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Written by Administrator
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Saturday, 16 February 2008 |
Chinese New Year (*For Chinese people in Thailand) Gung Hay Fat Choy! Wishing you good fortune and happiness! The Chinese are obsessed with making a good start and the New Year Brings a new hope and prosperity.
New Year is the longest and happiest holiday of the year for Chinese not only for those who are in China but also for most Asian people. It sometimes lasts from a week or two. February will be the Chinese New Year for this year.
The date for the Chinese New Year falls on the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar which is based on the moon cycles. Every year it happens on a different day, but it usually arrives somewhere between January 19th and February 21st. New Year's Eve and the first three days of the new year are observed as a pubic holiday.
In Thailand, employees working with companies owned by native Chinese usually expect an annual bonus. It has been a tradition that native Chinese bosses give cash gifts to their employees.
Days before Chinese New Year, every family is busy a thorough cleaning, hoping to sweep away all the bad luck there may have been in the family to make way for the wishful in-coming good luck or fortune, paying off debts, purchasing new clothes, offering sacrifices usually sweet white cake called Khanom Kheng and Kanom Thian to the gods so they will report only sweet things about the family while skipping the bad side. Firecrackers explode throughout the night on New year's Eve.
The Eve of the New Year is very carefully observed. The homage-paying ceremony will certainly not be missed during this significant occasion as it is a way of expressing gratitude, believe to be the most important virtue. The family gathers for a dinner. The first thing to touch their lips must be a plain vegetable. Special foods follow, such as sweet round dumplings for happiness, long noodles with black mushroom for long life and good health, and cakes and cookies for a sweet year. Another important food is orange.
The Chinese New Year's Day is observed by following certain codes of behavior. Family members must speak politely, children greet their parents and receive their presents in terms of cash wrapped up in red paper packages from them. Then, the family start to go out to say greetings from door to door, first their relatives and then their neighbors. It is a great time for reconciliation. Old grudges are very easily cast away during the greetings. The air is permeated with warmth and friendliness. They don't do any work as the day is regarded as the holiday of the year.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 16 January 2009 )
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 05 March 2008 |
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 Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of Lord Buddha(563 BCE-483 BCE), who was born as Siddhartha Gautama, a Shakya prince in Lumbini, Nepal. The teachings preached by Lord Buddha subsequently turned into a religion, known as Buddhism.
The core of Buddhism lies in the purification of mind and soul by realising the truth and getting rid of the worldly desires. Basically, it were the principles of Karma in the doctrine of Buddhism that made the religion one of the major ones in the world.
Buddhism After The Buddha - The role of Ashoka
It was after the Buddha's death that the school of Buddhism spread slowly in India and then subsequently, throughout the world. However, it was at the time of the the Indian emperor Ashoka that Buddhism took a pace to reach its height. After the tragic Kalinga war, Ashoka decided to follow the path of non-violence or 'ahimsa' and converted to Buddhism. He promoted the doctrines of Buddhism not only in his empire as Dhamma but in other regions as well. It was his promotional campaign that led to the construction of the Buddhist religious monasteries and stupas, which further facilitated the spread of Buddhism in countries like Sri Lanka, Tibet, China and Japan.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 07 March 2008 )
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The Spread of Buddhism Outside India |
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 05 March 2008 |
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 During the third century BCE, Buddhism was spread by Ashoka(BCE 270 - BCE 232), the third and the most powerful Mauryan emperor, who created the first pan-Indian empire. After the battle of Kalinga, Ashoka felt immense grief due to the huge loss of lives during the war and thus decided to follow the path of Buddhism. After this, he began to implement Buddhist principles in the administration of his kingdom and named the new code of conduct 'Dhamma'. Here, in order to inform everyone about his new political and ruling philosophy, he got edicts (proclamation) inscribed on stone pillars and placed them throughout his kingdom, which are present even today.
Ashoka not only helped in spreading the religion within India but outside India as well. The main reason for the spread of Buddhism into Southeast Asia was the support of the emperor Ashoka himself. Teams of missionaries were sent by him all over the Indian sub-continent, i.e. to Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Previous Burma), and other neighbouring areas so as to send the message of Buddhism. The missionaries sent by Ashoka to the other countries were well received by them and the conversions took place easily because of the influence and the personal power Ashoka exercised.
The spread of Buddhism in Sri Lanka
Ashoka’s most successful missions were headed by his son Mahindra, who travelled to Sri Lanka along with four other monks and a novice. This mission turned out to be so successful that the king of Sri Lanka himself became a Buddhist, and Mahindra then supervised the translation of the Theravada canon (written in the Pali language) into Sinhala, the Sri Lankan script. He also helped in finding a monastery named Mahavihara, which became the main supporter of the Theravadin orthodoxy in Sri Lanka for over 1,000 years.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 08 March 2008 )
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