We reached the parking lot area and decided we would be young and active and climb the 300 stairs to the wat.
Please take note of the nagas that flank the staircase. I have no idea their significance.
Of course since we are farangs we have to pay to see the wat. We always have to pay extra!
So the main Chedi and temple area is walled. There are other random things on the outside of the temple, like a library, coffee shop, and traditional Thai dancing. As we were entering, we got really excited because we heard familiar music. Then we realized that these cute little girls were doing the same Thai dance that we learned for LTI camp. I so badly wanted to jump up there and do it with them!
Once we took off our shoes we could enter into the main area of the Chedi. The Chedi is the big gold thing in the middle of the wat. Once again, I have no idea what the purpose is, but I do know that not all wats have them. Surrounding the Chedi are tons and tons of Buddha images.
This is King. This is actually the most recent picture I've seen. Many around the city look to be about 20 or 30 years old. Pink in an enduring color for the King. It's the color he wore when leaving the hospital back in October.
Monks. It is proper to make sure your head is lower than the monks when you walk by. You cannot be taller than them. This is clearly quite hard for farangs because we are so much taller than Thai people in general.
The most Buddhas I've ever seen. This is the room where you can get a "free blessing" from the monks.
So this is how you get a "blessing". First, purchase the roses and incense. Second, walk 3 laps around the Chedi, and then kneel at the Buddha and tell him what blessings you want. Terribly sad.
"What good is an idol carved by man,
or cast image that deceives you?
How foolish to trust in your own creation-
a god that can't even talk!
What sorrow awaits you who say to wooden idols,
'Wake up and save us!'
To speechless stone images you say
'Rise up and teach us!'
Can an idol tell you what to do?
They may be overlaid with gold and silver,
but they are lifeless inside.
But the Lord Is in His holdy temple.
Let all the earth be silent before Him."
Habakkuk 2:18-20
God clearly says that we should have no other god before him, including idols. In America we talk about money, power, famous people, etc. as our idols, but here in Thailand there is physical, tangible idol worship occurring. I am definitely not educated enough to analyze and decipher all the aspects of Buddhism, but I do know one thing, that all these people that we saw at the mountain are searching for something. They realize that deep down inside that they are broken souls, we all are. Most likely in this country no one has told them that this brokenness is due to the fall of man, and that we have sin in our lives and the only way to overcome sin is through the redemptive blood of Jesus Christ. As sad as it was to see all these people seeking out the help of Buddha, or seeking how to do enough good deeds to reach enlightenment, it was a reminder of why I am here. Why I am giving up my right to have the comforts of the American life. Jesus. He transforms people's hearts, minds, and lives. That's why I am here, to tell this good news!!
