The vast majority of people in Thailand are Buddhists for whom the temple plays an important role in the spiritual wellbeing of individuals and the community. There are over 31,200 Buddhist temples spread around Thailand. Wherever you happen to find yourself in Thailand you’ll never be too far from a temple where you can go to offer your prayers and “make merit” even if you aren’t Buddhist. Although all Buddhist temples share similar beautiful characteristics, there are some that are architecturally more magnificent and historically significant.
Temples are classified into two main categories: Royal Temples and Common Temples. The Royal Temples were either built by royalty or came under their sponsorship. In Thailand, there are about 200 Royal Temples though there are only six of the highest grade. With its beautiful temples, rich culture and history, great weather, fine food and world-renowned beaches, Thailand is visited by approximately seven million visitors each year. It is a country of approximately sixty million people, with a land area equivalent to that of France. It is undergoing a remarkable economic expansion, with growth rates of approximately 8%-10 % each year.
Tourists and other foreigners should know some basic information before visiting Thailand and especially its temples. Thailand is a Buddhist country where Buddha images are held secret. Sacrilegious acts are punishable by imprisonment even if committed by foreign visitors. Visitors to temples should ensure that they are suitably dressed – no shorts or sing lets and ladies should also cover their arms. Shoes should be removed before entering any building and it would be polite to sit quietly when in the main temple buildings.
When visiting a temple it is polite to seek the permission of the Abbott before taking photographs or entering other than the main area. This can be done by approaching a monk or one of the many helpers found in the temple grounds. Normally permission is granted without seeing the Abbott, but your show of respect by asking, will be returned. If visiting popular temples, such as Wat Phra Kaeo in the Grand Palace grounds, there is no need to seek any permission, but you should look out for signs indicating where photography is forbidden.
Wat Phra Kaeo temple is situated in the capital city of Bangkok and is more commonly known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha because it houses a small two foot jade statue of Buddha which rests upon a huge golden alter. The temple is very elaborately decorated with a rich array of colours that are sure to astonish and dazzle all visitors. This Buddhist temple is also significant in that it is the official royal chapel where the revered Thai royal family goes to perform their religious ceremonies.
Wat Traimit, Temple of the Gold Buddha- the most amazing feature of this temple is the fact that the 3 meter tall Buddha image is made up of 5.5 tons of solid gold. It was made about 700 years ago in the Sukhothai period but the image was covered in plaster in fear of the invading Burmese. It was rediscovered about 40 years ago. Besides these one should also visit the Wat Pho, Wat Suthat, Wat Ratchabophit, Wat Ratchanatdaram, Wat Thepthidaram , Wat Saket, Wat Mahathat and the Wat Rakhangkositaram.
Buddha was born into wealth as a prince, but as a young adult he chose to turn his back on material wealth in order to focus on a spiritual life.
In the Dhammapada, (the essential teachings of Buddha) Buddha begins by teaching is the absolute essence of how wealth is created.
First you must build riches in your mind.
In order to become wealthy you have to imagine yourself as wealthy. You have to believe that wealth is a natural state for you. You don’t achieve this, as many uninformed people suggest, by imagining an exact dollar amount by an exact date.
The way you create a state of wealth in your mind is to imagine the life that you would be living when you are wealthy. Imagine the freedom and opportunities that having a large amount of money could open up for you.
By creating in your mind a lifestyle that you could only have by becoming wealthy then your subconscious mind will set about the task of helping you become rich.
The second part of Buddha’s advice is to listen to what you are saying and how you are saying it you can discover what your subconscious mind really believes. If your words don’t agree with your consciously stated goals it is because your subconscious has not accepted those goals.
Many people follow the practice of setting New Year resolutions. However most of these resolutions are broken and discarded within the first week. Why? Because they were conscious goals that were never accepted by the subconscious.
In order for you to turn your goal for riches into reality you have to listen to your own words and then ensure that they consistently fall inline with your stated goal. In this manner you can reprogram the subconscious mind so that it falls in line with your conscious goal of becoming wealthy.
The third part of Buddha’s advice is that once you have your words in tune with your thoughts then you have to ensure that your actions are also brought into line.
You may well be imagining that you have the lifestyle of a multimillionaire and everything you say may be supporting that idea but what of your actions. Are you taking the actions that a self made multimillionaire would be taking?
How are you utilizing your time and money? Is it consistent with your goal to become a multimillionaire or not?
Your words are a reflection of both your conscious and subconscious minds. Well your habitual actions are a reflection of an even deeper, more robust part of your subconscious. Sometimes both a person’s conscious thoughts and their words will be consistent but their habits will betray that they still have not fully reprogrammed the subconscious to be supportive of their goal.
This is why you must complete the three stage process of bringing thoughts, words and actions into the same purpose. You complete the reprogramming of your subconscious by becoming fully aware of your actions and ensuring that you persist in acting in line with your thoughts and words for long enough for those new actions to become your automatic habits.
Only when you have succeeded in bringing your thoughts, words and actions habitually inline with your goal of wealth will you then see actual wealth coming into your life.
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