Adventures in Thai Cooking & Travel
Images of the Buddha
Buddha 
Images, NE Thailand
by Michael Babcock
Copyright © 2005 Michael Babcock
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In 
December 2004, Kasma and I made an exploratory trip to Northeastern Thailand,
to the region of the country known as Isahn. Although I had made many trips to Thailand,
I had only seen a very few places in the northeast, perhaps geographically the largest area of
Thailand
In many ways, I think
of Isahn as the heart of Thailand. It is the area of Thailand where people still adhere
the most closely to traditional Thai ways. It is the area of the country where Buddhism still is
most clearly the basis of the culture. Except for the deep south, it is the poorest area of
Thailand – much of the land has been devastated by its nearly complete deforestation, which
has led to loss of much farm land and to a decrease in the amount of water available.
There 
is much to see in
Isahn, including the Angkor Wat-like historical ruins in Pee Mai and Phu
Phrabat, archeological digs containing evidence of the world's earliest Bronze culture,
dinosaur remains, lively markets, and weaving. There are also a large number of Buddhist temples
and I found myself fascinated by the Buddha images in these temples.
As
we were driving through the NE, I had only
one book – A Still Forest Pond: The Insight Meditation of Achaan Chah, compiled
and edited by Jack Kornfield and Paul Breiter (Wheaton, Illinois, The Theosophical Publishing
House, 1985). I had long admired the teachings of Achaan Chah, a Thai monk who had founded a
famous forest monastery in NE Thailand in the province of Ubon.
It 
is fascinating to observe the various forms
that Buddhism has assumed as it entered different cultures. Although the root teaching is the
same, the trappings of, say, Tibetan Buddhism are very different from those of, say, Zen Buddhism
in Japan. The form of Buddhism in Thailand is called Theravada Buddhism and traces 
its core teachings in unbroken lineage back
to the words of the Buddha, some 2,500 years ago.It has acquired, along the way, some of the
trappings of Thai beliefs in animism and spirits – for example, one reason you see so many
people wearing Buddha amulets and images around their necks has to do with the protection they are
meant to impart to the wearer.
Whereas most temples offer a more social Buddhism with many ceremonies and public occasions,
Thai forest monastaries offer a place for people to explore the quiet side of Buddhism, the
meditative side. The teachings of Achaan Chah 
are direct and simple and admit no nonsense whatsoever. He is unconcerned with
what any Buddhist texts or ancient wisdom may say – for him, the only source of true
knowledge is one's own experience, acquired by contemplating whatever arises directly from
moment-to-moment without pause. Using sitting and walking meditation as a basis for practice, one
learns to contemplate the mind and sense objects with equanimity until able to do so in the midst of either great
activity or no activity.
As 
we visited the various temples, I found myself looking at the various images
and recalling the words of Achaan Chah, as recorded in A Still Forest Pond. I would
like to share some of the images of these Buddhas along with some thoughts – start here and walk through the various images using the "next" link.
Learning more about Insight Meditation
We recommend the following two websites as a place to learn more about insight meditation. Clicking on the link will open the site on a new page.
- Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery in Northern California grows out of the lineage of Aachan Chah. The Dhamma Page contains links to excellent teaching in the Theravada tradition.
- Spirit Rock Meditation Center – in Marin County, California. Jack Kornfield, one of the authors of A Still Forest Pond (among many books) is one of the many teachers here.
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Article Copyright © 2005 Michael Babcock. All rights reserved.
Photographs Copyright © 2005 Michael Babcock. All rights reserved.
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Page added 1 June 2004; Last updated 1 September 2005.