In Thailand about 95% of the population is Buddhist. The rest of the population is split up between Christian and Muslim. I personally have never had a lot of exposure to anything but Christianity so I was immediately drawn to the peaceful nature of the Buddhist philosophy. I knew it would interest me greatly and that I would be spending a lot of time visiting the Wats, or Buddhist temples, in the country.
The thing that has surprised me so far is how interesting I have found the Muslim population. As we moved farther into the city I discovered several mosques and my interest was immediately peaked. I admit to knowing very little about the religion but I do know that there is a call to prayer several times a day.
There is a mosque right outside my window now and the call to prayer sparks emotion inside me like I have not felt in a long time. This evening my oldest called me outside because he noticed something different this time. Now I am not sure exactly what was going on, it seemed to be more involved then the usual call to prayer, but I found myself completely immersed in the prayer even though I had no idea what the words meant. As I leaned back against the wall tears began to well up in my eyes. The sound was so incredibly beautiful it is hard to describe in words, but as I listened I knew this has to be an amazing religion, one I plan to learn a lot more about!
FOLLOW BOHEMIAN TRAVELERS HERE:
Thanks for sharing your emotions on this journey. Reminds me of feelings I had while traveling in Morroco adn would here the peaceful-powerful mosque chimes numerous times throughout the day that connects one to something spirtitual, makes one really be in the momement. Adalante! Besos y abrazos, Jen in CR
ReplyDelete