Showing 201 - 207 of 207
Temple fair in the clouds
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 16/05/2012
» Prayers in Paragon Hall. New iPad apps on meditation centres. A haunted house in which earthly desires stalk you like inexorable ghosts. A "dharma boy band" of singers interpreting their tunes through the spiritual looking glass. Then monks as film programmers picking movies that discuss virtues and vices in diverse voices. In short, Buddhism in a new setting: Buddhism in a mall.
No miracles at Thai filmawards
Life, Yanapon Musiket, Published on 02/05/2012
» Dark, twisted films shone at the 21st Subhanahongsa Awards, where ghost drama Laddaland surged past more than 50 Thai films released last year to win six prizes from 14 nominations, including Best Film of the Year, while the best director statuette went to the man who gave the audience a first-rate crime noir.
Teaching the dead
Kangsadarn Suksomstarn, Published on 30/03/2012
» Dead bodies being bestowed with songs, poetry and education aren't what the average art exhibition has in store. However after a few minutes strolling around an Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook exhibition you become aware that her work is on a different planet to normal, as death, insanity and brutality are issues Araya's art delves deeply into. Her current exhibition, The Two Planet Series (2007-8), sees Thai villagers freely responding to artistic masterpieces of the 19th Century. Her previous work involves her singing to dead bodies, dressing up a suicide victim's corpse and filming the insane. So where does all this morbidity come from?
In rocks we trust
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 21/03/2012
» Our boat cut through the dark water in search of light. Salt-sprayed, wind-whipped and guided by shadows, we finally found it: in the lagoon of Kudu Island, a screen had been erected and projector installed. Gently bobbing before it was a floating lounge, a deconstructible auditorium for the castaways who imbibed cinema, hoping (or dreaming) that it were elixir. Soon a beam of light from the projecting tower pierced the darkness and illuminated the white canvas: it was indeed a cinema, and a unique cinematic experience. Hardly men had gone before to such length to enjoy movies. And of course, this is Thailand.
A mixed brew
Life, Bernard Trink, Published on 12/03/2012
» While it is conventional for a novel to have both a main plot and a subplot, this reviewer notes that one generally distracts from the other, successfully.
Buddhist texts go digital
News, Nattaya Chetchotiros, Published on 14/01/2012
» Venerable Phra Brahmagunabhorn (P.A. Payutto) is one of Thailand's most highly respected monks and a leading scholar of Thai Theravada Buddhism. His profound knowledge of Buddhist scriptures is widely recognised and his moral conduct greatly admired. He is also well informed about current social issues, knowledgeable about modern fields of study and has been able to apply Buddhist teachings to analyse and solve problems facing society these days.
Ghosts, amulets, ringtones, and the rest of Thai Buddhism
Life, Chris Baker, Published on 09/01/2012
» Somdet To is, according to Justin McDaniel "arguably the most famous monk in Thai history." His image, picture, chants, biographies, amulets, and pamphlets are everywhere. Yet you could read everything written on Thai Buddhism in English for scholars or tourists without noticing his existence, let alone his importance. In this superb book, McDaniel not only does justice to Somdet To but suggests a new way of thinking about "Thai Buddhism" and how it is studied.