Holy Cow! The Role of Hindu Priests in Buddhist Thailand's Royal Court (2.45)

Today we're talking with an expert on the Brahmin, a Hindu
caste that plays a very important role in the highest levels of
Thai society. And we have something special planned for our one
year episode. Oh, and there's a Bangkok-wide podcast
meetup coming up. We'll cover that and more on episode
2.45 of the Bangkok Podcast.

Have you RSVP'd to the big, huge, love-fest that will
be the I Love Podcasting In Bangkok meetup on August
30th? It's free, low-key, and something we'd like to
repeat on a regular basis. So if you're in town and free that
evening, come join us and lot of other podcasters, podcast
listeners, and those just interested in learning more about
podcasting for a few beers and conversation. It'll be fun! And if
that's not interesting enough, we're coming up on our one-year
anniversary of the podcast relaunch! We're collecting questions,
comments, and other items that you, our loyal listeners and fans
would like for us to talk about on this special show. There are
plenty of links at the bottom of this post if you'd like to send
a query. But that's not what we're talking about on this
episode. Recently, Greg chatted with Nathan
McGovern, Assistant Professor in Philosophy and Religious studies
at the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. He has a BA in
Physics and a PhD in Religious Studies, and is a specialist on a
unique Hindu Caste called the Brahmins. Not a lot of people have
heard of the Brahmins, and even if you have you may not be aware
that they play a vital role in the highest levels of Thai society
and have been doing so for hundreds of years. Here are a few
tidbits you'll pick up from this fascinating conversation



How Hindu priests (Brahmins) became employed by
Thailand's Royal Court (a Buddhist institution) hundreds of
years ago -- and remain today


What services the Hindu priests perform in Thailand's
Royal Court and how that differs from the Buddhist
priests


Why having Hindu priests quite close to the center of
power in Thailand isn't quite as strange as it might
seem


Which modern ceremony performed by Brahmins expats in
Bangkok have probably have seen


Where to visit the almost-hidden Brahmin
temple in Bangkok

Love, Loathe, or Leave

What's up with the trend (?) of using "bro" via messages in
Bangkok? And how is it supposed to be pronounced? Brough? Brugh?
Brah? We're puzzled, so listen in and see just how much tiny
things like this bother us. Or not.
We Love Our Supporters!

While we love ALL of our listeners, friends, and fans, we
especially love the supporters on Patreon who help us keep the
show going and free of annoying ads. This week we're shouting out
to Amy P. As is the norm, Greg did some research on Amy P. and
came up with an interesting story. Have a listen to hear why
she's such an amazing person! To help support
the show like Amy did and get access to bonus content and cool
swag, head to patreon.com/bangkokpodcast.
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Bangkok Podcast is co-hosted by Greg
Jorgensen and Evo Terra.
Together the have over 20 years expat experience in Bangkok, and
are self-certified experts in living in the City of Angels. (Not
Los Angeles. Thailand, silly!)