The craze of Thai Buddha amulets

[lotus1]

Yes, it is better be careful on the amulets are from an enlightened Buddha or not. I would love this few blessed items sold in Dorje Shugden onine shop such as the blessed heart crystal, chakra and ruels, etc. (http://shop.dorjeshugden.com/blessed-items.html). Besides, the Dorje Shugden  pendants (http://shop.dorjeshugden.com/pendants.html) are also a good choice to get the protection and blessings from Dorje Shugden and most importantly, Dorje Shugden is enlightened Buddha and he will not cause any harm to us.

[Ensapa]

Here's a story from amuletforums on the danger of getting amulets randomly:

A story to share, especially for mainstream amulet lovers:
A victim of black wiccha came to seek help from my master. After much effort, the cause was pinpointed to a Somdej amulet that the victim has been wearing for less than a year.

The Somdej was given to him by an Ajarn during the victim's trip to Malaysia. At first, the Somdej brought him some windfall luck (he struck 4D, won a few Ks). After that one time 4D winning, he has deep faith for the Somdej amulet, believing the Ajarn's word that the Somdej will bring him great wealth and that he will be able to expand his business in less that 3 years. After that single time win, his luck went downhill, and a series of unfortunate events struck him.

His intuition told him to went back to look for the Ajarn and indeed, each time he traveled to Malaysia to seek the Ajarn's help, his luck got better for a while, and then went downhill. This repeated itself for 3 times before his family got suspicious and advised him to seek help from other sources. From our understanding, he gave the Ajarn a lot of money each time for the Ajarn to perform rituals to resolve his problems but he declined to tell us the exact amount.

To shorten the whole story, it was later found out that the Somdej amulet was in fact, an unconsecrated Somdej that was spelled by the Ajarn. The amulet contains a spirit that obeys the bidding of the Ajarn and the Ajarn had used the spirit to affect the luck of the victim in order to persuade the victim to go back to him for help. The small windfall was in fact, deviously designed to let the victim believe in the Ajarn completely.

So, with that, do we categorized the Somdej amulet in question, to be a "barang" or a "mainstream/Yang" amulet? Then, is the Somdej (which is in the image of the Buddha), evil or is the Ajarn evil?

A long-winded uncle's 2 cents. Hope you all don't mind.

what a Somdej is:



As you can see, even "buddhist" amulets may not necessarily be Buddhist.

[WisdomBeing]

That's the problem with ignorance. I have read many stories of superstition and black magic in Asia, which some of my Asian friends have told me are true. Ironically if they actually read about true Buddhism, which is the Dharma, they would realise that Buddhism would not encourage them to make money. After all, why would Buddha encourage samsara! They really need Dorje Shugden as the Wisdom Buddha to overcome their misunderstanding of Dharma.

[Ensapa]

That's the problem with ignorance. I have read many stories of superstition and black magic in Asia, which some of my Asian friends have told me are true. Ironically if they actually read about true Buddhism, which is the Dharma, they would realise that Buddhism would not encourage them to make money. After all, why would Buddha encourage samsara! They really need Dorje Shugden as the Wisdom Buddha to overcome their misunderstanding of Dharma.

It's not really superstition because black magic does exist, and shamans that manipulate spirits to do their bidding does exist as well and people who suffer from their effects definitely exist and their suffering is real. This clip is a bunch of HK journalists who went to Thailand to document these black magic things, and it shows a woman who continuously vomits worms as a shaman tries to undo the black magic. Apparently, a jealous colleague hexed her into her current condition.

�^�	Small | Large

(skip video to around 3.36 to watch the poor lady)

It would definetely have been more beneficial if she seek help from Dorje Shugden instead but due to lack of penetration and knowledge, she could not receive his help. This is why it is very important for us to spread His practice.

[DharmaDefender]

Just sharing this interesting article I came across. The Thai amulets sound like the Tibetan tsatsas with their being made of clay and ash, and often having holy relics embedded in them. I wonder if there is any correlation. It would be fantastic if there were Dorje Shugden tsatsas made as amulets for this growing Chinese market so that they receive the protection from our supreme Protector. Perhaps DorjeShugden.com may wish to explore this? I know that all products from Dorjeshugden.com are of the best quality and I am sure it would prove to be popular anywhere!

The craze of Thai Buddha amulets
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90782/8233165.html
(Global Times)
09:14, May 06, 2013


A customer selects Buddha amulets in a shop in Beijing. (Global Times/Wei Xi)

Since ancient times, wearing an amulet was supposed to endow the owner with either a protective quality, or would herald the coming of good luck and fortune. These days, when high-profile Chinese celebrities have turned to wearing an amulet as a fashion statement, the market in China, whether the wearers are "believers" or not, has taken off. And nothing is more on-trend right now than Thai Buddha amulets.

A Buddha amulet is called plah keang in its local language. It's said that once upon a time, there was a renowned monk in Thailand, who was invited by the king to go to the disaster area when a deadly drought afflicted the nation.

Unable to bring the large Buddha statue in his home, he dreamed of the Buddha statue telling him he could make a small model of it with the clay from the temple and bring that instead. He did what he was told, and the drought eased. When the monk gave this amulet to the king, the king asked him to make more and spread them among the common people.

Shaping belief

Like Christian crosses and Chinese Buddha amulets, Thai Buddha amulets can be made of metal or precious stones. Yet a majority of them today are still a combination of clay and incense ash. They are then molded into a Buddha statue (some are not) and put in a box. Sometimes, pollen, herbs, metal bars (with Scripture carved on), an eyebrow hair from a holy monk and a drop of his blood may also be contained inside. It's not finished and ready to give out until it's blessed by a renowned monk.

Thai Buddha amulets can be made into different shapes, such as round, square and triangular. Yet, what decides an amulet's major function is the Buddha or creature shown on it.

Buddhism is polytheistic religion and there are multiple gods and goddesses. For example, a Buddha called bida (one with his hands covering the face) helps to drive bad luck away. A colorful butterfly is useful for a woman to attract a man.

In the old days, Buddha amulets in Thailand were purely hand-made, but today, due to the large demand, some procedures, like carving a model, are mechanized.

Although almost everyone can make an amulet, it is believed in Thailand that only those made by renowned monks contain power, and each Buddhist master has his own specialty. Luang Phor Koon, a renowned monk at Wat Ban Rai, a temple in Nakhon Ratchasima Province in Thailand, is famous for making bida Buddha.

"Today, most of the amulets are made up by these masters' disciples and then blessed by the masters, because these masters are all elderly," said Wang Lei, a Buddhist believer and Thai amulet dealer in Beijing.

Fashion fad

According to Wang, the price of a Thai Buddha amulet has almost doubled in two years or so. And behind the climbing prices are the uses of them in fashion not only in Thailand, but also in Malaysia, Singapore, the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Yet, the trend in the mainland started much later than in other places.

Wang said that in 2005, there were only three Thai Buddhist amulet shops in Beijing, and the number climbed to around 1,000 last year, while this year, it soared to nearly 3,000.

A simple click on popular online shopping platform taobao.com can also see the prosperity of this market - altogether there are 3,156 shops and the most popular one sold over 7,000 pieces in the past one month.

Prices can range from 500 yuan ($81.25) or so, to millions of yuan for those sold on the luxury market.

According to another Thai Buddha amulet seller in Beijing, Wang Yang, the trend in the mainland, to some degree, is also led by celebrities, when actors and actresses like Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen and Cecilia Cheung are seen wearing them in public.

As similar amulets to those worn by celebrities can often sell for a higher price, despite other facts like the fame of the maker and the age of an amulet often decide whether an amulet sells at several hundreds of yuan or millions.

"Many wearers think [the amulets] are very effective [in bringing luck], although I do believe 50 percent of them do not believe in Buddhism, but only think it is very fashionable," Wang Lei said.

He added that some only buy them for the purpose of showing off their wealth, and therefore prefers to ask for silver or gold ones, but pay less attention to whether the amulets have been blessed.

Buyer beware

The popularity of Thai Buddhist amulets in the mainland market also brings business opportunities to copycats. But different from Thailand, which has professional certification agencies, customers in the Chinese mainland can only rely on the trustworthiness of the vendors.

Wang Lei told the Global Times that every experienced amulet dealer will bring a magnifier with them, for many details often reveal the identity of an amulet, but this is a skill requiring long-term professional experience.

He first heard of the Thai Buddhist amulets in 2005 and began trading them in 2007. During his previous two years, he was often cheated.

And Wang Yang added that very good imitations are also difficult to identify even by experienced dealers. Therefore, to avoid being cheated, they prefer to buy amulets directly from famous temples in Thailand.

Wang Yang said that unlike a number of temples in the Chinese mainland that have become over-commercialized in recent years, most temples in Thailand still possess a high reputation among local people and will not sell fake amulets. He believes it is also the over-commercialization of Chinese Buddhism that has driven more and more believers away to other religions.

"To enter a temple, you have to first buy a ticket and believers are sorted [to high and low] according to the money they spend on incense," said Wang Yang. "Many of the monks [do not come from long years of self-cultivation but] graduate from Buddhist colleges."

Wang Lei believes some rare amulets are still collectable and have value as an investment. In fact, he told the Global Times, amulets have already been auctioned in Thailand, and for some expensive ones the price can reach 50 million Baht, or nearly 10 million yuan.

As every trend has its peaks and troughs, the pursuit of amulets will not be an eternal phenomenon either. For that final fate, Wang Lei said he prepares by keeping an eye on business opportunities outside Beijing.

"The business in second- and third-tier cities [in China] has not been raised yet," he noted.


(Global Times/Wei Xi)

Im not too keen on these. Some of them look quite creepy - Ive had mates come back on holiday with baby shaped ones and ones with giant penises. Not sure what the baby ones do, but I guess the giant penises are some kind of aphrodisiac? Though I sppose the way I see them (creepy) is the way other people might see our pendants.

Ensapa, she might have been better off reciting OM BENZA WIKI BITANA RAKYA RAKYA HUNG.

[Ensapa]

Im not too keen on these. Some of them look quite creepy - Ive had mates come back on holiday with baby shaped ones and ones with giant penises. Not sure what the baby ones do, but I guess the giant penises are some kind of aphrodisiac? Though I sppose the way I see them (creepy) is the way other people might see our pendants.

Ensapa, she might have been better off reciting OM BENZA WIKI BITANA RAKYA RAKYA HUNG.

They are creepy. The baby shaped ones are called kumanthongs and they would usually store either the remains of a dead baby or a spirit of a dead baby and the owner has to treat it like a real baby (strangely, they're all boys and no girls) and it does behave like a real baby and is capable of throwing tantrums and all) and well, would you wanna keep one in your house? a pet baby spirit.

The giant penises are actually the representation of Shiva's Linga (penis) which symbolizes his power and eternity and is believed to grant protection against  negative forces and this theory has also spread to bali and japan which is why they also worship phallic symbols. There are people in Bhutan who also display Drukpa Kunley's penis as a form of protection, tho.

None of them can compare or is as safe as a Dorje Shugden roo when it comes to protection and helping with problems and negative karma. So why gamble?

[Dondrup Shugden]

I have been browsing on the DS.com online shopping and there are so many pendants and amulets of Dorje Shugden to choose from and they are not that unaffordable.

Go check it out, the pendants are very stylish and will give the protection that we seek.

[Kim Hyun Jae]

Whenever I visit Thailand, I would be most aware of the amulets in Buddhas images sold in shops or even inside the temple. I have heard stories that certain types of amulets are possessed or has been hexed against that giving blessings to the wearer.

I would rather buy an authentic blessed tsa tsa or pendant from www.vajrasecrets.com to be on the safe side for protection. There are many stories about wearing blessed pendants or amulets that protected the wearer from accidents.