Published on November 03, 2005

Today’s hedonistic lifestyle stresses fun, while Buddhism brings happiness. Can the two exist side by side? Thailand’s bookstores boast hundreds of books on Buddhism, many of them penned by monks. While fascinating reads, they all too often provide overly complicated explanations of the Lord Buddha’s teachings.

Others, such as the Dalai Lama’s popular works, offer the reader a more realistic approach to dealing with everyday problems.

None, however, address dhamma in quite the light-hearted way as Phra Paisarn Visalo does in his just published books “Path of Life” (“Maka Heng Cheewit”) and “Before Sunset” (“Gon Atit Asadong”).

Phra Paisarn believes that while more Thais are practising Buddhism than ever before, most are actually ignoring the religion. Today’s society, he says, is ruled by worldly goods.

“We are consumed by kilate [desire]. We want and we take. We are not interested in doing anything that goes against the current of consumerism.”

So, the 48-year-old monk has decided to fight the war of materialism by quietly revolutionising Buddhism with his simple and easy-to-understand stories that make the point without preaching.

In “Path of Life” he tells the story of a princess who marries a criminal to save him from prosecution only to be robbed of all her riches and threatened with death.

It’s a tale with which Anothai Ciensathwong can easily identify.

The writer, who assisted Phra Paisarn with the books, says she used to be totally obsessed by wealth but turned to Buddhism after going through a major crisis in her life.

“I made millions every month selling marble. It was a very competitive environment and after a while I no longer wanted to live.

“Then a friend took me to a vipassana [insight] meditation session, and I started to grasp the concept of Buddhism, which simply tells you to let go of all you desire.”

A former Catholic, Anothai is now a committed Buddhist but says there are no major differences between the two faiths.

“All religions teach you to be a good person. The main distinction of Buddhism is that it talks about being free from all suffering.”

Today, she makes a modest income from writing about dhamma and leads a happy and fulfilling life.

Actress and former Miss Thailand runner-up Surankana Soontonpanavate has also found a new life thanks to dhamma.

“I was deeply caught up in the maya [illusion] of the entertainment business and could no longer see reality. When I became famous, people catered to my every whim. They all knew what was best for me. I was a heavy smoker and partied all the time. It reached the stage when I had visions of myself on my deathbed. A friend led me to Buddhism.”

Phra Paisarn, who has talked to several troubled souls, says friendship offers the best way out of suffering.

“The reason most people try to commit suicide is because they don’t have true friends. Most people today have more acquaintances than actual friends. No one really wants to listen so they keep it all inside. Without friends life can seem pointless.”

Friends also bring happiness and happiness, stresses the monk, acts as a magnet for modern people to bring Buddhism into their lives.

He doesn’t accept the argument that because Buddhism has no theology as such it cannot be practised in the same way as other faiths.

“That’s not true. With Buddhism you have to practise it with body, words and soul. The problem is that there’s no push to make people practise the religion. There is no control or persuasion within society or the community [social sanction] to pressure people. Buddhism is weak in this point.”

And although practising Buddhism does not guarantee happiness, Phra Paisarn says both monks and lay people have gained enlightenment in the form of being calm and peaceful without wanting anything more but to be beneficial to society.

Anothai says that she’s nowhere near enlightenment, but she believes she can control herself in most situations.

“The happiness I experienced in the days when I had lots of money and the feelings I have now are very different. With money I was always competitive, but now that all the money is gone, I am happy. I feel like there’s a light inside me. It’s like being born again.”

Phra Paisarn says there’s a distinct difference between happiness and having fun.

“When you’re happy, you escape from all worldly desires. You see the sky and stars, the sun rising. It’s not fun but it makes your soul calm. If the soul can see that, it’s closer to dhamma [and hence closer to achieving happiness].”

Yet, in today’s world there are still many people who prefer to have fun consuming rather than finding true peace and happiness.

Phra Paisarn has a message for them.

“You can fear dhamma, but don’t fear suffering.”

The books, published in Thai, are available at leading Thai bookstores. “Before Sunset” is priced at Bt275, while “Path of Life” goes for Bt295.

Lisnaree Vichitsorasatra

The Nation

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