Daily Reflections Day 4 /สาม/

Thailand is a country well-known for its devotion to Buddhism. One of the first things I saw when I touched down in Chiang Mai was a sign in the airport that warned: “the image of Buddha is not to be treated with disrespect”. It then proceeded to list all the acts that were punishable by law: using the image of Buddha as an accessory, tattooing it etc. I found this interesting. Singapore does not tolerate any disrespect towards any religion, but Thailand actually condemns such disrespect and thinks it deserving of prosecution.

Contrast this with Christianity. The cross was originally a symbol of grace and love, but now it’s being used in fashion, in accessories, in design, as a form of art. Is this considered a degradation of the religion? Maybe the true meaning of religion lies beyond its symbol, and if explicit laws have to be put in place to deter disrespectful acts towards the symbol of the religion, then that religion has already lost its place in the people’s hearts and lives. (Then again, the sign could have been targeted at tourists, serving as a guideline for appropriate behavior when in the country. Indeed, tourists have the power to change, even if only slightly, the heritage and culture of whichever country they are visiting. Tourists are much more than passive audiences to the showcasing of a country’s heritage; they are active influencers of the way a country presents its own story. In the eyes of the Thai, they pose a threat to their sacred religion.)

Anyway, I was keen to see an actual place of worship in a country that revolves around its religion. We visited Doi Suthep today, a grand temple that was Chiang Mai’s pride and glory, and the number one recommended place to visit on various websites. But what I gathered from my time there was painfully far from what I had hoped to witness. I saw locals offering to snap pictures of tourists with the grand dome glowing in the sun. I saw so many tourists making their rounds around the tower, hands clasped around a single stalk of flower. But I wonder how many of the tourists actually knew the true meaning behind their actions. Was it merely an act to psych themselves into thinking they would be somehow protected for the next few months because they paid “respects” to a god they didn’t believe in? Is this superstition or is this religion? Or worse, was it just something to cross off their bucket list, so they could announce that “yes, of course I’ve been to Chiang Mai! I visited their most famous temple!”

I don’t mean to criticize anyone, but it saddens me that a country, a religion, has to sell itself out for the sake of the economy. The sad truth is that it takes money to continue running these temples. Such a treasured part of the people, sacred to the point of them wanting to protect it with legislation, ironically diluted because of the very need to protect and preserve itself.

What is the limit to all this dilution? Is there a limit? How much further must religion be forced into the backseat before someone stands up and says that things have gone too far? Would it be too late then? What would we have then? All the money in the world, but not a shred of our soul, our humanity, our culture left.