Problems of Modernization in Siam
Modernization in Thailand demanded allegiance to the western ways of governance, religion and education. These were against the traditional Buddhism beliefs which stood for harmonious coexistence. Those who opposed the westerner’s view of how the country should be run like Pridi were disliked. Most of the leaders under the modern system used their power to glorify themselves at the expense of other citizens. There were always attempts in the political, military and business circles to demean the constitution. After Pridi was overthrown there was a deviation in the concept of peace, democracy and justice. He fought for democracy which guaranteed equality, liberty and independence for all (Sivaraksa 103-104).
Democracy lost its meaning from the reign of King Rama V. The Thais were forced to dress like the westerners. They were forced to decorate their houses the western way, their eating ways were altered by force, and their names were changed. They had to worship the flag every morning and dictatorship was considered the proper way of leadership (Sivaraksa 99).
There was change in the kind of art which appeared to abolish the Thai traditions. These changes were against the Thai tradition was contradicted by the western teachings and cultures. Modernity appeared to uproot the Thai traditional way of life and replace it with the western way of life. People were forced to dress in a different way, the tradition of music when working and harvesting reduced and disappeared. To the people, tradition appeared to ruin their moral conduct that encouraged the natural existence in harmony (Sivaraksa 109).
‘Civilization’ according to the westerners was living in the cities while in the past; Thais living...
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...claim its place in society if the leaders do what is right and show the world (Sivaraksa 121).
In the documentary Buddha’s Lost Children, Kruh Bah adopts orphans and takes care of them in a region where drug addiction is a major threat. He helps them to be self-reliant by teaching them how to clean themselves and also teach them how to take care of the horses. He also ensures that all the children have a task to perform each day. He nurtures the children in a way that as they grow they learn to take care of one another (Verkerk).
This approach of self-reliance portrayed in Buddha’s Lost Children, is stressed in Sivaraksa work when he states that it as demonstrated under skills.
Works Cited
Buddha's Lost Children. Dir. Mark Verkerk. 2006.
Sivaraksa, Sulak . Conflict, Culture, Change: Engaged Buddhism in a Globalizing World. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2005.
It must contain location, time periods, and capitals for each civilization. You must compare and contrast at least three of the following five topics ( Economy, Religion, Social System, Government, Technology). You will also describe the end of each civilization and it contributions.
Yu, Han. “Memorial on Buddhism”. Making of the Modern World 12: Classical & Medieval Tradition. Trans. Richard F. Burton. Ed. Janet Smarr. La Jolla: University Readers, 2012. 111-112. Print.
Hanh, T. N. (2008). The World We Have : A Buddhist Approach to Peace and Ecology. Berkeley: Parallax Press.
24 Amore, Roy C. and Julia Ching. The Buddhist Tradition. In Willard G. Oxtoby, Ed. World Religions: Eastern Traditions. P. 221
...vidual freedoms. We can say that democracy learns from its mistakes and improves, keeping into account the changing times and customs.
Coffin, Judith G., and Robert C. Stacey. "CHAPTER 18 PAGES 668-669." Western Civilizations: Their History & Their Culture. 16TH ed. Vol. 2. New York, NY: W. W. Norton &, 2008. N. pag. Print.
Armstrong, Karen. Buddha. New York: Lipper/Penguin, 2004. 66-98. Print.
Rinpoche, Samdhong. Uncompromising Truth for a Compromised World: Tibetan Buddhism in Today’s World; forward by 14th Dalai Lama. (Tibet: World Wisdom, 2006), 264.
Buddhism has answers to many problems in the materialistic societies. Buddhism includes a deep understanding of the human mind; which is why I believe that Institutionalized Buddhism can be adapt...
For my site visit reflection paper, I decided to visit the Thai Buddhist Temple in Homestead. The reason this particular site was my choice was because information acquired from the videos in lecture about tradition and Confucianism in Asia made me curious to learn more about the Buddhist way of life. Because so many South Eastern countries instantaneously adopted Buddhism from India and then China with open arms, I decided to make the visit in the morning to learn the reasons for the international success of this way of life. This would give me a more interactive comprehension of Buddhism.
The thoughts expressed in this article can be related to a lot of events throughout history. The thesis of this article is that Western culture in itself is a unique and diverse culture, but it is not, nor will it ever be, the culture of the rest of the world. Two theories are introduced, the Coca-colonization theory and the modernization theory. However, the Coca-colonization theory is disreputated as the true meaning of culture revolves around religion, language, societal customs, and moral values.
Thailand implements a controlled floating exchange rate system, pricing to market forces on the Thai baht, and the Thai central bank would only intervene in the market when necessary, in order to avoid excessive exchange rate volatility to the expected impact of economic policies. At present, the global economic slowdown, domestic demand is not good in Thailand. In order to keep the country's export competitiveness, the Bank of Thailand is more inclined to let the baht weaken.
Democracy is “...the word that resonates in people’s minds and springs from their lips as they struggle for freedom and a better way of life...” (Schmitter and Karl, 1991:75). However, the word democracy has many different means depending on the country and context it is used in. “Every country has is own culture and comes by its political system through its own history” (Greenberg, 2007:101, cited in Li, 2008:4). Li, (2008) states that because of China’s political structure the usual road to democracy may be difficult for it to achieve. The western idea ...
The Everything Buddhism Book: Learn the Ancient Traditions and Apply Them to Modern Life. Avon, MA: Adams Media Corporation, 2003. Print. The.
For thousands of years, people all over the world have developed, progressed, and eventually formed civilizations. A civilization is a community characterized by elements such as a system of writing, a development of social classes, and cities. Early civilizations such as ancient Greece, classical Rome, Mesopotamia, and classical China have made many contributions to society that still affect people in the modern world. The inventions, progress, and contributions of the people of these ancient civilizations and others have shaped the world that we all live in today.