Bangkok - Spirit element
Bangkok is not only about tourism and chaos and water, it is also a very spiritual city. The country has a population of 90% of buddhists, so we were not surprised to see that much temples in the city.
We did a 3h long meditation course, carried by a monk. It was very instructive, we both learned sitting, standing and even walking meditation. That last one was our favorite. What was interesting is that for example if an unexpected sound occurs during the mediation, instead of trying to ignore it, one has to focus on it solely and slowly move back to moditation.
Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen
Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen is a Buddhist temple located in the Phasi Charoen district. The temple was established in 1610 by a Thai monk named Somdet Toh, who was renowned for his learning and meditation skills. The temple is also known as Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen, which means “Temple of the City of Gems.”
The temple has several structures and buildings, including the Phra Buddha Dhammakāya Thepmongkhon, built in 2017. This statue, being 69 meters tall and 40 meters wide, is the biggest in the whole city. The material the image is made of is pure bronze, making the image the first of its kind in the world. That was quite an impressive sight!
Inside the temple complex we saw a pagoda, called Phra Chedi Kaeo, which means “Crystal Stupa.” It is a four-tiered pagoda made of crystal glass and decorated with gold, precious gems, and intricate designs. The pagoda is said to contain relics of Buddha and is considered a sacred object by Buddhists.
Wat Pho
Also called Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Rajwaramahawihan, this temple was built during King Rama I reign on top of an earlier temple site, even before Bangkok became a capital. It is one the main temples related to the monarchy. The temple complex houses the largest collection of Buddha images, and is also known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage.
The most famous part of this site is a 46m long reclining Buddha covered in gold, we were astonished by its length!
The posture of the reclining Buddha is referring to the pose of a sleeping or reclining lion presenting entry into complete spiritual enlightenment through the ending of all worldly desire.
Wat Arun
We did not visited this one, but could see it from our boat trip on the river, and we really like it because it changes from the all golden other temples from the city. Also known as the Temple of Dawn, Wat Arun dates back to the seventeenth century.
The temple’s most impressive feature is its towering prang, a Khmer-style tower, and it’s one of the tallest in Thailand. The prang is decorated with intricate patterns and beautiful pieces of glass, reflecting the sunlight and resembling jewels.
With all these temples visited, we can come back to our walking meditation ^^