The Sanctuary Of Truth - Pattaya, Thailand

I was reading through the Sunday Star Weekender section and came across an article on a remarkable piece of architecture.

The construction of a magnificent wooden palace called The Scantuary of Truth, dreamchild of Thail billionaire Khun Lek Viriyaphan, began in 1981 and may take another 20 years to be completed. What is currently available for viewing is nothing short of breathtaking, the result of generations of families (including about 40 wood carvers) who have been working on it in the building itself and out of a small wood shed.

Storytelling in bass-relief, we are treated to visions out of Buddhist and Hindu lore. Those stories and the purpose of this modern artefact are best told in the words of the people representing and marketing the place:


"From the Cold War era until today, the world has been under the influence of western civilization , accentuated by materialism and devotion to advanced technology. Many natural areas have been degraded , and men have drifted away from their old values in such a way that morality and spiritual contentment have become irrelevant to many people. Their attempts to control nature have transformed many people into egotistical individuals who are out to destroy one another through incessant wars and economic plundering. Most are after only happiness in this life, and believing that there is no life after this.

This sanctuary of truth was conceived out of the vision that human civilization has been achieved and nurtured by religious and philosophical has been achieved and nurtured by religious and philosophical truth. This sanctuary was created not from hubris but from goodness drawn from religion , philosophy and art.

Man cannot be born and exist without seven creators. The Sanctuary of Truth presents seven creators through carved wood sculptures which adorn its interior. They are: Heaven , Earth , Father , Mother , Moon , Sun and Stars.

On top of the four spires of the sanctuary, the four elements that will lead to the ideal world according to eastern philosophy are presented

1. A wood sculpture of a celestial body (Deva) holding a lotus flower , representing the establishment of religion , the pillar of the world
   
   
2. A wood sculpture of a celestial body holding a child and leading and elderly person , which represents life bestowed upon human beings
   
   
3. A wood sculpture of a clestial body holding a book representing the continuation of immortal philosophy
   
   
4. A wood sculpture of a celestial body with a pigeon perching on his hand , symbolizing peace

On top of the tallest, central spire is Kalaki mounting a horse, the symbol of Phra Sri Ariyametrai Phra Sir Ariyamethai was the last Bodhisattva to achieve enligtenment in the world and become the fifth Buddha in the Bhadhra era,i.e., the present era

Board 1 : This is a sanctuary where people can gather to recognize the seven creators and the Four elements that will lead to the ideal world whether for each individually or for the whole world.

The steps that humanity must go through to erach such an ideal world include the war between the good and the evil, spiritually and in battlefields. The creator of the art work presented here portrays this through woodcarvings depicting the stories from two greal epics, Mahabharta and Ramayana. These stories are meant to help fight against personnel desires and lust and to extinguish them.









Board 2 : Wood sculptures on the pediment depict Mahisha Sura Mardini, an episode of Turaga Defeating Mahingsa the ogre, symbolizing iqnorance conquered by wisdom.

Wood sculptures in the front gable depict parents, as the creators who give life to their offspring. Parental love is clean and pure. It is giving without taking, just like water in a clear stream that refreshes the heart and soul. The kindness of a father and a mother is greater than the sky and the ocean.



Board 3 : Carvings depict episodes from the Krishnavatar, the 8th reincarnation of Vishnu. They iclude Krishna on his cow Vardhana, Krishna standing on the head of Naga, Krishna and the cowherds, and Krishna on a swing with Radha. In the epic Mahabharta, which is about the war between Good and evil on the Kurukasetra plain, Krishna drove The chariot of a Pandave king, the representative of Good who was waging war against the Evil, a Kaurava King. Before entering the battlefield, Krishna enlightened The Pandava king do that he would understand and could perceive the cycle of birth and death. This became the teaching sermon of Vishnu, known as the Bhagavatgita, on of the most famous texts of Hinduism.








Board 4: Wood sculptures representing the gods of the planet. These plandets move around along their orbits in the sky. They influence all human and the course of life The Deities who control these movements are the gods of the Nine planets. According to an old belief:

• The sun represents honor and social status.
• The moon represents honor and social atatus.
• Mars represents courage and industry.
• Mercury represents gentleness.
• Jupiter represents wisdom.
• Venus represents wealth.
• Saturn represents unhappiness and suffering.

Board 5 : Wood sculptures of Chinese supernatural beings, including the Bodhisatava, as viewed by Mahayan Buddhism is one of the two or branches of Buddhism.

It is sometimes called the large vehicle that will carry people across the cycle of birth and death. Bodhisatava id the one who will become enlightened and be Buddha, But declines to reach nirvana, wanting to save men from suffering first. There are countless Bodhisatavas in Mahayana Buddhism, such as Bodhisatvalikotesavara (Kuan Yin), Bodhisatva Manyachusri, etc. Although born under different circumstances, if they Conduct good deeds and live good lives, men can be Released from the cycle of karma.







Board 6 : Carved work showing that the world is composed of Mahabhutas or the great four elements; earth, water, wind and fire. The gods these four elements are Brahma, Shiva andVishnu. Shiva, god of Earht, who stays on top of the Krailas mountain has a third eye in his forehead. When he opens his third eye, whatever he looks at will burn. So he controls Fire. Vishnu sleeps atop Ananta Nagaraj in the middle of a sea of milk. He is the God of water. Brahma who rides a swan is the god of the sky and the Wind.









Board 7 : This work indicates that humans art only dust in and will ultimately become one with the universe.

Physical beings deteriorate, ravaged by the time, but truth and goodness are immortal.Materialistic pleasure is a superficial physical and external joy. True happiness found in intrinsic spiritual pleasure. Ideals make human life more meaningful. Determination to go to the ideal world is something desired by all men. Every belief, every religion and every philosophy leads there by different paths.







Four faced Brahman surmounts the transept of the front pavilion. Brahma is one of the three major Gods of the Hindu world. Called the Trimuarati, they are brahma, Shiva and Vishnu. Brahma is self-conceived, and he is believed to be the creator of the world and all beings. In Buddhism, the four kharmas of a Brahman include kindliness, benignity, rejoicing in others’ good fortune and equanimity.

To ponder the great questions of heaven and earth and yet live for humanity, to study and teach the sublime knowledge of scholars of the past, and to create eternal Peace for all mankind. This id the true goal and the knowledge great men strive to achieve."





It seems a real shame that I missed this place when I was in Pattaya in 1999. I could go on and on about this place but a picture speaks a thousand words so I'll show you instead:









For more information about the place, how to get there and how to book tours and accomodation etc contact:

The Ancient City Co.,Ltd.
( Pattaya office )
Address : 206/2 Moo5 Naklua 12 Naklua Rd.,Banglamung
Chonburi 20150 Thailand
Telephone . +660-3836-7229,
+660-3836-7230, +660-3836-7815
Facsimile : +660-3836-7845
E-mail : info@sanctuaryoftruth.com
www.sanctuaryoftruth.com
Picture Download

or

The Ancient City Co.,Ltd.
( Bangkok office )
Address : 62-74 3Bldg., Ratchadamneonklang Rd., Bovrnivet,
Pranakorn Bangkok 10200
Telephone .+660-2622-3591-2
Facsimile : +660-2622-3593
E-mail : info@sanctuaryoftruth.com
www.sanctuaryoftruth.com


Have a lovely adventure!!!

<(^_______________________________________________________________________^)>

Book Review: The King of Ayodha - Book Six of The Ramayana

THE RAMAYANA BY ASHOK K BANKER
Book 1 - Prince of Ayodhya
Book 2 - Seige of Mithila
Book 3 - Demons of Chitrakut
Book 4 - Armies of Hanuman
Book 5 - Bridge of Rama
Book 6 - King of Ayodhya

I have always been facinated with stories of the Ramayana and Mahabarata. Tales of Devas and Asuras. The eternal fight between the forces of good and the forces of evil making use of the bodies of different types of beings to wage their battles.

Mostly these tales are "trapped" within the pages of religious texts that may often prove dry and hard to get through. Sometimes we see them emerge as wonderfully executed filmwork - The Clash Of The Titans, Journey To The West and so on. Sometimes we see them serialised as comic books sic Amar Chirta Katha.

And sometimes, if we are very lucky, they come to us the way they have in Ashok K Bankers series of novels. I am a big fan of fantasy and let me tell you it takes a master of language to be able not just to weave plots but to be able to conjure up the kind of imagery that fires the imagination and makes the book far more powerful than the cinema screen.

Most of us are familiar with the story of the Ramayana even though we may not realise it. You know Deepavali - it's coming soon - the story of light over evil? Well that's the Ramayana. The tale of the fight to uphold Dharma, a web spun where the players are many but predominated by Rama, exiled prince of Ayodhya, his brother Lakshaman, is princess wife Sita of Mithila, and Ravana (He Who Makes The Universe Scream) the Asura/Demon Lord of Lanka.

King of Ayodha is 6th in a series of books that begins with the return of Rama from the life of a Bramahcharya to the royal household of Ayodhya, moves through to his slaying of Asuras in the invasion of Mithila, his exile and continuous struggle against the demons that plague the forests of Chitrakut, the abduction of Sita, his appeal to the Vanyars for help and the development of his relationship with Hanuman and ends with his saying of Ravana after bringing to being an impossible bridge spanning the Indian sub-continent and the volcanic island of Lanka.

Under Banker's deft hand, the story comes to life so vivid you can almost see the colours, hear the sounds and smell the smells that pervade this mythic tale of epic proportions. The fight scenes so real they could have been the work of the people responsible for directing the action of The Matrix and Hero. The alien scenes so real they could have been the work of people working on Lord of The Rings.

So whether its Conan you are a fan of, or Rand Al Thor, Belgarion, Raistlin, Richard Rahl, or Arthur or any number of larger than life heroes that have made their way into popular literature and film, take some time out to examine the world created by this wonderful writer and be greatly entertained in the process.

Yahoo's Literati

I have just been introduced to the wonderful world of Yahoo Scrabble AKA Literati.

Once you get used to the on-screen board and how the way to go about manipulating and moving your alphabets and placing them, it really is pretty much like the real game - except for the real life presence of players and sounds etc. There is a chat window of course.

I had two games last night - one one and lost one - and will be playing again tonight.

But if anyone wants a real game, well, my Scrabble set is always at the back seat of the car and ready to head out to the nearest coffee shop at short notice!

La Chaim

La Chaim - To Life!

I haven't posted anything in quite a while so you will forgive me (that wasn't a request by the way), if I ramble, go off topic, or inadvertently murder the English language in my eager-beaver attempt at ... I was going to say put pen to paper but that seems a bit silly since I am using a keyboard and this will appear on a monitor... See what I mean about rambling?

Being unemployed has been interesting. I am not sure I want to freelance over the long term but the projects have been varied and interesting. I've also had more time to... well... actually, I have had more time that I know what to do with. I've taken to helping out friends with all sorts of stuff like their webpages and today I even did a bit of logo designing. Apparently it was needed like right away. And I thought I'd only be involved in the planning and strategy, reccomend a good designer and that would be that. All this time has given me loads and loads of time and space for meditation, reflection, thinking and being there to listen to others and lend them a shoulder when they need one. I don't suppose I've ever felt closer to myself and GOD than I do at this time :)

For all I've been blessed with in this life,
there was an emptiness in me.
I was imprisoned by the power of gold.
With one honest touch, you set me free.

Let the world stop turning,
let the sun stop burning.
Let them tell me love's not worth going through.
If it all falls apart, I will know deep in my heart
the only dream that matters has come true;
in this life, I was loved by you.

For every mountain I have climbed,
every raging river crossed,
you were the treasure that I longed to find.
Without your love I would be lost.

Let the world stop turning,
let the sun stop burning,
let them tell me love's not worth going through.
If it all falls apart, I will know deep in my heart,
the only dream that mattered had come true;
in this life i was loved by you.

In this life, I was loved by you.

Life has been good. There have been ups and there have been downs and sometimes it seems to me that it depends entirely how I look at things that determines whether in fact there have been more ups than downs or whether it is the other way around.

I have come to realise that I actually need very little of anything. I have also come to realise that, should I so choose, I can actually rely totally on myself for everything that I do need. Now, that's something to think about. Enlightening. Empowering. Scary.

There are, of course, things that we can only do so much about. The haze for example - I was going to say blasted haze and this isn't the first time I was going to use that kind of adjective either but I have caught myself now and will be on a lookout for such literary misdemeanours. Yes, the haze. Well, it's back again, isn't it? Almost like clockwork. So out come the surgical face-masks and on goes the ionizer air filter. It rained. Yes, indeed it did. But did it do much good. Well, perhaps it did do some good but not so much that you could tell from looking at it.

Nothing happening on the relationship side but that isn't disappointing or anything. If anything, truth to tell, I am beginning to get a phobia that anything that starts is going to end (as all things must) but far sooner that I expect or want them to. So, having been bitten on more than once occasion, on the ankles, arms, neck and other parts of my bruised and battered self, perhaps it is best to let the sleeping relationship dog lie. And besides, it is getting harder and harder to trust. I am minded of a song...

The games people play now
Every night and every day now
Never meaning what they say
And they don't say what they mean

First you wind away your hours
In your concrete towers
Soon you'll be covered up in flowers
In the back of a black limousine

Though we make one another cry
Break our hearts when we say goodbye
Cross our hearts and we'll hope to die
Said the other was to blame

Neither one will ever give in
Though we gaze on an eight by ten
Thinking 'bout the things that might have been
And it's a dirty rotten shame

People walking up to you
Singing glory halleluia
Then they try to sock it to you
In the name of lord

Then they teach you how to meditate
Read your horoscope and change your fate
And further more to hell with hate
Come on and give me some more

Look around tell me what you see
What's happening to you and me
God grant me the serenity
To remember who I am

Cause you've given up your sanity
All your pride and your vanity
Turn your back on humanity
And you don't give a damn

I have brandishing my Scrabble set around trying to get a game and I have actually managed to get one game. Wasn't the best I have played but it was fun. There have not been any since. Most people I've asked respond with, "Scrabble? What's Scrabble?" and those that don't beg off with excuses of poor vocabulary etc. despite reassurances from yours truly that they will be allowed access to my Oxford, Webster, Collins and Scrabble dictionaries should they deign to game with me. The Scrabble brand people really need to look at making the game popular again!

Decided to gather together my researches and post them on wikipedia. Those of you who know me well, know that I am a closet genealogist and that I have been researching my family tree since 1998. This is helped by the fact that British census data is online and also the fact that some of my ancestors have been people of note. Anyway, here are some of my entries:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chung_Thye_Phin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chung_Keng_Quee
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seow_poh_leng
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seow_Sieu_Jin

Yesterday was a very interesting day for me - I spent the whole day out of the home and almost entirely in shopping malls. Went to Mid Valley in the morning and was there till mid afternoon then went to Tmn Desa to pick up a friend and head over to The Curve. When we were done with that we headed over to Ikano and Ikea then went to Cineleisure and watched The Devil Wears Prada - it REALLY is a very good movie but does not need the big screen - then headed out to SS2 for dinner before I sent him home.

Woke up to aches and pains. My calves. My thighs. My back. I confess I've been vegetating at home far too long and yesterday was more exercise than I've had in months.

And with that I shall end abruptly and go on and do something else when I have figured out what it is. Ta ta! ^_____^

I Can

I Can

If my life could make a difference, and my dreams come true
If I could do only things that matter and if I could matter to you
If I could risk my life everyday, bring out all the love that's inside
Then maybe I will have made a difference when I've died

If I could bring out love in those around me, and make that love last
If I could dream a better tomorrow and finally let go of my past
If I could start each day with a purpose, sleep knowing that I tried
Then maybe my life will have made a difference when I've died

If I could make everyone count with me and make no one count too much
If I could hold to all of my promises but not use them as a crutch
If the laughs I've laughed mean as much to me as tears I have cried
Then maybe my life will be making a difference before I've died

What man do I want to be so this may come to pass?
Someone strong and free to walk naked without a mask
Protector to those who are weak a father, a lover, a friend
leader to those who are meek, living life with open hands

I'm making my life make a difference, making all my dreams come true
I'm doing only things that matter and I know I matter to you
I'm risking my life everyday, bringing out all the love that's inside
I'm already making a difference now because I am alive

Jeffery ShinLiang Seow

Copyright ©2006 Jeffery ShinLiang Seow