The image of Buddha is not only seen in the hundreds of wats of various size in every corner of the city, it is more in every Thai people’s heart. It is an image most sacred, most unblasphemable, and an image with the highest status, even higher than the second-most respectable figure of the king.
The wats in Bangkok is like the basilicas in Roma, they are huge, they are nice and they are everywhere. I didn’t have much time for the wat tours, but out of the few that I have been to, the astonishment was not any less than that given by the St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican. The architect, the crafting and the pagodas... In here, I could feel I’m physically closer to the Buddha and the inner peace in me.
But the Buddhism in Thailand is far more than just merely visiting the wats. People believe in Buddha and they show their highest respect to them. There are places reserved only for monks in public places instead of for women and the handicapped like everywhere else. People will always pray reverently in front of the Buddha figures, even when they are just walking pass by. I was amazed to see the staff working on the boat actually pray with his hands and eyes closed when the boat pass by every major temple along the river. I’m sure his prays can be heard and answered considering how many times how many times he will pass by them everyday.
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