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There is no denying that all over the world there exists a fascination for the Buddhist religion. From having the Laughing Buddha inside your home to trying to bring the good “chi” inside the house, people have tried and done it all. On that note, let us take a look at one of the most favourite antique Buddhist element of all – the Thai Buddha amulet, the many types of it and all of the meanings associated with those spiritual and holy amulets. There are five primary kinds of Buddhist amulets - the Phra Somdej Wat Rakhang, the Phra Rod, the Phra Nang Phaya, the Phra Phong Suphan and the Phra Sum Kor which are together called BenjaPhakhi. Every single one of the Thai Buddhist amulet is produce. d in sacred or holy temples by holy priests and each of them are blessed. The costs of these amulets are based on their ages, materials used and the priest that has made them. For instance, an amulet which is made recently will obviously cost less than the one which has been made a long time ago by someone who is at a higher standing rank as a priest. The Phra Somdej, one of the most prized antique amulets to exist, is supposed to bring the wearer luck and good fortune. It is also a common Buddhist practice to have a Buddhist amulet at the base of any monastery or stupa. This is evident in the discovery of the Phra Rod amulet, the name of which came from it being found inside a partially broken old stupa in Wat Mahawan during the first half of the time of King Chulalongkorn. The Phra Nang Phaya, on the other hand, was found when some people tried to dig a piece of land in order to set up for the appearance of King Chulalongkorn. On the other hand, the story surrounding the Phra Phong Suphan amulet is a little different. Apparently, some local robbers had come to loot under the Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat. Then, the government ordered that an official digging be carried out in order to see what was lost and what remained, and that is how the Phra Phong Suphan was discovered. Finally, the Phra Sum Kor, which were found at Wat Phraboromthat Nakhonchum by Somdej Toh along with a bunch of ancient tablets that explained the processes of how amulets were made. The primary use of the Thai Buddhist amulet, antique or not, is spiritual healing, finding peace and praying to the Lord Buddha. This means that one cannot or rather, should not use the Thai Buddhist amulets as a fashion entity. One of the basic rules of wearing the Thai amulet is to wash your hands thoroughly before wearing it and before taking it off. While wearing it, you can recite any mantra that helps you find peace, the most common Thai mantra being “Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sam buddha ssa”. Unfortunately, a lot of times, people are diverted from the original purposes of amulets, and as a result of this, often sell fake amulets, especially to foreign tourists. There exists, not particular way of separating them from the originals. Thus, the best way is to take with you someone who has had an experience wearing amulets at some point in their lives. An Antique Thai Buddha amulet can mean a lot of things to different people – peace of mind, good health and wealth and so on. Nonetheless, the best way to shop for them is by researching.
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