Couple agrees to remove Buddha images from fence at their Chiang Mai house

[webfact]

Couple agrees to remove Buddha images from fence

By The Nation

 

 

CHIANG MAI: -- An American and his Thai wife on Tuesday agreed to remove 36 Buddha-head images from the fence at their Chiang Mai house following a Facebook uproar.

 

With tears in her eyes, Nualchan Sonchanthuek, 34, said she and her American husband, Paul Blum, 68, did not expect the images would generate a commotion and they simply wanted to live their lives quietly in Chiang Mai’s Hang Dong district.

 

Nualchan said she and her husband thought that the use of Buddha heads would just be an artistic decoration, and did not think it would be considered disrespectful of Buddhism.

 

But she and her husband agreed to remove all the heads and workers began to do so on Tuesday, with the work expected to be completed within two days.

 

A picture of the fence with the Buddha images was posted on Facebook by a Chiang Mai resident who voiced concern that it was disrespectful of Buddhism.

 

The post generated a lot of criticism of the couple and prompted district officials to visit the house. The officials instructed the couple to remove the Buddha images within two weeks.

 

Nualchan said her husband initially had refused to remove the heads but she explained to him that the issue was sensitive for Buddhists.

 

She said her husband loved art and had bought many Buddha heads from sculptors, collecting so many of them that he had no place to keep them so he had placed them on the wall and along the path to the house.

 

“At first we thought it was right to keep them like this, but we have to respect the voice of the majority and we will take them down,” she said.

 

“We would like to issue our apology to the public. We just moved here and we did not consult anyone before doing this.”

 

Sergeant Pairin Kawai, a leader of Ban Phae Kwang village, said the issue was sensitive because it concerned religion.

 

He added that when he to the wife to remove the heads, she had replied “thank you” and complied with the order.

 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30327743

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-09-26

[tracker1]

Disrespectful hmmm so monks drug dealing, scaming and shaging is acceptable ?

[hangdonger]

Absolute ridiculous

[canuckamuck]

Making and worshiping Buddha images is actually disrespectful to Buddha's teaching but that hasn't stopped anyone.

[Tonto21]

Well, Buddhism in Thailand does seem to be losing it's way. A lot of bad press and going on's. But that doesn't mean ordinary Thais like it.

 

I'm a little surprised that the wife, who is Thai did not explain to her husband that it is seen as disrespectful to do this sort of thing with images of Buddha. I found this out sometime ago when my wife and I were working on our garden. I liked this statue of a Buddha in the lotus position I had seen, I thought it would have looked tasteful, respectful even peaceful ..... Sat in one corner of the garden, with vegetation around it and moss and vines climbing it. My wife would have none of it and explained with difficulty why most Thai could not do that, it's as much a culture thing as a Buddhist one.

I still don't see what the problem is, but I'm mindful.... It's not my following or culture and so I try and respect it. Other things Thais get a little excited about is making your house roof like a Wet temple style.

 

Maybe it a little like the feeling farang get when they see a Nazi swastika on the back of a pick-up, or Thai students dressing like Nazi storm troopers. We call them ignorant and stupid for not knowing it offends, maybe they feel the same about some peoples insensitivity towards Buddha. Just an idea.

[Moonmoon]

They are being more concerned with the statue head of a dead man than his teachings that we should be tolerant of others cultures and beliefs...

 

If the american use the heads for good and nice purpose, i dont see why not. 

 

Better than those we see everyday that don the cloth and scam others for money and sex, these are those that spat on Buddha and Buddhism. Not the American and his nice chiang mai garden.

[cmsally]

It was surprising to see that this made front page of a national newspaper (Thai language) today.

Actually almost half in the picture are Ganesh, how would that be disallowed seeing as its a Hindu deity.

[rkidlad]

I've always been surprised when people get offended by stuff like this. Isn't religion supposed to be all powerful and all knowing. Does religion really need mere mortals fighting its fictional battles?

[4MyEgo]

Their country, their Buddha, you would expect Thai's to respect your country, your religion, your ways if they were in your country.

 

Sure, I have a view on this, but pointless really, their country, their Buddha, simple really.

[sweatalot]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

 

Couple agrees to remove Buddha images from fence

By The Nation

 

 

 

 

... " we have to respect the voice of the majority and we will take them down,” she said.

 

what a pity that the majority is deluded and stupid - btw. that's also a problem with democracy

[johng]

I wonder if all Americans are very offended by my wifes new undies sold by a Thai company
Disgusted of not Tunbridge Wells

[kalidescopemind]

Wats put images of Buddha all over the place.  Is that the problem, they want them to come to the Wat?

[chickenslegs]

What the heck was he thinking?

"He collected so many that he had no place to keep them, so he put them on the wall" - Can't argue with that logic.

 

Regardless of the religious issue, I am racking my brains trying to think of any wall decoration more tasteless and crass than this ... Maybe if he had them spinning or lighting up at night.

 

 

 

[Thechook]

7 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Their country, their Buddha, you would expect Thai's to respect your country, your religion, your ways if they were in your country.

 

Sure, I have a view on this, but pointless really, their country, their Buddha, simple really.

Actually Thailand doesn't own Buddha even tho they may think so.  There are temples and monks in places like Australia and they aren't there under licence from Thailand.

[4MyEgo]

2 hours ago, Thechook said:

Actually Thailand doesn't own Buddha even tho they may think so.  There are temples and monks in places like Australia and they aren't there under licence from Thailand.

I was metaphorically speaking

 

[dotpoom]

15 hours ago, tracker1 said:

Disrespectful hmmm so monks drug dealing, scaming and shaging is acceptable ?

Are u for real?

[Crash999]

What an idiot. Putting Buddha heads on spikes on a wall. Would be tasteless even outside of a Buddhist country let alone here. 

[jaiyen]

So what is actually wrong ? The heads are placed high and aren't covered with anything. So what is the offense ?  It is not mentioned, only that Thai people say it is wrong cos someone told them it was. Thats there way of learning everything. "It must be so because someone told me it is"

[Adeeos]

Yes,, aren't these people aware that ONLY thieving, corrupt, Thai government officials, police, Or embezzeling, begging, Tiger carcass selling Buddhist temples are allowed to display how, "Buddhist" they are???? 

[chrissables]

11 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Their country, their Buddha, you would expect Thai's to respect your country, your religion, your ways if they were in your country.

 

Sure, I have a view on this, but pointless really, their country, their Buddha, simple really.

But Buddha come from India.

[Cory1848]

14 minutes ago, jaiyen said:

So what is actually wrong ? The heads are placed high and aren't covered with anything. So what is the offense ?  It is not mentioned, only that Thai people say it is wrong cos someone told them it was. Thats there way of learning everything. "It must be so because someone told me it is"

 

What's offensive is that they are heads only -- many Thais find images/representations of the Buddha showing only part of the body to be offensive. Take it as you will, but it's an issue people should be aware of, and I find it remarkably daft of the Thai woman in this story to think she could plant all those heads on the wall without raising serious eyebrows among the neighbors. I have two beautiful alabaster Buddha heads that I consider works of art, but my Thai girlfriend won't allow them in her house, even buried in a closet, so I keep them elsewhere. On another occasion, I took a picture of a Thai person inside a temple but accidentally, in framing the photo, lopped the head off the large Buddha at the altar; the Thai was horrified and told me to delete the photo immediately.

[Lysdexic]

14 hours ago, Tonto21 said:

Well, Buddhism in Thailand does seem to be losing it's way. A lot of bad press and going on's. But that doesn't mean ordinary Thais like it.

 

I'm a little surprised that the wife, who is Thai did not explain to her husband that it is seen as disrespectful to do this sort of thing with images of Buddha. I found this out sometime ago when my wife and I were working on our garden. I liked this statue of a Buddha in the lotus position I had seen, I thought it would have looked tasteful, respectful even peaceful ..... Sat in one corner of the garden, with vegetation around it and moss and vines climbing it. My wife would have none of it and explained with difficulty why most Thai could not do that, it's as much a culture thing as a Buddhist one.

I still don't see what the problem is, but I'm mindful.... It's not my following or culture and so I try and respect it. Other things Thais get a little excited about is making your house roof like a Wet temple style.

 

Maybe it a little like the feeling farang get when they see a Nazi swastika on the back of a pick-up, or Thai students dressing like Nazi storm troopers. We call them ignorant and stupid for not knowing it offends, maybe they feel the same about some peoples insensitivity towards Buddha. Just an idea.

 

^^This^^

Thank you.

[smotherb]

14 hours ago, johng said:

Yes remove them and replace with "swastikas" then no plom plem

The swastika, svastika in Sanscrit and means good fortune, is a sacred Buddhist symbol dating back before 2000BC. Hitler bastardized the hooked cross into his hakenkreuse; so replacing the heads with swastikas would be equally religious and perhaps draw the same ire.

[smotherb]

25 minutes ago, chrissables said:

But Buddha come from India.

Yes, a Christ comes from where?

[Adeeos]

9 minutes ago, Cory1848 said:

 

What's offensive is that they are heads only -- many Thais find images/representations of the Buddha showing only part of the body to be offensive. Take it as you will, but it's an issue people should be aware of, and I find it remarkably daft of the Thai woman in this story to think she could plant all those heads on the wall without raising serious eyebrows among the neighbors. I have two beautiful alabaster Buddha heads that I consider works of art, but my Thai girlfriend won't allow them in her house, even buried in a closet, so I keep them elsewhere. On another occasion, I took a picture of a Thai person inside a temple but accidentally, in framing the photo, lopped the head off the large Buddha at the altar; the Thai was horrified and told me to delete the photo immediately.

 

I can understand that,,, But if this is so,,, Who/what company supplied them knowing this? Did this couple go someplace and specifically order only heads? If so, why would the supplier not mention this fact, and refuse to supply them?.. Honestly curious..

[chrissables]

3 minutes ago, smotherb said:

Yes, a Christ comes from where?

Christ knows!

[bbradsby]

12 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Their country, their Buddha, you would expect Thai's to respect your country, your religion, your ways if they were in your country.

 

Sure, I have a view on this, but pointless really, their country, their Buddha, simple really.

Exactly right - for the dense westerner who can't put himself for a second in another culture's shoes, imagine me hanging bleeding Jeezus decapitated heads all along my property line in a 100% fundamentalist christian small town in the US or UK. I imagine there'd be quite the uproar. Could be fun, actually..

 

[ogb]

Meanwhile, genocide is happening in Burma/Myanmar

[bbradsby]

2 minutes ago, ogb said:

Meanwhile, genocide is happening in Burma/Myanmar

Well true, but beside the point of this thread. Besides, no one does genocide better than the Western, Christian countries in recent history..

[Tonto21]

So, from reading the replies one would get the feeling us farang just don’t get it. Applying western logic and culture to Thailand and venting frustration regarding Thais not showing more western logic. I admit I don’t understand so much of what and why Thais do the things they do sometimes. I have had conversations with my wife about Thai culture and people’s relationship with Buddha, it’s a mind field.

It should be remembered that Thailand, just like the world over, the population of old was controlled by religion, OK, I know Buddhism is not a religion, but a teaching, but was used, and still is to a degree use to subdue and control the people.

Thailand, and Buddhism are in turmoil, there is an unseen battle going on between Thai culture and the modern world. Thai culture and Buddhism are intertwined and spoon feed from birth. How do you, or I ever think to understand what’s going on in their heads.

  

So I feel applying Western logic to this is just ridicules, as much as some westerners think they understand what’s going on, they don’t any more than I do.  

 

One thing that puzzles me is why the wife, Thai agreed to do this.