1-2-5. PAYING HOMAGE TO THE BUDDHA礼敬佛陀

　　Once, I gave a talk at a ceremony, I was sitting on the high seat. Laypeople brought in flowers and lighted candles and incense . It made me feel so hot, that I asked them : 'Why are you doing this ?'. They answered : 'To make merit'. So I asked further : 'Hose much were the flowers?' . They said : '5 baht a bunch'. I told them : 'What can merit do, it spoils the economy !'.

　　有一次，我在一场典礼中演讲，我坐在高椅子上，信众带着鲜花来并且燃烛、烧香，那让我感觉很热，于是我问他们：「你们为什么要这样做？」他们回答：「做功德。」我再问：「这些花要多少钱呢？」他们回答：「一把5铢。」于是我告诉他们：「你们做这些功德能干嘛呢！只是浪费钱，破坏节约的美德！」

　　I don't forbid paying homage with flowers, candles and incense but understand the meaning of it too'. I told them that the flowers for worshipping the Buddha stand for smiling and cheerfulness, their fragrance is our non-anger, not pulling a long face, our faces will be as beautiful as flowers. 3 sticks of incense mean doing good with body, speech and mind, we light incense in order to do good. If we do it like this, there is bound to be fragrance. The 2 candles : why do we light candles in the daytime? They refer to our 2 eyes and 2 ears, knowing how to look and listen to good and bad things so we're not deceived.

　　我并不是要禁止他们用花、蜡烛、香来礼敬佛陀，而是希望他们要同时了解这么做的含意。我告诉他们礼佛的花代表着微笑及快乐，因为花香代表不生气、不拉长脸，那我们脸就会像花一样漂亮。三柱清香是代表要说好话、做好事、存好心。如果我们能这么做，就一定会散发出芳香之气。至于两只蜡烛！明明是大白天我们为什么还要点蜡烛呢？那是代表双眼及双耳，也就是说要去看或听什么是好事？什么是坏事？而不致被外境给骗了。

　　Another time, I went to give a talk in Chaiapoom. There were many children who liked me and wanted to be with me, their parents send them to stay so I ordained them as novices and shaved their heads. Seeing a wound on the head, I asked : 'What is this wound ?'. He said he took flowers to a Buddha statue and the statue fell on his head. I said : 'The Buddha has no compassion for you at all! Every day you go to offer flowers, rice and water and pay respects !'. I taught him that a Buddha statue is convention, representing the meaning of good actions, good speech, good thoughts and peace/ happiness. The children understood ; they returned home and told their father but he didn't agree and got angry. Thai people are like this : Buddhists according to tradition only ; they still don't understand .......

　　又有一次，我去洽朋(Chaiapoom)演讲，那里有很多小孩很喜欢我，想来跟我出家，他们父母把他们送来并留下来，于是我就帮他们剃度成为沙弥。我看到一个小孩头上有伤口，于是问他：「这是什么伤口？」他说他有一次拿花供佛，佛像不小心掉到他头上而弄伤的。我说：「那佛像对你一点都不慈悲！你每天都恭敬地去献花、供饭、供水和礼拜祂呀！」然后，我教导他佛像是传统世间习俗，意思是要我们说好话、做好事、存好心以及安祥喜悦的意思。孩子们了解之后回家告诉父亲，但他们父亲不同意而且还发脾气呢？！

　　泰国民众就是这样——大多数佛教徒只相信并因循传统，他们根本不了解佛法……