Hike to Doi Sutep

On Saturday, we got to go on a hike, up to a Buddhist Temple called Doi Sutep which overlooks the entire city of Chiang Mai. The trail was about 4.3 miles long with an elevation change of around 1500 ft. We got up around 6:00am and began hiking at 7:00am in order to avoid some of the tourist rush that often comes in the afternoon. The hike was beautiful, cutting through dense undergrowth, and winding its way along a stream and small waterfall for part of the time.

The actual temple was breathtaking. In the center was a huge gold plated structure called a stupa which glinted brightly in the sun. A piece of Buddha's collarbone is said to be buried under the stupa making it a sacred site. All around the temple were mural pictures telling the story of the birth of the Buddha, his early childhood, his enlightenment, and eventually his death and eternal rest.

The Buddhism practiced in Thailand is interesting because it is a mix of Theravada Buddhism and  the animism which was practiced by many of the indigenous people groups before the rise of the Thai kingdom. This syncretic mixture is illustrated by practices such as the burning of incense before shrines, making offerings to "spirit trees", and purchasing a small bell to hang in the temple. These practices may not be derived from Buddhism directly, but instead from the spirit worship which predated Buddhism in present day Thailand. In general, people come to the temple to make donations earn good karma for the next life. They see it as an investment for the future, using their money in this life to secure prosperity for the life to come. If the appearance of the temple was any indication, then the people seem to take these donations pretty seriously.

Ornate depictions of dragons lining the stairway

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Beautiful flowers lining the trail up to the temple.

One of the many statues of Buddha lining the temple walls.

This is Ajarn (professor) Add. He is the Thai professor who
coordinates the program and is a really funny guy. Here he
is explaining to us the life of the Buddha as illustrated in the mural pictures lining the temple walls.

The central stupa plated with gold.

Peter and me in front of the stupa where part of Buddha's
collarbone is supposed to be buried. 

Our entire group in the center of the temple.

Overall, the actual practices of the Buddhist people are quite a bit different than I though that they might be. Even the story of Buddha's life was slightly different than I have heard it in the past. This surprised me and I am excited to learn more about Buddhism in the coming weeks. Hopefully, understanding a bit more Thai will help me figure out exactly what is going on inside the temple and how Buddhist practices are practically manifest in people's lives.