006. Such an important day and an article that will be read by thousands, maybe ten's of thousands and they can't get a key point like that correct. As Nereus said in another thread, all the editors have retired! PeteSTEVE G wrote:He didn't spend his 60th year on the throne in 1996?prcscct wrote:The above story has a glaring mistake. Anyone spot it? Bad editing once again.Pete
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
We planted a Bougainvillea tree today to commemorate the King's birthday.
It is the replacement for the one shown here http://www.huahinafterdark.com/forum/po ... tml#147577 that was blown down by the last big wind storm of the season.
Long live His Royal Highness!
It is the replacement for the one shown here http://www.huahinafterdark.com/forum/po ... tml#147577 that was blown down by the last big wind storm of the season.
Long live His Royal Highness!
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
Looks great! 
Leave the wooden support struts in, maybe permanently, to prevent what happened last time. Pete
Leave the wooden support struts in, maybe permanently, to prevent what happened last time. Pete Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
Re: God bless the King of Thailand
Love your garden !!! any more pictures
Re: God bless the King of Thailand
Shouldn't it be "Buddha bless the King of Thailand"? 
Resolve dissolves in alcohol
Re: God bless the King of Thailand
carol wrote:Love your garden !!! any more pictures
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