Sunday, October 28, 2007

Thanat's birthday party

Thanat is the head of the international section for Vipassana meditation at. Wat Chom Tong.

When I was in Saudi Arabia I wasn't able to send much information about what happens inside a masque. Actually I can tell you that they do a lot of praying. It is very nice. But they don't like having there pictures taken.

Well, Thais are different.

Thanat lives in temples or very near for a long time now. He has invited Ajahn Tong and several other monks for the occasion. Ajahn Tong is the highest ranking meditation monk in Thailand.

The making of merit is very important to the Thai people. You can do this by doing good, supporting monks, feeding the hungry, helping those that need help...

The monks give blessing to the people in return for their support. The blessing of someone who is pure in his vows is more respected then one from someone who is not. Ajahn Tong, is someone who is considered to be very very pure.

By the way. Ajahn or Ajaan is not a name. It a title of honor meaning teacher. Tong however is a name. More formally you may say the Venerable Ajahn Tong but I not usually very formal.

The video is a recording of the chanting and pictures of the events. Its about 32 minutes and may take a while to upload.

Best wishes in Dharma

Lawrence Moore