Thanks for this very nice piece about my 2 favourite subjects - nature and Buddhism. I have been lucky enough to visit Khao Yai a few times and had encounters with Gibbons, Elephants, Hornbills and once a green Viper. What surprised me is how cold the place is in the Thai ‘winter’ - we had ground frost at the campsite! If you are interested in the dhamma, Ajahn Sumedho from the Thai Forest Tradition continues to teach in his 90th year at Amaravati Monastery in England. Ajahn Sumedho, originally from the U.S. ordained in 1967 and was trained by the great Ajahn Chah.
I'm glad you enjoyed reading it. I am familiar with Ajarn Sumedo and have listened to several of his talks. It would be great to meet him in the flesh - I didn't know he was now in England, that's good information, thanks. Thai winter claims a lot of lives in the mountains, especially further north in Chiang Dao and beyond - the only place I have had to wrap up warm at night in this country.
I love the update from nature and will keep an eye out for this Ajarn Sumano. Regarding facemask usage and religious types, where to me the practice always seemed highly incongruent with the do not fear paradigm, I have heard a similar story. Many who wear facemasks or did so during the pandemic were roped into the idea that it showed their compassion and concern for their fellow man...
We would love to know what became of Ajarn Sumano - no trace online either, and his website links are all broken [https://next-life.com] - the message function and other URLs such as the map. Hopefully he is spreading positive teachings elsewhere - America would certainly benefit from his enlightened outlook, if that's where he is residing now. Masks are "incongruent with the do not fear paradigm" - eloquently put, Amy.
My feeling about Khao Yai (the area more than the national park itself) is the same as my feeling about Khao Ko in Petchabun - namely, that it would be a lot nicer if there were less badly designed resorts disfiguring the landscape, put up by businesses looking to make a buck, and caring nothing for the environment or even building something that attempts to fit into the scenery.
I believe it was in Khao Yai that a 'celebrity' resort called Bonanza began to be built, mountain dachas for Bangkok's elite, before it was discovered that they were infringing on the national park.
There is nothing in this country that will not be despoiled for profit.
Not far from where I live is a temple with an internationally renowned monk in residence. So many hi-so people head there on auspicious days that a huge new road is being gouged out of the land to enable Bangkok people to get there in slightly more comfort.
I'm sure that somewhere in classical literature there is a quote along the lines of "beauty sows the seed of its own destruction", but if not, there should be.
I apologize for introducing a sour note into what was an uplifting story.
Valid points and no need to apologise for souring the mood! Not at all. The obsession with money first here impacts everything, from the environment, to tourism schemes, and indeed, to the warped concept of buying one's way into the afterlife with money, in Buddhism, or any religion. I believe that the only currency accepted after death is that of morality and deepening one's sense of spirituality, in life.
Delectable slice of rural life. Thank you. Incidentally, if that was your voice on the commentary, Nicholas, it leads me to suspect you are English and (like myself) a Midlander.
Same here. After more than two decades in Thailand, my native "Ey up, me duck" dialect has mutated to the point where people often ask me what part of AUSTRALIA I hail from!
I'd think that would be hard to maintain over time. A co-worker once let on that he was from the New York City borough of Queens. It surprised me to learn that because he had no trace of that distinctive NYC accent. He had what most Americans would call no accent at all: the midwestern newscaster style of speech. When he was a young teen, he said, he'd heard his own voice on a recording and been *appalled* at how ignorant and uneducated his Queens accent sounded, so he deliberately dropped it. I asked him if he could still access the old accent and he did it easily. He's an intelligent, well-educated guy who's at least as pedantic as I am about grammar, and he was right: It made him sound like an idiot. But "Da fook're you lookin' at?" is still funny.
Of course, if the motivation exists one can put in the work to successfully modify an accent, but do you still have to think about it, or does it become second nature after a time?
I suppose it becomes second nature modifying my accent when speaking to non native English speakers in Thailand. It is also second nature to speak in slang, more lazily, and less grammatically correct, when in Manchester, UK. Thais refer to people having a 'second voice' when speaking formally on the phone or in meetings - they call it "seang sawng". I think we all unthinkingly change our voice sometimes depending on the social situation or level of formality versus colloquialism that feels right. That said, I would never go as far as speaking in "reciprocal pronunciation" - which is the "queen's English", or close to - how BBC news reporters speak, for example. For if I were to speak like that, it would be forced and I would feel ridiculous speaking that way.
On the flip side, it has been funny over the years in Thailand, from time to time, noticing English teachers who mostly teach "survival level English", i.e. beginner level, to children and adults alike - they actually become stuck speaking like that most of the time. I remember meeting a few English teachers when I first taught English as a second language - I found it weird that they were talking me to in what sounded like a condescending way, as if I was a toddler. I remember thinking, why is he talking to me like this, I am a native English speaker! He sounded like a children's TV presenter!
That is funny: an English teacher speaking to a native Englishman like he's Cletus Turnipseed. It must be a universal human conceit to view anyone who struggles in one's own language as an idiot, but it's also an occupational hazard. (Sometimes I do the opposite online in Instagram comments sections: assume the illiterate moron who commented is a native English speaker, when in fact English is his second language. Unless I'm actively arguing with anonymous strangers, though, I don't remark on it.)
The second voice thing is definitely true. Good point.
Thanks for this very nice piece about my 2 favourite subjects - nature and Buddhism. I have been lucky enough to visit Khao Yai a few times and had encounters with Gibbons, Elephants, Hornbills and once a green Viper. What surprised me is how cold the place is in the Thai ‘winter’ - we had ground frost at the campsite! If you are interested in the dhamma, Ajahn Sumedho from the Thai Forest Tradition continues to teach in his 90th year at Amaravati Monastery in England. Ajahn Sumedho, originally from the U.S. ordained in 1967 and was trained by the great Ajahn Chah.
I'm glad you enjoyed reading it. I am familiar with Ajarn Sumedo and have listened to several of his talks. It would be great to meet him in the flesh - I didn't know he was now in England, that's good information, thanks. Thai winter claims a lot of lives in the mountains, especially further north in Chiang Dao and beyond - the only place I have had to wrap up warm at night in this country.
I love the update from nature and will keep an eye out for this Ajarn Sumano. Regarding facemask usage and religious types, where to me the practice always seemed highly incongruent with the do not fear paradigm, I have heard a similar story. Many who wear facemasks or did so during the pandemic were roped into the idea that it showed their compassion and concern for their fellow man...
We would love to know what became of Ajarn Sumano - no trace online either, and his website links are all broken [https://next-life.com] - the message function and other URLs such as the map. Hopefully he is spreading positive teachings elsewhere - America would certainly benefit from his enlightened outlook, if that's where he is residing now. Masks are "incongruent with the do not fear paradigm" - eloquently put, Amy.
My feeling about Khao Yai (the area more than the national park itself) is the same as my feeling about Khao Ko in Petchabun - namely, that it would be a lot nicer if there were less badly designed resorts disfiguring the landscape, put up by businesses looking to make a buck, and caring nothing for the environment or even building something that attempts to fit into the scenery.
I believe it was in Khao Yai that a 'celebrity' resort called Bonanza began to be built, mountain dachas for Bangkok's elite, before it was discovered that they were infringing on the national park.
There is nothing in this country that will not be despoiled for profit.
Not far from where I live is a temple with an internationally renowned monk in residence. So many hi-so people head there on auspicious days that a huge new road is being gouged out of the land to enable Bangkok people to get there in slightly more comfort.
I'm sure that somewhere in classical literature there is a quote along the lines of "beauty sows the seed of its own destruction", but if not, there should be.
I apologize for introducing a sour note into what was an uplifting story.
Valid points and no need to apologise for souring the mood! Not at all. The obsession with money first here impacts everything, from the environment, to tourism schemes, and indeed, to the warped concept of buying one's way into the afterlife with money, in Buddhism, or any religion. I believe that the only currency accepted after death is that of morality and deepening one's sense of spirituality, in life.
Delectable slice of rural life. Thank you. Incidentally, if that was your voice on the commentary, Nicholas, it leads me to suspect you are English and (like myself) a Midlander.
It is my voice. I am a Mancunian, but the accent has changed a bit living here...unless I'm back in Man-ches-toh.
Same here. After more than two decades in Thailand, my native "Ey up, me duck" dialect has mutated to the point where people often ask me what part of AUSTRALIA I hail from!
Ha, neutralising my accent was necessary in order for Thais to literally understand my English back in the day. Especially when I was a teacher.
I'd think that would be hard to maintain over time. A co-worker once let on that he was from the New York City borough of Queens. It surprised me to learn that because he had no trace of that distinctive NYC accent. He had what most Americans would call no accent at all: the midwestern newscaster style of speech. When he was a young teen, he said, he'd heard his own voice on a recording and been *appalled* at how ignorant and uneducated his Queens accent sounded, so he deliberately dropped it. I asked him if he could still access the old accent and he did it easily. He's an intelligent, well-educated guy who's at least as pedantic as I am about grammar, and he was right: It made him sound like an idiot. But "Da fook're you lookin' at?" is still funny.
Of course, if the motivation exists one can put in the work to successfully modify an accent, but do you still have to think about it, or does it become second nature after a time?
I suppose it becomes second nature modifying my accent when speaking to non native English speakers in Thailand. It is also second nature to speak in slang, more lazily, and less grammatically correct, when in Manchester, UK. Thais refer to people having a 'second voice' when speaking formally on the phone or in meetings - they call it "seang sawng". I think we all unthinkingly change our voice sometimes depending on the social situation or level of formality versus colloquialism that feels right. That said, I would never go as far as speaking in "reciprocal pronunciation" - which is the "queen's English", or close to - how BBC news reporters speak, for example. For if I were to speak like that, it would be forced and I would feel ridiculous speaking that way.
On the flip side, it has been funny over the years in Thailand, from time to time, noticing English teachers who mostly teach "survival level English", i.e. beginner level, to children and adults alike - they actually become stuck speaking like that most of the time. I remember meeting a few English teachers when I first taught English as a second language - I found it weird that they were talking me to in what sounded like a condescending way, as if I was a toddler. I remember thinking, why is he talking to me like this, I am a native English speaker! He sounded like a children's TV presenter!
That is funny: an English teacher speaking to a native Englishman like he's Cletus Turnipseed. It must be a universal human conceit to view anyone who struggles in one's own language as an idiot, but it's also an occupational hazard. (Sometimes I do the opposite online in Instagram comments sections: assume the illiterate moron who commented is a native English speaker, when in fact English is his second language. Unless I'm actively arguing with anonymous strangers, though, I don't remark on it.)
The second voice thing is definitely true. Good point.