Friday, September 16, 2011

Wat Phra Kaeo

Here are the pictures I promised you from the Buddhist Temple. This temple is called Wat Phra Kaeo. 


Here they discovered an emerald statue of Buddha when lightning struck this dome. They carried it through the streets as a special icon and eventually it was taken to Bangkok to be put in a museum there. 

They do many things to earn merit- to get them to a better level of heaven (or if you are a woman, to be reincarnated as a man)
Here is Greg beside a huge gong you can ring to make merit.

Or you can ring bells- it sounds pretty if you leave out the meaning behind it!

People also earn merit by feeding animals or letting them go from cages. There was a whole pond of turtles people could feed. 


Here is the inside of the smaller portion of the temple. I couldn't get a picture of the sanctuary because there were men worshiping there and I didn't want to disrupt or annoy them. There are pictures all around the sides telling about how the emerald Buddha was found. 

The small egg-like things represent the king and the queen.

This is another little side building that you can burn incense at.

This is the base of a Bo Tree (can't remember what it was called in English). Buddha was enlightened while sitting under one and so they are all revered. 

As we were leaving I got a far away shot of some monks walking around. They have a school there on the other side of the temple. It is a common site to see monks around town. Some of them are so young. Please pray for these men/boys who are so blinded by such a complicated religion. Pray that they will be discontent until they know the light of Christ. 


6 comments:

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  2. I love the pictures, Emily. I would like to see you in some of them also and Koi and the Hortmans! Love and miss you, mom

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  3. Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing them with us, and keeping us informed about what you are doing/seeing. How cool that you get to be there!

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  4. Keep posting pictures i enjoy them. :) Hope that you are doing well. I used your moms email :)

    Laura G.

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  5. Makes my heart sad to think of so many precious precious souls fervently worshiping an immage of Buddha - I pray Jesus that YOUR light will show in that place... I pray for not just one or two people to come to know you, but that whole villages will come to KNOW YOU... that YOU will bring a great turning to YOU in Thailand.

    May YOU be lifted up and exalted in the worship of Christians right now in that place. Put a deep desire to know YOU in the hearts of many who live in or near this temple....

    Please give Emily a precious sense of oneness with other believers as they are worshiping together right now in spite of the language barrier.

    Thank You precious Father!

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