Talking with Phra Pandit: Amulets, Talismans, Relics & Faith [S8.E14] (Classic ReCast)

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!


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