Posted in All Posts, Thailand & Buddhism, tagged buddhism, meditation on 21 June, 2008 | No Comments »
Fianl account of the June weekend retreat, 2008:
Click here for a longer account by Dr Will
Last set of pictures from the retreat are below.
Most meditation systems try to focus the mind on an object of concentration, usually the breathing, light or sound (including mantra). Slowing the mind down facilitates mindfulness, the state of self awareness [...]
Posted in All Posts, Thailand & Buddhism on 19 June, 2008 | 2 Comments »
The Comsaed Resort:
The first Little Bangkok Sangha meditation weekend
Nice surroundings are conducive to meditation, especially when you are escaping from relentless Bangkok. The Comsad Resort is situated right on the River Kwai, in some 200 rai of carefully managed parkland. Even full of residents the resort is peaceful with lots of space. The grounds are [...]
Posted in All Posts, Thailand & Buddhism on 19 June, 2008 | No Comments »
Summary of the June Retreat at Comsaed Resort on the River Kwai :
In total we had 13 laypeople and 2 monks leaving Wat Yannawa for Comsaed in two mini-busses for the first retreat organised by our own group. We only advertised via the Littlebang blogsite, as it is something of an experiment all around. What [...]
Posted in All Posts, Thailand & Buddhism, tagged water festival on 12 April, 2008 | 1 Comment »
[Summary: Songkram water festival, animism in a 'Buddhist' culture, and littlebang updating]
While Littlebang updates, and rearranges the pages and icons, and while the new Galleries slowly take form, the outside world here goes to war with water guns. Perhaps Songkram would be a better name of this festival than Songkran.
The origins of this festival are not [...]
Posted in All Posts, Thailand & Buddhism, tagged tibet, tibetan protests on 3 April, 2008 | No Comments »
[Summary: thoughts on the role of monks and religion in protests. Particularly in light of recent events in Tibet]
The Saffron Revolution
Can Monks Protest?
This question came up last year with the troubles in Burma, and now again with the Tibetan problems. Monks are supposed to be peaceful aren’t they? Are they ‘allowed’ to make political [...]
Posted in All Posts, Thailand & Buddhism on 16 March, 2008 | 4 Comments »
[Summary: Article on the entrenchment of the "we are right" view, and the mystic or meditational side to religion]
Anyone can get to heaven
Goes the Buddhist saying
Just be good
Dogmatic religions always feel themselves right and others wrong - it is just the way that views and opinions work. The Buddha warned against it too, but views [...]
Posted in All Posts, Thailand & Buddhism on 13 January, 2008 | 3 Comments »
[Summary: attachment to views and opinions as the source of fundamentalism. Some of the evangelical Christian missions in Thailand]
This is a land of spiritual darkness … where everywhere the people live in a bondage of fear to spirits …
Does this sound like somewhere you know? Does it sound like Thailand? Psychologist George Kelly pointed [...]
Posted in All Posts, Thailand & Buddhism on 20 December, 2007 | 1 Comment »
[Why do Buddhist bow to Buddha images and monks. Judaic religions find this akin to pagan animism]
Graven ImagesLast week a few of us were rounded on by a proselytizing Christian. He had a set of ready made arguments in which he had been trained somewhat. He could even rattle off some of his arguments in Thai. [...]
Posted in All Posts, Thailand & Buddhism on 31 October, 2007 | 2 Comments »
The new Dhamma Hall at Baan Aree has been a great blessing for us, and others that use it. The location is ideal, and the Library environment creates a very nice atmosphere. If you have not looked inside, the library is next to the coffee shop, and has a small selection of books in English, [...]
Posted in All Posts, Thailand & Buddhism, tagged Thai Buddhism on 24 October, 2007 | No Comments »
A new law is being proposed, by the group that attempted to make the Constitution include Buddhism as a state religion, that ‘protects’ from ‘Buddhist’ offences. There is a hefty fine and up to 25 years in prison for anyone
insulting, offending, imitating and distorting Buddhism and the Lord Buddha
Without seeing the bill in entirity, it [...]
Posted in All Posts, Thailand & Buddhism, tagged Bhikkhuni, Dhammananda, interview on 22 October, 2007 | 1 Comment »
The first part of the interview is HERE
In Venerable Dhammananda’s Dhammananda’s talk we asked her to choose her own topic - part of the reason for this is everywhere she goes, she is hikacked on to this one solitary topic of ordination of women in Thailand. With her breadth of knowledge and experience it is [...]
Posted in All Posts, Thailand & Buddhism, tagged Bhikkhuni, Buddhist nuns, Dhammananda, interview on 21 October, 2007 | 5 Comments »
[ There is an upcoming retreat with Bhikkhuni Dhammananda in July 2008 in English. See : http://littlebang.wordpress.com/2008/04/23/retreat-with-bhikkhuni-dhammananda/ ]
Bhikkhuni Dhammananda Interview
Part One
It is not easy to get Thai monks to do things outside their usual temple activities, especially abbots. So we were most pleased and honoured when Bhikkhuni Dhammananda unhesitatingly said she would gladly come to Baan [...]
Posted in All Posts, Thailand & Buddhism on 27 September, 2007 | 1 Comment »
When people come upon the Little Bang through google, the management page reports what search terms were used. By far the most common term is “Jatukam”. In the last few days it is terms such as ‘Burma monks protest” or “monks protest Myanmar” etc… but one interesting search term was “Can monks protest?”. This raises [...]
Posted in All Posts, Thailand & Buddhism on 24 September, 2007 | No Comments »
Since we are having Bhikkhuni Dhammananda to lead an evening at Baan Aree next month, it’s fitting to make a mention here about the ordination of Women in Thailand. The broader issues are under discussion at various Buddhist websites, such as HERE. The issue is usually seen from the point of view of equality, so [...]
Posted in All Posts, Thailand & Buddhism on 11 September, 2007 | No Comments »
A number of news services have been running the story recently about some Burmese monks who were reportedly tied to an electricity post and beaten with rifle butts. With these and other stories, such as ones that come from the Chinese occupation of Tibet, the first thing to realise is that sometimes, the monks might [...]
Posted in All Posts, Thailand & Buddhism, tagged Add new tag, Thai Buddhism on 1 September, 2007 | 2 Comments »
The Nation has published an interview with Bhikkhuni Dhammananda this week. No surprise that it is all about women ordaining in the Thai Sangha. It is a shame really; she is very knowledgeable about both Dhamma and meditation but somehow the topic always gets turned back to this one issue.
The Sangha Council of Thailand seems [...]
Posted in All Posts, Thailand & Buddhism on 30 August, 2007 | No Comments »
Dasa book cafe - on Sukhumvit near to the emporium, is having a September book sale, and the data base lists a number of Buddhist titles:
Ajahn Chah -Living Dhamma
Breiter, Paul - Venerable Father: a Life with Ajahn Chah
Buddhadasa Bhikkhu - Heart-wood from the Bo Tree
Dalai Lama - Path to Enlightenment
Dhammavisuddhivaki, Phra - Buddhist Way of [...]
Posted in All Posts, Thailand & Buddhism on 14 August, 2007 | No Comments »
It has been a topic of import lately in Thai Buddhist circles, that Buddhism be declared the ‘State’ religion of Thailand. Apparently this idea has little support amongst regular Thai people, but many monks and Buddhist organisations have been trying to activate each other for it. Perhaps it may have been a useful tool for [...]
