Tonight is Loi Krathong—an annual light festival celebrated through Thailand and some adjacent countries. The most popular place to be during the festival is the northern city of Chiang Mai, where people light Khom Fai (something similar to a paper hot-air balloon). I, however, am currently on the Thai/Myanmar border, where most of the celebration is done in the traditional fashion of floating candles, flowers, and incense in a banana leaf boat down the river (though I will post a photograph of a lit Khom Fai so you get an idea of what it looks like). Almost all of these banana rafts contain food and coins as an offering to The Buddha. The purpose behind this celebration is to let go of one’s anger, frustration and negative thoughts, in order to put the past behind and move on positively into a new life.
Now, before I go any further, I want to take this time to tell you a story. (Trust me, it's worth reading.) This was a story that captivated me before I left the States to start my work overseas, and was told to me by the ever-inspiring Unitarian Universalist minister, Arther Vaeni.
--In a small Jewish community in Eastern Europe, there was baker who was in great need. One day, this baker decided to bake his finest loaf of bread and leave it in the cabinet behind the altar that evening as an offering to God, with the hope that God would grant him his prayer for happiness. Now, at night, the synagogue had a poor man from the community who lived off only a few coins a week come in and clean the sanctuary. This particular night, poor man fell to his knees in the sanctuary and prayed to God to help him find a way to feed his hungry children. When he opened the cabinet door behind the altar to see if God had listened to him, he was stunned to see a fresh loaf of bread waiting for him. It had worked; God had answered his prayers. After cleaning the synagogue, the poor man took this loaf of bread home and fed his children.
The following morning, the baker arrived and was also surprised to see that God had accepted his offering. From that moment, the baker vowed to bake an offering every day; and every day the poor man would come in the night and be blessed with this miraculous gift from God. Now this cycle went on for seven whole years until one day, the Rabbi of the temple watched the baker leave a loaf of bread in the altar cabinet. At first the Rabbi was angered at seeing the altar being defiled with food. Then, that anger turned to confusion as he watched the poor man take the offering from the altar shortly after the baker departed the grounds. The next day, the Rabbi gathered the two men and explained the situation. Both of the men felt betrayed; God had not listened to either of their prayers. However, the Rabbi explained that they were indeed fulfilling the wishes of god. The baker could be happy in knowing that his work was helping feed others, and the poor man could feel pleased knowing that there was a spiritually rich community for him to live in while never going hungry. The Rabbi then suggested that the baker bake a loaf of bread everyday and personally hand it to the poor man without the altar cabinet being involved. This way, both men would realize the true nature of God in each and every individual. Agreeing to this, the baker was filled with joy, and the poor man's family never went hungry again.--
Tonight, as the festivities of Loi Krathong started to die down, I walked up and down the river bank, photographing children as they swam out to collect the coin offerings of others to the Buddha. This way, each lay Buddhist has been spiritually revived by giving offerings to the Buddha, while less fortunate children are able to ease their suffering; the ultimate goal of The Buddha. Isn't that how a spiritually whole community should be?
Now, before I go any further, I want to take this time to tell you a story. (Trust me, it's worth reading.) This was a story that captivated me before I left the States to start my work overseas, and was told to me by the ever-inspiring Unitarian Universalist minister, Arther Vaeni.
--In a small Jewish community in Eastern Europe, there was baker who was in great need. One day, this baker decided to bake his finest loaf of bread and leave it in the cabinet behind the altar that evening as an offering to God, with the hope that God would grant him his prayer for happiness. Now, at night, the synagogue had a poor man from the community who lived off only a few coins a week come in and clean the sanctuary. This particular night, poor man fell to his knees in the sanctuary and prayed to God to help him find a way to feed his hungry children. When he opened the cabinet door behind the altar to see if God had listened to him, he was stunned to see a fresh loaf of bread waiting for him. It had worked; God had answered his prayers. After cleaning the synagogue, the poor man took this loaf of bread home and fed his children.
The following morning, the baker arrived and was also surprised to see that God had accepted his offering. From that moment, the baker vowed to bake an offering every day; and every day the poor man would come in the night and be blessed with this miraculous gift from God. Now this cycle went on for seven whole years until one day, the Rabbi of the temple watched the baker leave a loaf of bread in the altar cabinet. At first the Rabbi was angered at seeing the altar being defiled with food. Then, that anger turned to confusion as he watched the poor man take the offering from the altar shortly after the baker departed the grounds. The next day, the Rabbi gathered the two men and explained the situation. Both of the men felt betrayed; God had not listened to either of their prayers. However, the Rabbi explained that they were indeed fulfilling the wishes of god. The baker could be happy in knowing that his work was helping feed others, and the poor man could feel pleased knowing that there was a spiritually rich community for him to live in while never going hungry. The Rabbi then suggested that the baker bake a loaf of bread everyday and personally hand it to the poor man without the altar cabinet being involved. This way, both men would realize the true nature of God in each and every individual. Agreeing to this, the baker was filled with joy, and the poor man's family never went hungry again.--
Tonight, as the festivities of Loi Krathong started to die down, I walked up and down the river bank, photographing children as they swam out to collect the coin offerings of others to the Buddha. This way, each lay Buddhist has been spiritually revived by giving offerings to the Buddha, while less fortunate children are able to ease their suffering; the ultimate goal of The Buddha. Isn't that how a spiritually whole community should be?
Picking through the offerings.
Pocketing the gains.
Swimming to the prize.
Counting the purse.
Coins under the flowers.
Lighting of the Khom Fai.
An excellent story, Kyle, and great that you found it being lived out. I hope Rev. Vaeni sees this.
ReplyDeleteThank you Scott. I hope he sees it too.
ReplyDelete