Wednesday Walk: making merit at Bangkok’s Coffin Temple,ไปทำบุญโรงศพที่วัดหัวลำโพง

This is my entry for #wednesdaywalk hosted by @tattoodjay. This month many Thai people would be flocking to their favourite temples to make merit before the New Year. So, I really have to get to my favourite shrines before these become too crowded for me to enter. One of the most popular way to make merit or good karma is to donate money for coffins which will be given to poor families without money to buy coffins for dead people. The best known temple for this purpose is ‘Bangkok’s Coffin Temple’ or Wat Hua Lamphong.

Most working Thais would go to Wat Hua Lamphong in the evening during weekdays, weekends the temple is always crowded. So, the entrance to the Chinese Shrine right in front of the Temple was very crowded with hardly any space left for the temple cat to slip in!

Actually, the Buddhist temple plays host to this old Chinese shrine on the right side of the temple, next to the main road: Rama IV road. A Chinese foundation called Ruamkatanyu Foundation was set up to manage the Chinese shrine and donation money according to Thai law. It is customary for Chinese immigrants who settled down in Siam several hundreds years ago to establish a traditional Chinese shrine within each community. Some Chinese shrine has the support of rich Chinese merchants so that free medical service becomes possible. Many Chinese shrines across the country have been giving emergency service in road accidents and free coffins for the poor.

This Ruamkatanyu Foundation is very well known and plays an important role in supporting the emergency medical support in car accidents around Bangkok. Public emergency ambulance does not respond to road accidents as quick as these charitable ambulances. These ambulances would bring injured drivers and corpses to the hospitals. So, Thai people feel very comfortable donating lots of money to this foundation so that they could carry on their good work. Many people including film stars become volunteers and work the night shifts. I wonder whether these public figures are up to the severity of emergency situation such as in very bloody and gruesome car accidents. Evidently, they have been very well trained and passed the required tests.

Sometimes I am very puzzled to see hundreds of people jostling for the queue to make their donation. These people become very attached to the idea that they must make merit as much as possible for a better future or to cleanse themselves of all the bad luck! This Coffin Temple or Wat Hua Lamphong is best approached by public transport as the temple’s car park is always full. The location is at the MRT station ‘Samyan’ on the intersection between Rama IV road and Patum One road.

Inside the building, there is a row of table with volunteered staff filling in two pieces of paper (one is the receipt for your donation, the small pink slip is for your details of donation). On some religious days, you could wait for up to thirty minutes to give your donation!

After making your donation, you have to proceed to the adjacent hall where lots of free coffins could be seen. This is where people will be pasting the small pink slip with rice glue on the coffin. You should make a wish and send compassionate vibes all around or to those who might need the positive vibes, while pasting your pink slip onto the coffin.

I noticed a lovely young family; the parents were teaching their children about making merit and how to pay respect to Chinese shrine.

Then, you need to perform a ritual ceremony with your receipt in the shrine hall where staff would be giving assistance upon request. There are two big brass bowls where people burn their receipts of their donation. The old Chinese belief of burning mock houses and money to loved ones in heaven so that their spirits would have a comfortable time! So, to make sure that your merit would be reaching your intended destination or objectives, you’ll have to burn your receipt in one of the brass bowls! I used to so many questions about this old practice and had begun to create my own rituals as my own alternative. Tradition is there as a guide and link to history, it is not permanent law (always a half-anarchist).

There are almost a dozen incense jars where people who wish to perform the ritual would have to pin their incense. Nowadays these brass jars are well marked with the number of assigned incense, so the whole process becomes easier and more efficient. All the well known Chinese gods and goddess are all represented by antique hand-made models in bright red and gold colours. Most people are too concerned about performing the ritual correctly that they forget to have a quiet or meditative state of mind. So, most people just perform empty ritual without the spiritual contact with higher energy.

I used to get lots of strong energy in this shrine hall when there were very few people and quiet. That made me returned to this shrine many times just to tap into that sacred energy again. Each time, the experience was different depending on the state of my mind and the atmosphere around the place. So, I prefer to visit this place at odd hours.

เดือนนี้ที่วัดหัวลำโพงจะมีคนเดินทางมา ทำบุญโรงศพกันมากมายโดยเฉพาะในวันเสาร์วันอาทิตย์ ส่วนตอนเย็นวันธรรมดาที่นั่นก็จะแน่นไปด้วยคน ที่จอดรถของทางวัดก็จะเต็ม ทางที่ดีทีสุดในการเดินทางคือ ใช้รถใต้ดินมาถึงสุานีสามย่าน ศาลเจ้าอยู่ที่ริมถนนพระรามสี่ ตรงสี่แยกไฟแดงหน้าวัดหัวลำโพง คนที่คิดว่าตนเองมีเคราะห์หรือโชคไม่ค่อยดี ดวงตกหรือมีอุปสรรคบางอย่าง มักจะชอบไปทำบุญโรงศพ เพราะเราเชื่อกันว่า ทำบุญกับคนที่จนมากและไม่มีที่พึ่ง น่าจะมีอานิสงค์มากกว่าทำบุญทำทานกับคนที่เขามีพร้อมทุกอย่างแล้ว

เวลาไปทำบุญที่นี่เราต้องเข้าคิวนานมาก เพื่อการบริจาคเงินเป็นค่าโรงศพและรอรับใบเสร็จ และบัตรสีชมพูที่เราเขียนชื่อและจำนวนเงินที่บริจาคไป แล้วเราก็เอาบัตรสีชมพูไปทาแป้งเปียก เพื่อแปะที่ข้างกล่องไม้นั้น เราก็ตั้งจิตอธิษฐานแผ่ส่วนบุญไปด้วย ส่วนใบเสร็จก็นำไปเผาในกระถางทองเหลืองใบใหญ่ เพื่อแผ่ส่วนบุญกุศลไปคล้ายกับการกรวดนํ้านั่นเอง

In most Chinese shrine, there would normally be a ‘Seam-si’ or fortune sticks corner for people who need some divine advice, warnings, or instructions about some problematic situation. In this shrine, the Tiger God seems to command a lot of respect for his accurate predictions, judging by the quantity of rewarding gifts on his shrine. People would wait patiently for their turn to consult with the fortune sticks. The ‘Seam-si’ at this shrine is very direct and to the point.

ที่ศาลเจ้านี้มีคนชอบมาเสี่ยงเซียมซีบ่อยมาก เพราะที่มีความแม่นมากในการพยากร เราสังเกตเห็นของเซ่นไหว้แก้บนเต็มชั้นจนไม่มีที่ว่างเหลือเลย พื้นที่ตรงนั้นแคบมากแต่คนก็เข้าคิวรออย่างอดทน เราเคยลองถามคำถามครั้งหนึ่งนานแล้ว เราจำได้ว่าในเซียมซีมีข้อความตรงไปตรงมา และตอบตรงตามคำถามด้วย เราคงต้องไปรบกวนท่านเจ้าพ่อเสือก่อนปีใหม่แน่นอน

I think that I should visit this Chinese shrine to consult ‘Seam-si’ before the New Year.

Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.

Cheers.