Makha Bucha Day - The Full Moon Day of The 3rd Lunar Month

It was 9 full months after the Buddha got the Enlightenment, on the full moon day of 6th lunar month, 45 years before the Buddhist era. On the full moon day of the 3rd lunar month, Makha, of the year, 4 special events happened:

1. There were 1,250 Sangha followers, that came to see the Buddha that evening without any schedule.

2. All of them were "Arhantas', the Enlightened One, and all of them were ordained by the Buddha himself.

3. The Buddha gave those Arhantas the principles of the Buddhism, called "The Ovadhapatimokha". Those principles are: - To cease from all evil, - To do what is good, - To cleanse one's mind;

4. It was the full moon day.

At this time in the evolution of Buddhism and Buddhist principles in Thailand, it is important to understand how the majority of Thai people view Buddha and the Buddhist philosophy.

[Source : watthaidc.org]

How to Visit a Temple in Thailand

Take special care in learning the proper ritual for visiting a temple in Thailand.

Instructions

Step 1: Buy incense or a flower from a stand outside the temple.
Step 2: Approach the temple door and remove your shoes.
Step 3: Enter the temple without speaking.
Step 4: Be careful not to touch any of the statues or the symbols once inside.
Step 5: Place your offering, either incense or flower, at the base of the Buddha statue.
Step 6: Remain silent.

Tips and Warnings

-The Thai word for temple is "wat."
-The Thai people consider sleeveless shirts, shorts and short skirts inappropriate. Always cover up before entering the temple.

Source : .ehow.com

Wat Suthat Thepwararam Bangkok, Thailand

Its a bit off the tourist trail these days, but Wat Suthat is still a very important temple to the Thais. This is the home of the Brahmin priest who oversee royal rituals such as the ploughing ceremony held at the traditional beginning of the growing season.

In front of the temple is the huge chinese-red frame of the giant swing. The swing was the center of an annual ceremony where teams of young men would try to swing high enough to retrieve a sack of gold tied to a pole about 75 feet (25 meters) in the air. So many men died in the attempt that the ceremony was banned in the 1930s.
Cloister

Wat Suthat was built in the early 19th century to house the huge 25-foot tall Phra Sri Sakyamuni Buddha statue, which was bought all the way from Sukhothai by boat. The Wiharn housing the Buddha image sits in a large cloister. The outer wall of the cloister is lined with more than 150 Buddha images. The statues are in various states of repair, since each is "adopted" by a patron to make merit for a departed loved one, who may in fact be interred in the base or the wall next to the Buddha.


Be sure to have a look at the doors to the cloister in the middle of each of the four walls. They are painted and gilded with quite colorful scenes from the Ramakien.

The courtyard between the Buddha gallery and the wiharn is full of chinese statues reported to have been shipped from China as ballast in rice boats during the reign of Bangkok's first king.

The wiharn is one of Bangkok's tallest due to the need to house the huge Buddha statue. The walls are painted with murals depicting the last 24 lives of Buddha. The columns are also painted with murals showing the early life of Bangkok. Check out the column nearest the door on the right. It depicts scenes of the early westerners who came to Siam.

On a large median in the road running next to Wat Suthat is a small Vishnu shrine.

Wat Suthat is not far from the Golden Mount and Loha Prasat in Wat Ratchanada. See our walking tour which takes in all of these temples and the sights around them.

[Source : thailandforvisitors.com]