A Traveller's Life For Me

So here I am in Thailand. I got here just under two weeks ago and already I feel myself letting go.

Of course a physical distance from life in the UK makes it easier to not be so caught up in the pointless rubbish I often allow to drag me down. There's something more though, it's being in a Buddhist country I believe. Everywhere I walk I see reminders of the Buddha's teachings, From the little offerings placed at the doors of all the businesses on the road where I'm staying, to the temples - which here in Chiang Mai "the temple capital" of Thailand are every hundred yards or so - gleaming and glorious in the sunshine.

Yesterday I ventured out to Doi Suthep to visit the Wat Phra That temple. It's a popular tourist attraction but despite the crowds I was able to get up close and personal with what I needed. I got blessed by one of the monks, dousing my head with holy water (so that's where the Catholics got it from!), and handing a piece of white string to a female assistant to tie it to my wrist. Here in Thailand they practice Theravada Buddhism and one of the rules is that no monk must have any physical contact with a female. Even if you buy something, you put the money down on the counter and then they pick it up.

When I was in Dharamsala doing the English conversation classes with the Mahana monks a few years back I was shocked with the first one shook my hand. I asked him why he was allowed to touch me when the ones in Thailand weren't. He told me that HH The Dalai Lama has said that the no touching rule serves no purpose (I'm paraphrasing here). His belief was that if you had impure thoughts, then not touching a woman wouldn't stop them, and likewise if your mind was pure shaking hands with a woman won't ignite the flames of passion Thorn Birds-stylee.

I wandered around the complex marvelling at the beauty of it all, feeling a lightness in my chest that I'm rarely aware of. By rights I should be feeling this chilled all the time, because there's a tradition here that the day you were born dictates your 'Buddha Nature'. As a Tuesday's child, mine is the Reclining Buddha - one of the reasons I love visiting the massive one at Wat Pho I guess - and you've gotta be pretty chilled if you're reclining by nature, surely!

There was a little stall selling amulets and I bought the tiniest little one to remind me of today and the feelings I'm experiencing. The monk manning the stall blessed that too before handing a woman another bit of white string to tie to my wrist. I dunno what being given two symbolises, either I'm very blessed or I need all the blessings I can get!

Something else I've noticed here in Chiang Mai is the prevalence of Ganesha in the most unexpected places. Outside the flashy shopping mall near my apartment is a shrine to him, and here at the temple I saw this (left). If anyone can tell me the reason for the sudden popularity of a Hindu diety in a Buddhist temple I'd really appreciate it.

I love seeing him here though, it's like the tattoos on my back with Ganesha in the middle protecting this body and Buddha on my right shoulder come to life.

While I'm on that subject, in Bangkok last week I saw huge billboards everywhere - from the arrivals hall at Suvarnabhumi Airport to Chatuchak market telling people to respect the Buddha image. Instructing us not to buy artwork or statues of the Buddha's head, and not to have Buddha tattoos as they are considered disrespectful. I can't tell you how much this has distressed me. I have a huge image of the Buddha on my back/shoulder and I can assure you it's one of the most respectful things about me. It's a copy of an ancient Tibetan Thanka, and I feel it's not just on my skin but inside of me, protecting me from my baser instincts. It's certainly not a 'fashion' thing or a tourist reminder. The idea that any Thai person seeing this would be offended upsets me, and I guess there's nowt I can do about that. I'm more careful about people seeing it this time round, even when I'm sunbathing! Up here in Chiang Mai I've yet to see one of those billboards, maybe it's more relaxed up here.

We also stopped off at a 'traditional' Hmong market that was meant to be selling traditional crafts. The Hmong are an ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand, but I got the feeling this market was more about raising funds. Most of the goods on sale were the kind of factory produced tat on sale everywhere, with one or two exceptions who were selling things like home made honey which looked delicious but was in a jar so big that to finish it would surely have induced type-2 diabetes. Just beyond the market though was a flower garden that blew my mind with its beauty. Here's just a few images.