Talking with Phra Pandit: Amulets, Talismans, Relics & Faith [Season 3, Episode 61]

It's been a while, but one of our favorite semi-regular
guests is back! Bangkok Podcast's official Buddhist
correspondent, Phra Pandit, welcomed Greg at his temple to talk
about amulets, talismans, and Buddhist relics - and what ties
them all together.


The burning question Greg had was - if seemingly every
third temple claims to have a piece of Buddha's body - what
exactly happened to the poor guy when he died? Phra Pandit
explains the history behind the idea of Buddhist relics and what
Buddha said about them, as well as their link to Sri Lanka and
how a wooden mannequin brought to life kicked the whole thing
off.


Greg and Phra Pandit also dive into the topic of amulets
and talismans, including the famous Jatukham
craze of 2006, and discuss what - if anything - makes one
amulet worth more than another one. Does it make them more
effective? Do people act differently if they
think they're more effective?


They finish with a fascinating discussion about how stories
and tokens can be a powerful tool in helping us solidify and
understand abstract concepts such as marriage, death, and even
architecture!


As always, the podcast will continue to be
100% funded by listeners just like you who get
some special swag from us. And we'll keep our
Facebook, Twitter,
and LINE accounts active so you can
send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to
share.