Thailand

 

Ayutthaya

The 42-metre long Buddha of Wat Lokaya Sutharam (Ayutthaya)

Wihan Phra Si Samphet (Ayutthaya)

Wat Mahathat (Ayutthaya)

Wat Phra Si Samphet (Ayutthaya)

Wat Chai Wattharanam (Ayutthaya)

Thailand, where I have encountered much gentleness, is the centre of Theravada Buddhism, together with Myanmar and Sri Lanka. There are tourists everywhere: many coming to this country for the islands and beaches in the South; some in search of bodily pleasures and self-gratification through sex and/or alcohol; a few, like me, in pursuit of Thai culture and Buddhism.

The Buddhist sites here are inexhaustible: the temples in the old capitals of Ayutthaya and Sukhotai, for example, or those in the capital, Bangkok, or in the northern city of Chiang Mai. The latter two will be the focus of the next post on Thailand.

Sukhothai

The Big Buddha in Wat Si Chum (Sukhothai)

Sukhothai

Wat Mahathat (Sukhothai)