Salaween.blog

A travel journal through culture and history. – blogging since 2014

Catégorie : english text

  • The Legend of Lanka (Act III)

    The Isle of Demons became the Dharma’s sanctuary. The Buddha’s teachings, passed down by memory, were etched onto palm leaves in Aluvihara. Lanka, once a cursed land, became the eternal guardian of the original word.

  • Thai Shadow Puppetry: The Art of Nang Thalung and Nang Yai

    Thailand’s shadow theatre: Nang Talung, a lively street art with satirical folk tales, and Nang Yai, a royal tradition performing the Ramakian epic. One is popular and free-spirited; the other sacred and temple-bound. Both keep ancient stories alive through leather puppets and dance.

  • Sri Lanka 2002 : The Call of the East 

    In 2002, a trip to Sri Lanka changed everything. Between sanitized hotels and authentic encounters, I discovered my love for Asia: crowded trains, hidden temples, and resilient humanity. This journey awakened in me the call for immersive travel, far from mass tourism. Today, I still live in Asia.

  • Faith through women’s eye

    A chair needs four legs; faith needs all voices. Today, we walked with women who’ve kept ancient traditions alive—Theravāda bhikkhunīs, Catholic nuns, and Hindu swaminis—carrying wisdom as old as their paths. Their message was clear: spirituality isn’t gendered. It’s balanced. As the Kularnava Tantra teaches, ‘Without Shakti, Shiva cannot even stir.’

  • A Bridge over the Chao Phraya: Franciscans and Buddhist Monks in Ayutthaya – A Spiritual Exchange that Defied Colonial Logic

    In 1662 in Ayutthaya, Spanish Franciscans and Theravāda Buddhist monks met beyond the limits of doctrine. Their dialogue, grounded in asceticism, poverty, and mendicancy, revealed a surprising sense of mutual recognition and spiritual respect within an Asian crossroads rich in cultural and religious exchange.

  • Bhikkhunī – Fully Ordained Female Monk

    This text recounts my encounter with the bhikkhunīs, fully ordained Buddhist women. Combining personal narrative, ancient history, and contemporary realities in Thailand, it describes their origins at the time of the Buddha, their disappearance, and their modern revival, as well as the struggle of figures like Dhammananda for the recognition of nuns.

  • The Interfaith Pilgrimage of Wat Ket

    On September 13, 60 participants—students and faculty from Payap University and local community members—walked through Chiang Mai’s Wat Ket neighborhood. This interfaith pilgrimage brought together temples, churches, mosques, and shrines, creating a day of shared learning, dialogue, and spiritual connection.

  • From Symbol to Statue: How Buddha’s Image Shaped Devotion

    At first, the Buddha just wanted to teach, not pose for statues. He was represented only through symbols. Centuries later, the inspiration came… from ancient Greece!

  • The Mon People: Gateways of Civilization

    As an indigenous people of Southeast Asia, the Mon received Theravāda Buddhism from Sinhalese monks. Between the 6th and 11th centuries, they became cultural bearers, spreading the faith, writing, and arts. Their legacy deeply inspired emerging kingdoms. Discreet facilitators, they gradually faded, leaving a lasting mark on civilization.

  • The Revelation of the White Rabbit at Chiang Dao

    Un lapin blanc aux yeux scintillants bondit depuis le sud. Devant lui, le Doi Luang s’élève, majestueux, couronné de brume. Ce sanctuaire sacré irradie un silence chargé de mystère. Le lapin ralentit, sentant qu’ici, le voile de l’avenir va se lever devant lui.