Einglish
Thai
Buddha Images for the Days of the Week
From
very early times, Thai laypersons have assigned
traditional styles and attitudes
of Buddha images to specific days of
the week. A devotee might keep in
their house or work place the image assigned to his/her birst day of the
week. This is purely folk belief. The image,s
attitude or posture portrays different events in the Buddha,s life, according
to parables that were written well after he entered parinibbana
around 543
B.C. During his lifetime Buddha did not encourage believers to create statues
in his image. He did allow the wheel of Dhamma law to be created to remind
his followers of spreading the virtues of
Dhamma. Buddha images assigned to represent
the
Days
of the Week were derived much later. At a temple these images
are arranged on a long counter at which believers pay respect by fropping
coins in collection dishes. The sight of a Buddha image brings a sense
of peace; It gives the hope
that one
may attain the same pure joy that emanates from the figures.
We describe Thai Buddha Images for the Days of the Week as follows:
