Meeting Buddha

Blessings with Lotus Flower

Buddhism is incredibly important in Thailand, with over 94% of the country practicing Buddhism. When walking around downtown Bangkok, you can see shrines and miniature temples for Buddha at just about every hotel, store and street corner. 

Emerald Buddha (even though it's really Jade!)

But there are some Buddhas that appear to be more important (or shall I say, “more visited”) than others…and I got to meet two of these Buddhas today.

The first, was in the Grand Palace, and is known as the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew). It is one of the most venerated sights in all of Thailand where people convene to pay respect to the Lord Buddha and His Teachings. This Buddha is carved from a single block of jade and he changes costumes depending on the three seasons (summer, rainy and “winter” seasons). His Majesty the King changes these costumes himself three times a year.

Reclining Buddha

The second Buddha that I met was the Reclining Buddha, which was at Wat Pho. Wat Pho boasts the oldest and largest wat in Bangkok; the longest reclining Buddha and the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand; and the country’s first public education institution. At 46 m (150 feet) long and 15 m (49 feet) high…he was pretty big.