My Very First Visit to a Buddhist Temple

There are plenty of Buddhist temples in the Chinatown of Binondo but I never dared to enter one because I'm not a Buddhist. Meanwhile, in Cebu I visited a Taoist temple, which I think has lots of similarities with Buddhism. Thus, entering a Buddhist temple here in Thailand is novelty for me.

Buddhism is the major religion here in Thailand. About 95% of the population are Buddhists*. Images of Buddha and other famous monks are everywhere. They can be found in front of houses, public places, and even hanging as necklaces of the Thais. Due to this, Buddhist temples can be found everywhere.

I am not thrilled or motivated to visit any wat (Thai word for temple). But, as they say, a visit to Thailand will never be complete if you haven't entered at least one wat. So, one day, during a trip to a nature park north of Bangkok, I found myself within the grounds of a big wat.

Temple in honor of the monk named Promraungsri


The place is truly big. The grounds is covered with grass and well-cared garden. There is also a big eatery, which just shows that this wat has many devotees.



I didn't record the name of this wat because it is written in Thai letters. I also have no idea where this wat is located. Thankfully, members of the Thailand Photo community in Google+ supplied the info that I need.

According to Bengt Johansen, this wat was established by a famous Thai actor to honor Promraungsri, who is a monk who lived 150 years ago.

Wat Promraungsri


What's impressing with the Thai people is their generosity for their religion. They have no qualms giving golds or precious items to the their temples. Thus, their temples are adorned with gold or other precious items.

A Buddhist friend told me that they believe that offering more to their Buddha brings more luck or good fortune. Thus, they don't worry to give gold to their monks because they are sure that they will receive twofold or threefold of what they gave.

Many people going to Wat Promsaungsri


It was a weekend during our visit to the wat and the place is a little crowded by devotees. Many of them came to this temple by busloads. What they went to see is the big statue of Promraungsri within the temple.

A peek inside Wat Promraungsri


We ended our short stopover and once again hit the road for our very long trip to Pukhieo Wildlife Sanctuary.

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*Info on percent population of Buddhist obtained from Thailand page of Wikipedia.

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10 comments:

  1. I've never been to the northern part of Thailand. Wish I will be able to go there one day : )

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    Replies
    1. I know that you keep on coming back to Thailand, so you might get the chance to visit this wat Foong.

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  2. Oh the title of this post sounds like a title I use in my blog. 'My Very First ...' : D

    ReplyDelete
  3. hmm ganda ng temple ahh anagas ng pagkakagawa ee
    kaso sa interior mukang simple na ee nu

    ReplyDelete
  4. Never been to a Buddhist temple pero sa Taoist Temple (in Cebu) nakapasok na ko. Nice blog, will follow ur GFC and keep on coming back here--- keep on posting :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pareho tayo ng napuntahan sa Cebu, Traveling Morion. :-)

      Maraming salamat po. Thank you for following my blog.

      Delete
  5. wow.. ang ganda... super detailed yung structure...and yung nearby garden is so relaxing
    .. so they have to enter the temple barefooted ba?
    thanks for sharing Ish

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Blue. People entering a wat should remove their shoes. Minsan hindi na lang ako pumapasok at nakakatamad magtanggal ng sapatos. De-sintas pa naman sapatos ko.

      Delete

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