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Kuman Thong
''Kuman Thong'' ( th, กุมารทอง) is a household divinity of Thai folk religion. It is believed to bring luck and fortune to the owner if properly revered. ''Kuman'', or ''Kumara'' (Pali) means " Sanctified young boy" (female ''kumari''); ''thong'' means golden. These beings are often worshipped to obey their worshippers for personal gains, protection, wealth and harm in some cases. It is believed to have consequences to each request. Description The veneration of Kuman Thong is not part of mainstream Buddhist practices, but it is popular in Thailand. Mainstream Buddhism does not recognize such practice. However, due to the widespread belief in animism in Thailand, Kumam Thong adopted Buddhist beliefs and mixed the two together. Origins The authentic Kuman Thong originated in a practice of necromancy. They were obtained from the desiccated fetuses of children who had died whilst still in their mothers' womb. The witch doctors were said to have the power to invoke t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takrut
__NOTOC__ Takrut ( th, ตะกรุด) is a type of tubular amulet that originated from Thailand. It is also known as "Tangkai" in other cultures. The takrut is similar to a talisman ( ar, طلسم / transliterated: ). The word ''Takrut'', is used for both Singular and Plural, although many people do add an 's' (Takruts). However, the proper way to refer to takrut when in plural, is 'Takrut'. They are worn by Thai people as a protective amulet and have existed for centuries. They are the most commonly mentioned form of amulet in the Khun Chang Khun Phaen, a Thai epic. They have an elongated scroll-like shape, and are usually made of metal or palm leaf and tied to the body with a cord. Yant (ยันต์, yantra) are incantations and sacred geometric designs with Pali gatha and Buddhist prayers (invocations and empowerment spells), usually, but not always inscribed using the ancient Khom Pali script (a variant of Khmer script used in Thailand). In Northern Thailand, they us ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Koan Kroach
The ''koan kroach'' (Khmer: កូនក្រក, literally ''dried child'') is an esoteric Khmer amulet made from mummified fetuses "obtained from the forced removal of the fetus from a wife in her first pregnancy". Description The veneration of ''koan kroach'', somewhat similar to the ''kuman thong'' in neighboring Thailand, is not part of mainstream Buddhist practices, but it is popular in Cambodia. A Khmer amulet obtained from child and mother sacrifice ''Koan kroach'' can be obtained either from a woman who has died in childbirth, or from a living pregnant woman. In the first case, the man has to awaken the corpse of the woman (who has been buried with the fetus) by magic. He must then ask and receive the dead woman's permission to take the fetus. According to the ritual, the man seeking the amulet would "elicit the words "it belongs to you" from the mother, after which he would remove the fetus from the womb, killing the mother, dry it and wear the remains in a bag ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sak Yant
Yantra tattooing or Sak Yant ( th, สักยันต์ ) is a form of tattooing using Indian yantra designs. It consists of sacred geometrical, animal and deity designs accompanied by Pali phrases that are said to offer power, protection, fortune, charisma and other benefits for the bearer. History Tattoos believed to offer protection and other benefits have been recorded everywhere throughout both mainland Southeast Asia and as far south as Indonesia and the Philippines. Over the centuries the tradition spread to what is now Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and parts of Myanmar.Cummings, Joe, (2011) ''Sacred Tattoos of Thailand: Exploring the Magic, Masters and Mystery of Sak Yan'', Marshall Cavendish. While the tradition itself originates with indigenous tribal animism, it became closely tied to the Hindu-Buddhist concept of yantra or mystical geometric patterns used during meditation. Tattoos of yantra designs were believed to hold magic power, and were used much like the kolam t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mizuko Kuyō
meaning "water child memorial service", is a Japanese Buddhist ceremony for those who have had a miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion. It is also practiced in Thailand and China. This practice has become particularly visible since the 1970s with the creation of shrines devoted solely to this ritual. Reasons for the performance of these rites can include parental grief, desire to comfort the soul of the fetus, guilt for an abortion, or even fear of retribution from a vengeful ghost. Mizuko , literally "water child", is a Japanese term for an aborted, stillborn or miscarried baby, and archaically for a dead baby or infant. ''Kuyō'' (供養) refers to a memorial service. Previously read ''suiji'', the Sino-Japanese ''on'yomi'' reading of the same characters, the term was originally a ''kaimyō'' or dharma name given after death. The ''mizuko kuyō,'' typically performed by Buddhist priests, was used to make offerings to Jizō, a bodhisattva who is believed to protect children. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shancai Tongzi
Sudhanakumāra (), mainly known as Sudhana and Shancai or Shancai Tongzi in Chinese, and translated as ''Child of Wealth'', is the protagonist in the last and longest chapter of the ''Avatamsaka Sutra''. Sudhana appears in Buddhist, Taoist and folk stories; in most of them he is one of the acolytes of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin) and is paired with Longnü "Dragon Girl". He and Longnü being depicted with Guanyin was most likely influenced by Yunü (''Jade Maiden'') and Jintong (''Golden Youth'') who both appear in the iconography of the Jade Emperor. A fictionalised account of Sudhana is detailed in the classical novel '' Journey to the West'', where Sudhana is portrayed as a villain, Red Boy, who is eventually subdued by Guanyin and becomes the bodhisattva's attendant. Gandavyuha Sutra Sudhana was a youth from India who was seeking bodhi (enlightenment). At the behest of the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, Sudhana takes a pilgrimage on his quest for enlightenment and s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spirit House
A spirit house is a shrine to the protective spirit of a place that is found in the Southeast Asian countries of Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. The spirit house is normally in the form of small roofed structure, and is mounted on a pillar or on a dais. They can range in size from small platforms to houses large enough for people to enter. Spirit houses are intended to provide a shelter for spirits that could cause problems for the people if not appeased. The shrines often include images or carved statues of people and animals. Votive offerings are left at the house to propitiate the spirits. More elaborate installations include an altar for this purpose. In Indochina, most houses and businesses have a spirit house placed in an auspicious spot, most often in a corner of the property. The location may be chosen after consultation with a Brahmin priest. Spirit houses are known as () or () in Burmese; (, 'house of the guardian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tai Folk Religion
The Tai folk religion, or Satsana Phi ( lo, ສາສະໜາຜີ, links=no; th, ศาสนาผี, links=no, , "religion of spirits"), or Ban Phi ( Ahom: 𑜈𑜃𑜫 𑜇𑜣) is a form of animist religious beliefs intermixed with Buddhist beliefs traditionally and historically practiced by groups of ethnic Tai peoples. It is a syncretic mixture of Buddhist and Hindu practices with local traditional beliefs in mainland southeast Asia. Tai folk religion was a dominant native religion in mainland Southeast Asia until the arrival of Buddhism and Hinduism. Tai folk animist traditions are practiced by the various Tai ethnic groups (such as Lao, Ahom, Shan, Dai, Khamti, Isan, Central Thai etc.). These religions are animistic and polytheistic and their practice involves classes of shamans and ancestor worship. However they have a more syncretic nature and are partially Buddhist in nature. Often a family practises both Buddhism and animism. Among the Lao, the Lao Loum a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vietnamese đồng
The dong (Vietnamese: ''đồng'', Chữ Nôm: 銅) (; ; sign: ₫ or informally đ in Vietnamese; code: VND) has been the currency of Vietnam since 3 May 1978. It is issued by the State Bank of Vietnam. The dong was also the currency of the predecessor states of North Vietnam and South Vietnam, having replaced the previously used French Indochinese piastre. Formerly, it was subdivided into 10 hao (''hào''), which were further subdivided into 10 ''xu'', neither of which are now used due to inflation. The Vietnamese dong has increasingly moved towards exclusively using banknotes, with lower denominations printed on paper and denominations over 10,000 dong, worth about 40¢ dollar or euro, printed on polymer, as of 2022 no coins are used. Generally, Vietnam is moving towards digital payments. As of December 2022, the Vietnamese dong was the third-lowest valued currency unit (behind the Venezuelan bolivar and Iranian rial), with one United States dollar equalling around 23,575 do ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ministry Of Public Security (Vietnam)
The Ministry of Public Security (MPS, vi, Bộ Công an (BCA)) is a public agency directly under the Government of Vietnam, performing the function of state management of security, order and social safety; counterintelligence; crime prevention investigation; fire prevention and rescue; execution of criminal judgments, judgment enforcement not subject to imprisonment, custody or temporary detention; legal protection and support; State management of public services in sectors and fields under the Ministry's state management. The Ministry of Public Security is the agency that manages the Vietnam People's Public Security Force. General To Lam is the current head of the Vietnamese MPS. History The foundation of the MPS started on August 19, 1945 when the Indochinese Communist Party formed three departments, consisting of the Security Service Bureau in Northern Vietnam, the Surveillance Service in central Vietnam and the National Self-Defense Force Bureau in southern Vietnam. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TikTok
TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version of Douyin, which was released in the Chinese market in September 2016. It launched in 2017 for iOS and Android in most markets outside of mainland China; however, it became available worldwide only after merging with another Chinese social media service, Musical.ly, on 2 August 2018. TikTok and Douyin have almost the same user interface but no access to each other's content. Their servers are each based in the market where the respective app is available. The two products are similar, but their features are not identical. Douyin includes an in-video search feature that can search by people's faces for more videos of them and other features such as buying, booking hotels and making geo-tagged reviews. Since their launches, TikTok and Dou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Economist Group, with its core editorial offices in the United States, as well as across major cities in continental Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. In 2019, its average global print circulation was over 909,476; this, combined with its digital presence, runs to over 1.6 million. Across its social media platforms, it reaches an audience of 35 million, as of 2016. The newspaper has a prominent focus on data journalism and interpretive analysis over original reporting, to both criticism and acclaim. Founded in 1843, ''The Economist'' was first circulated by Scottish economist James Wilson to muster support for abolishing the British Corn Laws (1815–1846), a system of import tariffs. Over time, the newspaper's coverage expanded further into ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
