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Would you pay a few thousand dollars for a piece of wood? Not too long ago, there was a report that this piece of wood called teras gemungga has become popular among local artistes and VIPs in Malaysia. A 72-year-old collector, Sayuti Harun, also known as Pok De, said people were willing to pay as much as RM2,000 for the wood as it could be used to protect a person from being charmed and to ward off evil spirits. I suppose that's similar to the practice of paying thousand of dollars for a Buddhist amulet. Occasionaly, one would hear of Chinese businessmen paying a fortune for Buddhist amulets from Thailand; especially those produced by some highly respected Thai monks. The amulets may have various functions, to protect one from being charmed, to ward off evil spirits, to attract the opposite sex, to make one bullet-proof etc. The Jatukham Rammathep, for instance, is an amulet from Thailand which is supposed to protect and bring good fortune to the bearer. A woman reportedly got trampled to death in a rush to acquire reservations for a batch of Jatukham Rammathep in Thailand. You'd probably wonder if this make sense when you consider one of Buddha's quote on self reliance: The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed. Would Buddha approve of amulets?
Would you pay a few thousand dollars for a piece of wood? Not too long ago, there was a report that this piece of wood called teras gemungga has become popular among local artistes and VIPs in Malaysia. A 72-year-old collector, Sayuti Harun, also known as Pok De, said people were willing to pay as much as RM2,000 for the wood as it could be used to protect a person from being charmed and to ward off evil spirits. I suppose that's similar to the practice of paying thousand of dollars for a Buddhist amulet. Occasionaly, one would hear of Chinese businessmen paying a fortune for Buddhist amulets from Thailand; especially those produced by some highly respected Thai monks. The amulets may have various functions, to protect one from being charmed, to ward off evil spirits, to attract the opposite sex, to make one bullet-proof etc. The Jatukham Rammathep, for instance, is an amulet from Thailand which is supposed to protect and bring good fortune to the bearer. A woman reportedly got trampled to death in a rush to acquire reservations for a batch of Jatukham Rammathep in Thailand. You'd probably wonder if this make sense when you consider one of Buddha's quote on self reliance: The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed. Would Buddha approve of amulets?
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