Phra Pandit: Symbolism & Ceremony at Thai Funerals [Season 3, Episode 6]

You may remember a month ago Greg and Ed invited our
wonderful listeners to write in with details on how long they
have been living in Thailand. Listen in to hear the boys discuss
the results - or if you're more disposed to pretty colors,
check out the neat-o pie chart on the website.
 


Greg then begins a conversation about Thai funerals with
frequent podcast guest Phra Pandit, a British-born Buddhist monk
here in Thailand. Greg notes that Thai funerals seem to be less
serious and emotional than funerals back home, and Phra Pandit
points out that Thai funerals are typically stretched out over
several days, somewhat muting the emotional intensity of the
event. Pandit also stresses that many of the rituals seen at Thai
funerals are not set in stone, and there is considerable variety
in the specifics of each funeral - like throwing coins (really),
knocking on coffins (really), and man-handling a corpse into a
more convenient position for funeral rites
(yikes...really).


Greg also gets schooled on why reincarnation in Buddhism is
not thought of as a good thing, because one never knows in what
situation one might be reborn, and any merit that can be done at
the funeral in honor of the deceased might tip the karma balance
in your favor.


Finally, Pandit gives us a few somewhat humorous (but also
pretty gruesome) behind-the-scenes rituals and,
uh...manual chores that one must do to
make sure a funeral goes off as planned.


For Love, Loathe, or Leave, Ed challenges Greg to say
anything good about inappropriately loud music at Thai markets
and malls, but Greg admits he hates it - though not enough to
flee the Land of Smiles.  


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.