Wat Hup Ta Khrot temple left an indelible mark on my psyche. Not only because it was the first major temple complex we visited in Thailand, but it also introduced me to Thai polytheism. The idea that different gods and even religions could be worshiped together, side by side in peace and harmony simultaneously baffled and inspired me with their freedom to choose. The freedom of choice isn’t limited to this one temple or time, it’s present in all of Thai culture and history. For example, the Unesco World Heritage site of Sukhothai has over 193 temples excavated and restored. These temples have Hindu and Buddhist beliefs living side by side. My narrow-minded Western brain had a hard time handling the dichotomy of choice. I thought Game of Thrones taught me everything I needed to know about polytheism. In the show, the kingdoms of the realm worshiped different gods. When strangers enter the land, the kings would chop their heads off and burn them at the stake. This was nothing like Thailand. There we found something completely different, delightful and accepting. There was freedom to choose, not choose, or even choose everything. You just choose… What a liberating concept. Then Tick continued – “It doesn’t matter which god you worship because it’s always the same thing. You offer a gift, ask for a favor in return for a promise, and then fulfill your promise.” I struggled to understand how this could be so simple and universal. I had more western memories to draw from. After my Christian upbringing, I branched into enlightened spiritualism during my college years. Did I have a prayer ritual there too? Did I follow the same patterns without any gods? His particular combination of east and west, new and old, gave me another way to understand the freedom of choice. I noticed Tick’s bike jersey he was wearing at the temple. It was a custom-made 49er fan art for Joe Montana saying “Bring him home”. How did a Thai guide, who has never been to America, just choose Joe Montana and the 49ers? Maybe Thai people picked their gods like we pick our football teams. Sometimes a team or god is on a winning streak and the fans take notice. Other times, they are just your hometown favorites that you grew up with. Every temple we passed in Thailand had a statue of a famous local monk that had made a name for himself for the local worshipers. Other times, you might just like Joe Montana’s blue eyes or Vishnu’s blue skin for pure aesthetics. There is probably a reason why NFL teams work so hard on their logos and Hindu gods are so colorful. This post was written for Everything Everywhere by Ed and Jennifer Coleman of Coleman Concierge. Source: http://tz2d.me/?c=cy from http://taxi.nearme.host/you-just-choose-musings-on-the-religions-of-thailand-and-the-nfl-2/
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