116/365: Places of Worship: Let Us Travel To Long, Phrae, Thailand With The Master of Metaphor As He Talks About Temple Wat Salaeng

26th of April

Metaphorically Speaking is one among my favorite and “regular reads” blogs.  I had been back reading the entries from time to time.  The author might not know about my back reading because I don’t regularly leave comments on his earlier entries.

I love reading this blog not only because it talks about interesting topics especially about life’s journey but also because each entry is a well-written piece with perfect grammar.  I think I said about this several times because this is not the first time that I feature the author here.

I had the privilege of personally meeting our guest blogger Jonathan whom I had instant rapport with.  Probably I am bias in liking him because I was impressed first with his writings prior to meeting him in person.  But I was not biased at all.  Jonathan is a total sum of a naturally intellectual person enhanced by his well-traveled and well-experienced/exposed life.  It was not surprising when I got drawn to our conversation.  It was just a short meet up but it was a very worthy and interesting talk.

At first I though Jonathan’s writing is good because of his mastery and unique skills in playing with the English language.  I thought also that all his writings are always on the serious tone.  The I realized he is a real versatile writer when I came across his hilarious article written in the Filipino language.

Jonathan is Filipino by nationality who has a mix blood of Chinese. He is currently based and working in Thailand as a teacher. He can speak fluent English, Filipino and Chinese and some few more languages.

Go check out his blog and get drawn with his metaphor.  But first let’s see one of his piece as he talks about one place of worship.

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A temple, just like a church, is a place of worship, a spiritual refuge, and a man's home for those who wanted to serve monk hood for a certain period of time or for a lifetime. Travelling to Phrae, which is 55 kilometres away from Bangkok, was a trip of picturesque sceneries. The views over the countryside, the rice paddies, the long line of trees, the rivers and the mountains offered distractions to the long journey by car.
Long, Phrae boasts of a temple called Wat Salaeng. The entrance looks like a park what with its fountain and Buddha structures.



The vast property boasts of new structures in smaller houses of worship for different purposes.




There is also a portion where three huge Buddha structures are lined up side by side. They are made of jade and marble so imagine how they transported those images in there.




There is an area of old structures, ruins and an old, wooden Ubosot (the holiest prayer room) with several Buddha images.


This is where monks usually go before doing their usual routines. It is also called an “ordination room” as where ordination for novices takes place.
At the back of the temple ground is the famous Wat Salaeng structure where the Buddha's footprint is housed. It is close and accessible only by monks. I guess one can actually take a peek if we intend to do merit making.





While walking around, I happened to stumble upon a huge gong where people were queuing up. There were some younger people and mostly elderly and they were filled with smiles and anticipation. When it is one's turn, you need to stand in front of the gong and then rub it in circular motion. There are two things that can happen: it can make a loud reverberating sound or it makes nothing or a faint, weak 'hmm' sound.


It is a belief that when it resonates, one leads a good life. If there's none or a very weak one, it's the opposite. That's the reason why after each person's turn, the people around either smile or start
to chatter.

The temple is just a structure just like a church. It is a house of meditation and recollection. However, Christ or Buddha is in our hearts. One is never lost when we believe. With mindfulness, a person always prosper. (Buddhist quote)