Rumble in Bangkok...
Just as Thailand's prime minister Samak Sundaravej declared a state of emergency in Bangkok on Tuesday after street fighting between opponents and supporters of the government left one man dead and dozens of people injured, I was reminded yet of another Thai, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh who when running for prime minister in 1996, was blessed by Thailand's most revered monk with a whack over the head with a rolled-up newspaper. I didn't know for sure how the latter responded to the whack but more than a decade ago, I heard personally of a similar whack though not with a newspaper, from a Chinese teacher who went to church with his pious wife. A White pastor conducting the prayers had asked the congregation to bow and when the teacher stole a peep, he was whacked on the head. He didn't go to church again after that. Both cases are I believe isolated and weird, too. I suppose Lord Buddha did no whack anyone on the head; nor did he sprinkled holy water on people like what monks are doing in temples. I don't know if this is true but I also heard that when people stop respecting the monks, it would spell the end of the religion or is it the world itself? Whichever it is, I bet the world ends when there is no respect...
Just as Thailand's prime minister Samak Sundaravej declared a state of emergency in Bangkok on Tuesday after street fighting between opponents and supporters of the government left one man dead and dozens of people injured, I was reminded yet of another Thai, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh who when running for prime minister in 1996, was blessed by Thailand's most revered monk with a whack over the head with a rolled-up newspaper. I didn't know for sure how the latter responded to the whack but more than a decade ago, I heard personally of a similar whack though not with a newspaper, from a Chinese teacher who went to church with his pious wife. A White pastor conducting the prayers had asked the congregation to bow and when the teacher stole a peep, he was whacked on the head. He didn't go to church again after that. Both cases are I believe isolated and weird, too. I suppose Lord Buddha did no whack anyone on the head; nor did he sprinkled holy water on people like what monks are doing in temples. I don't know if this is true but I also heard that when people stop respecting the monks, it would spell the end of the religion or is it the world itself? Whichever it is, I bet the world ends when there is no respect...
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