[Buddha-l] Intrisic Conviction

[jkirk]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris Stanford, Ph.D." <castanford at wb-university.org>



> It appears that, in Buddhist Thailand at least, if you can't convince your 
> prospective spiritual followers throught the intrisic value and appeal of 
> your proposition, then just throw money at them.
>
> Today's 'Bangkok Post' (Pg.6) reports that "Children to be paid to enter 
> temples." Details reveal that Thailand's Ministry of Social Development 
> will pay primary school children 1,000 Thai Baht (~US$26.00). The cash 
> will be given to youth who visit temples (or other places of spiritual 
> practice) 20 times.
=================================
What a crummy way to get kids interested in anything. It's a western 
consumeristic idea to bribe kids to do what you want them to do. Thailand
has suffered from globalization and its consumeristic impact on young 
people. Ours here seem to me to be quite far gone into materialism. (Yes, 
not all of them.) Parenting in a capital dominated consumeristic world is 
much different and more demanding than it was in less capitalistic worlds 
like Thailand 50 years or so ago. Respect and obedience to parents is going, 
going, gone--and they don't know what to do. Pitiful.
Joanna