Kat’s Window

It is now official. The rainy season will last for three more months. This comes as a surprise to me as I have already been going out my door with umbrella in hand and returning with wet feet for some time. The official day for the beginning of the rains is the Buddhist holiday Khao Phansa, also known as ‘the rains retreat.’ This holiday falls on the day after the full moon on the eighth lunar month (July) and is an important religious event. Monks take up permanent residences for the next three months and many males choose to enter the monkhood during this time. With the fields all planted and rain falling most every day, what better time for teaching, studying and religious contemplation?

Khao Pansa originates from Buddhism’s early origins in India when people stayed in permanent dwellings during the rainy season to avoid stepping on and destroying newly-planted seeds. The tradition was carried over to Thailand in the Lord Buddha’s teachings and continues to this day.

Asanlaha Bucha Day, also known as Buddhist Lent, falls on the day before Khao Pansa (on the full moon) and marks the day of the Lord Buddha’s first sermon after obtaining enlightenment. Buddhist Lent lasts as long as the rains retreat (three months) and during this time, many will choose to give up smoking, drinking alcohol or other forms of inappropriate behaviour as a symbol of their faith. Laymen also spend more time listening to sermons at temples and in meditation during this highly religious period.

As part of the celebration beautiful and ornate candles of all shapes and sizes and made out of beeswax will be donated to the temples by institutions and individuals alike. Besides serving the practical purpose of lighting the temple and the monks’ sleeping area, the candles are also symbolic: they represent not only an illuminated room but also an illuminated mind. Candlelit processions take place all over the country at night. People walk with lotus buds, joss sticks and candle held in prayer-like fashion around the temple three times before setting these offerings down on the temple altars; a beautiful sight to behold indeed!

During these holidays, laymen give more financial and/or physical support to their temple. Besides offering candles, new robes, food and other basic supplies are also brought to the monasteries. It is a time of spiritual vigour. A change takes place in Thailand. Almost everywhere you look people are preparing food, purchasing candles, toting gifts, getting dressed up in modest but beautiful clothing and heading towards the temples. Many businesses are closed for these two holiday days and alcohol is not sold in entertainment venues or restaurants.

I spoke to 28-year-old Diow (meaning ‘alone’ in English) about the meaning of Buddhist Lent. He works as a tuk-tuk driver and is the father of three and was very excited to have the chance to explain his religion and culture to me. He stated, “This holiday makes sense not just in the spiritual sense but in a practical sense, too. The men are not needed to work in the fields so it is a good time for them to become monks. Every man should become a monk. It is an honour to your parents, it is the way to become a man, it is important for your heart. The monks stay inside during the rains. It is important not to step on the newly planted seeds, so it makes sense that the monks stay inside. This is not followed as closely as it used to be, especially in the big towns, but a monk should not change the place he stays during this time.”

“The fields are planted and people have to wait for harvest. It is the financial low-point of the year for Thailand, so it makes sense to give up smoking or drinking not just for your spirit but for your wallet. If you have money and do not have to work, it is a good time to go to the temple and take a vacation, but I have to work on these holidays. If I did not, I would take my family to the temple and then have food and drink, but definitely not any whisky on these days!”

With over 95 percent of the Thai population belonging to the Buddhist faith, important religious holidays such as Khao Pansa and Asanlaha Bucha Day are as important and noticeable as Christmas or Thanksgiving would be back home. There is something beautiful and moving watching processions of candles and gifts making their way to the temples. It is a tranquil time. As the rains get ready to fall even harder, the country prepares itself for a time of peace and quiet, both inside the heart and outside the home.

The sheer numbers of gold shops in Thailand should be some indication of just how popular this metal is. Usually found grouped together by the dozens and even in the smallest towns, gold shops have quite a bit of hustle and bustle going on around them and it is not just generated by window shoppers out for some fun. If you see throngs of people at a gold shop, it usually means one of two things: the price of gold has dropped or payday just rolled around. Gold shops are painted a bright fire-truck red and almost always belong to Thai-Chinese families. Prices for buying and selling gold are displayed prominently and are updated twice daily.

Thais love gold but this affection for gold goes far beyond aesthetic reasons. Gold represents social status and financial security. Large gold chains are worn by Thailand’s wealthiest members but are also found around the necks of those surviving from paycheck to paycheck. These gold chains usually have Buddhist amulets dangling from them. They are often, but not always, also made out of gold and sometimes are collector’s items themselves.

A gold chain is as good as or better than money in the bank as its value will not disappear overnight (unless, of course, it gets stolen). In times of need, just bring your gold chain into a gold shop, have it weighed, and it will be bought back or held until you can afford to pick it up again. If your friend always wears the same gold chain and you find that one day it is missing from his or her neck, it could be that a financial problem has arisen.

Gold is tangible, wearable and historical. Through the centuries, gold has always been universally recognised as a valid form of currency. It may be melted down and changed in shape or style but its intrinsic value always remains. Thais are perhaps more practical and less sentimental when it comes to buying gold. Infants and small children often have gold bracelets with bells attached fitted to their wrists and ankles as a way to help them learn coordination and how to walk. But these bracelets are also savings bonds of sorts.

Thai gold has a different colour from what one might expect; it gives off a deeper yellow glow. Although many Thais and gold dealers will claim Thai gold is in fact pure gold, this is not true. Thai gold is 23 carat gold; the remaining 3.5 percent of its makeup consists of alloy metals including copper. 18-carat gold would be viewed as absolutely worthless in Thailand as it has no resale value.

Unlike the rest of the world, where gold is weighed in grams or ounces, Thailand weighs gold in a unit called ‘baht’ (the same word used for the nation’s currency). One baht weighs exactly 15.16 grammes and a fine ounce of gold weighs 31.103 grammes. If you’re like me and have no attention span for maths, this weighing method can be a bit confusing.

Besides weight, there is another factor that will determine the price of a piece of jewelry: workmanship. For a one-baht (15.16 gramme) necklace, workmanship cost is likely to range between 300 baht and 8,000 baht (up to US$20) depending on the detail involved. This cost will be lost if the necklace is sold back as gold is bought based solely on weight.

Shopping for gold in Thailand is quite easy. Go into a reputable gold store and let the salesclerk know how much you prefer to spend. He or she will calculate how many baht of gold that will allow you to buy and will proceed to show you all the available merchandise fitting that category. Chains are the most popular choice for most Thais but rings, bracelets and pendants are also available. Be sure not to fall for shops offering big discounts on gold, as you’re most likely to walk away with a cheap imitation. As the price of gold is fixed and someone is always willing to buy it at this rate, no one is going to give it away.

The love of gold goes beyond the weights, measure and finances of a gold shop. Gold is a beloved colour and symbol in itself. Look around a Buddhist temple and you will see the colour most everywhere. Buddha images are frequently cast in gold, golden roof awnings sweep into the air, very thin and small square sheets of gold leaf are pressed onto Buddha images as a way of paying homage to them. Gold has long been associated with wealth, royalty and power, so what better way to honour the Lord Buddha and his teachings than by offering the most precious and revered of earthly metals?

Sr Colonel Pradapkaen views the world with a very clear sense of right and wrong and with a sense of personal responsibility, as you may have gathered from last week’s article. (See back issues: Wandering Into Words of Wisdom - Part One: 08 July 2002: http://www.bangkokpost.net/kat/archives/080702a.html) After speaking to him, I spent the next few days reflecting on all he had shared with me and wishing I could have had my own grandfather sit down with him, too. They would have been the closest of friends. Colonel Pradapkaen’s views on the world now continue…

When questioned about his opinion regarding rooster fighting, a popular pastime in Thailand, he responded, “I don’t like it because I pity the animal. Whether animal or man, both have feelings but the animals can’t speak. If they could speak, they would say, ‘Why are making me fight? Why don’t you fight yourselves and let me out of here?’”

Somewhat recent laws have forced entertainment venues in Thailand to close at 2 am. When I asked whether this was too early, Sr.\ Colonel Pradapkaen stated, “No! It is too late! I think staying open until midnight is long enough. I never went to clubs or bars in my life except for one time to try to understand why people would like it there. Filled with the smell of smoke and liquor, yuck! Why would people spend money for nothing? Why not go to the beach or to the forest to relax? People in bars are only doing what they like for their own delight but it is not right. Bad things come from this behaviour. After drinking, people look for more pleasure. The problem of AIDS comes from this.”

When queried as to what he considers to be the biggest problems facing his country today, he said, “The economy. But also life in Thailand is different from the earlier days. Many values from foreign countries have come to Thailand. Children like these values because they are pleasing to them but the negatives come later, like AIDS and addiction to drugs. Family is becoming less important to other family members. For children today, it is their friends that are the most important people.”

When asked to discuss further the generation gap, he adamantly stated, “Young people should not dress the way they do. It is not polite. They also talk too much about their personal rights but they have gone way beyond the limits into off-limits.”

He has seen tremendous amounts of technology come into existence during his lifetime. His opinion about the technological era is, “High technology is there only in the material sense but not in people’s minds or spirit. As technology goes higher and higher, the human spirit goes lower. Because people want to buy the technology, they think about that and not about themselves or if it is good for them.”

When I asked if he gives money to beggars or not, he pondered and then replied, “If his or her body is working, I don’t give them any money. I look first to see if the person asking for money is healthy or not healthy. If he or she is missing an arm, a leg or is blind, for example, I will give them money.” He has been an intensely industrious man his whole life. At the age of 68 he still works 50 hours per week. When asked if he had any plans for retirement, the response was, “Maybe I will retire at the end of this year. I would like to rest but it depends on if my boss still needs me.” When questioned as to what he would do if hypothetically given two weeks of vacation time, he stated, “I would drive from Bangkok to Phuket to visit the beach. I would plan my trip so that during my drive, I would spend the night at different temples along my route.”

When asked if he had any fear or reservations about dying, the Sr Colonel grinned and said, “Afraid to die?! We are born, we get old, we get ill, and we die. It is a fact. You cannot avoid this. Don’t worry about this cycle; just be happy.”

Sitting and talking with members of the older generation is a window into the way things used to be, a source of tremendous knowledge and insight, and a resource that is far too often underestimated, dismissed or even shunned. Readers, why not ask someone much older (or much younger than yourselves) how they view the world today? You might be surprised at what you hear and how you feel afterwards. Sharing an afternoon with Sr Colonel Pradapkaen was one of the most rewarding things I’ve done recently.

I’d decided to investigate the cost and quality of health care in Thailand for this week’s article and was attempting to gather medical price lists when I met Sr Colonel Pranom Pradapkaen, age 68, retired. I immediately realised I’d stumbled upon someone who was intensely more interesting than what I’d come looking for and after some initial chatting, I was thrilled when he agreed to this interview. “I haven’t had the chance to talk to a foreigner like this since I served in Vietnam and Korea!” he declared while apologising for his self-taught but impeccable English skills.

Sr Colonel Pranom Pradapkaen, the name itself may sound intimidating and cold, but nothing could have been further from the truth. I found him to be an animated, intelligent, and enthusiastic man who spoke from the heart. He was kind enough to spend two hours talking with me, not at me, in his small and immaculate office. He has been working as general manager at a small private hospital for the last nine years since retiring from the military.

He served his country for a total of 40 years, first earning 24 baht (US$.50) a month as a private after volunteering to join the army at the age of 21. “In all those years I was only absent for five days to attend the funeral of my father!” he declared.

In Vietnam and Korea he served in the medical corps and was First Sergeant in a medical platoon. When questioned about his thoughts on war, he stated, “War is not good. Not good for me, not good for anyone. If everyone would follow the teachings of the Lord Buddha and not lie, steal, drink, engage in inappropriate sexual activity or kill we would not have the problem of war.”

Despite his successful military career, life was not always easy for him. “The early part of my life was dark,” he stated. His mother died when he was eight months old and he was passed from family member to family member until he attended university to become a teacher. “I was born in Bangkok but because of my childhood and career, my life took place all over the country,” he explained.

He married at the age of 35 and has one son. When asked how one can be a successful father, he said, “You must educate your children. You must have time for them. You must teach them to consider if their actions are right or wrong and teach them to choose the right way. The way must be moral and legal or you will have negative results with you for the rest of your life. I teach my son about my own life and hope he can learn from it.”

When asked the secret of his successful military career, he explained, “My private opinion is that the commander at each level must be responsible for his people. Complete the mission. If you are a subordinate, listen to your superiors. Have discipline.”

“I never smoked and I never drank. I pray every night, once at 7 pm and I wake up at 11 pm to pray again. I meditate for an hour each time and I sleep no more than five hours a night. I walk for one kilometre after work each day and do stretching exercises. I only eat one meal a day at lunch and I prepare the food myself. In the evening I drink a glass of orange juice,” helps to explain why he looks fit as a fiddle and is sharp as a tack.

He has worked in his current position for nine years Monday-Friday from 6:30 am-5pm and has only missed two days to attend his sister’s funeral. He writes for three national magazines on the topic of emergency medicine and in his spare time enjoys writing poetry about and inspired by flowers, and watching nature and history programmes on TV. “I would like to travel but I am too old for that now and I have a heart problem,” he stated.

When asked to explain the secrets for a successful life, Sr Colonel Pranom Pradapkaen pondered and then stated, “‘Time is money’ is an incorrect proverb. Time is for making your life more valuable. Everyone has ambitions but you can’t just sit there and do nothing. Where there is a will, there is a way. Even when you don’t like the right thing, do the right thing and don’t make trouble. Don’t think about your past. You will only waste your time. Do your best at the present and that will determine your future.”

To find out what Sr Colonel Pranom Pradapkaen has to say about giving money to beggars, rooster fighting, the younger generation of Thailand, and technology, tune in next week.