Three Main Religions in Thailand Ban Smoking in Religious Places

[icy]

This is a good start for people who wish to practise seriously.  In Buddhism it is known that smoking blocks our chakra which renders obstacle to our meditation.



Ronnachai Kongsakon, Secretary-General of the National Alliance for Tobacco Free Thailand (NATFT), told journalists Saturday that NATFT and the Action on Smoking and Health Foundation Thailand and the leaders of Buddhism, Christianity and Islam have agreed to jointly launch a campaigning project, aimed to totally ban smoking at religious places of the three main religions in the country, TNA reported on Saturday.

Ronnachai said the pilot project will be started with Wat Prayurawongsawas Woraviharn, a Buddhist temple having won an honourable award from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for best cultural heritage conservation, Santa Cruz Church and Bang Luang Mosque, all are in Bangkok.

Ronnachai stated that the main objective of the project is to inform the public and all religious venues that smoking causes harm to everybody.

According to the NATFT secretary-general, the Thai law also clearly stipulates that violations of smoking at religious places are to be arrested and/or fined 2,000 baht each.

http://www.irna.ir/en/News/81467890/?

[tingtong]

It's really such good idea of practising the habit of non smoking in within holy and religious venues. An extra place to give a hand to allow the earth to be a better place to live on.

[RedLantern]

 
Tobacco, whether smoked or chewed, is now widely considered an addictive and dangerous drug. However as its impact on consciousness is slight most Buddhists do not consider smoking to be breaking the fifth Precept. So from the Buddhist perspective smoking may well be unwise but is does not have a moral dimension.
 

[Tenzin Malgyur]

This is a good move by the Thai authorities and I would say it's about time too. Smoking should also be banned in other places where many people congregate. Many people go to temples and such to seek some peace and tranquility and the cigarette smoke would cause some disturbance to other non-smokers. The smoke would also bring on other related health problems to the smokers and everyone around them.

[Pema8]

Smoking is bad for your health, everybody knows. But smoking is also bad if you want to get some attainments in your meditation.
Banning smoking is therefore a great idea. In Western countries, smoking is also banned in restaurants and clubs. The money you save can be used in a much more beneficial way. 

[Andrea Keating]

Thailand has always taken a step ahead of other countries in the South East Asia when it comes to smoking.  For   a number of years, cigarettes has been prohibited to be displayed at the selling counters in Thailand. But wouldn't it be taking a step too far by banning smoking at religious places with arrest and/or fine of 2,000 baht each?   Please don't get me wrong.  I am not a smoker myself and I definitely do not enjoy inhaling the smoke. But why just smoking when there are many other things that harm our body too?  Shouldn't attention be given to enforce certain laws to those that harms us too? Just a thought!

[Shugdener]

It is wonderful to hear that Thailand is taking this wonderful initiative to curb people from smoking at religious places. This clearly shows that the authorities really respect one anothers religion and places of worship and It would be great to have countries around the world to follow Thailand's move as it will help to generate more respect for such spiritually powerful places.

     

[angelica]

I only knew that smoking is bad for our health. Didn't know that it is bad for our spiritual practice too till I read about it here.

According to the Gelug Master Zopa Rinpoche: Tobacco is a very impure plant, it came about due to devils, who made prayers to harm people. Then, from that, tobacco grew, to harm people. Especially, it blocks spiritual development. If spiritual development doesn't happen, then one has to continually die and be reborn, and experience continual suffering and problems, again and again, without end, as human beings, hell beings, devas, animals, etc. There is no end to the suffering in samsara and, also, you can't liberate thousands of others from samsaric suffering, and bring them to full enlightenment.

I strongly support Thailand's move to ban smoking at religious places. 

[kris]

In Bangkok, even the famous market Chatuchak is a smoke free zone. So, it is really not surprise that religious places are made into smoke free zone. From what I heard, as what Icy said, in tantra, smoking and drinking is not good if we want to practice tantra. It is not bad karma to smoke or drink, it just "mess up" the body.

[dondrup]

It is a commendable project that inform the public that smoking is harmful. A total ban on smoking at these religious places eventually is strongly recommended because smoking not only harm smokers, it harm the non-smokers too.  It is also disrespectful to smoke at religious places.      

[MoMo]

In the Panca Sila, the last verse:
“Sura Meraya-majja-pama-dathanna veramani sikha padam samadhiyami

I take the precept of abstain from taking fermented liquor that cause intoxicant and heedlessness.”

During the era of historical Buddha, tobacco consumption was not the norm of the day. It should be included now as tobacco consumption was found to be detrimental to health, the precious human form we acquired by chance that can use to fulfill our very eternal hope for happiness. It would be quite absurd to aspire for enlightenment with this vessel and at to same time pollute the wind and channel with tobacco smoke. It just doesn’t sound logical to me.

[pinecone]

Smoking should definitely be banned in religious places. Most people believe that someone who is not in the smoking area will not be affected by the smoke, but smoke is able to spread in a room and affect the people around. Smoking causes a lot of problems not only for the smoker, but for the people around. When we are in the ground of a temple or religious place, it is always advisable to be mindful, considerate and not to disturb the peace of the sangha or the lays. Therefore, I fully support the move to restrict smoking in the vicinity of the sacred and holy ground!

[yontenjamyang]

It is an act of civic mindedness and of spiritual awareness that the ban of smoking in religious places is implemented. Where there are many people ie public places, no smoking should be allowed and in the West, this has been enacted about 10 years ago. In the UK, even in pubs, no smoking is allowed and smokers have to smoke outside in freezing temperature.
However, I am surprise that Thailand only enacted the ban now as I remember when I was there, there will already no smoking signs inside the temples.