Each day's discoveries and mysteries are magnified in this culture whose mores are bedecked with ancient traditions and strong religious beliefs. There is a certain comfort to it all, even though I can barely scratch the surface of the import of the ceremony that surrounds it. It's the comfort of unity; the knowledge that I am holding on to the edge of a blanket of values that all my neighbors share in common. (Notwithstanding the fact that I am not yet privy to them.)
'Diversity' is a much used word in the USA these days. I think it's used as a plea. It's a begging invitation for unity and acceptance of all in a land where dozens of cultures and religions need to co-exist without beating on each other. That's not the case in Thailand. This is a predominantly Buddhist culture with a small percentage of Muslims and a much smaller percentage of Christian and other religions. Accepting diversity is not an issue here. The Buddhist tradition does not proselytize and it's core tenets call for the acceptance of all. It is the essence of Buddhism and it recognizes no demarcation lines between other beliefs, skin colors, or political leanings. The central issues are Buddhist practice, which, above all else, centers around giving and receiving good karma and respect for ones ancestors, Buddha and a number of revered monks, some living, some long dead.
This comfortable blanket of cultural unity surrounds me, but it is, at present, as perplexing as it is comforting. Animism sits in a front row seat. All things have souls and histories that can be told through the pages of their reincarnations. Some auspicious tree trunks are wrapped in ceremonial silks, spirit houses adorn the front yards of most homes and every home and business sports at least one shrine where incense and offerings of food are presented to ancestors and revered personages.
Some cattle, like the cow shown in the picture above, wear prayer beads. I have no idea of the import of it, but we will, in time, ferret out its meaning. The young men in monk's robes in the second picture are not ordained monks. Many of the more religious families send their sons to the Wats (temples) for three to six months for religious training and they live in the manner of monks while they are there. Men who have caused grievous harm to others, or behaved badly in some way, often enter a Wat and live a monk's life until they feel they have atoned for their transgressions. Repentance and wisdom gained by austerity. They return to their family and community cleansed, regaining the face they lost through their misconduct.
There is always a flip side of the coin, of course. In this case, it can also be seen that lateral thinking is not encouraged in this land of unified mores. And that means that imitation, rather than innovation, is the rule. I think that is slowly beginning to change and the Internet (which offers pretty spiffy broadband and is subsidized by the government) is going to promote the notion of and quest for innovation. Change is inevitable, but for the moment, I like things the way they have been for centuries.
