TRADITIONS IN THAILAND ARE SIMILAR TO THOSE APPEARING IN THE BUDDHIST TIPITAKA

There are many traditions and cultural aspects in the Buddha's time which are different from those in India such as wedding, paddy rice blessing ceremony, cremation ceremony, carrying things from places to places.

 1) Wedding ceremony-In the Tipitaka, wedding ceremony is Wiwahamangala (marriage proposed by the groom's parents) while in India, it is Awahamangala (the marriage was proposed by the bride's parents).

In India, when the girl grows up and ready to get married, her parents have to go the her  boy friend's and ask permission to marry their son.  In the Buddhist Tipitaka, the boy's parents had to propose to the girl's parents and ask permission to marry their daughter.  King Siha Hanuraj ordered his Brahmans, led by Anya Khontanya and seven Brahmans, to travel around to find good princess to be his son, Prince Sudhotana, and they found Princess Sirimaha Maya of Dhewataha City.  King Siha Hanuraj, later, proceeded to Dhewataha City with a lot of engagement and wedding gifts to ask permission King Chanadhiparaj's permission to let Prince Sudhotana to marry Princess Sirimaha Maya.

Another case was Anabidhika Sethi's son getting married with Wisaka's sister, Suchada. Anabindhika Sethi had to go to Suchada's father, Sethi Tananchi, for permission.  If not in India, then, where does this kind of wedding ceremony still exist? The answer is Thailand, Lao, Burma and Cambodia. This should be an evidence that the Buddha's hometown was in Thailand.

   2) The Paddy Rice Blessing Ceremony: Found in Thailand not in India.

The Paddy Rice Blessing Ceremony is the opening of rice growing season--during the second week of May.  The King presides over the blessing ceremony to give blessing to farmers.  During this ceremony, Pra Coe (Royal Cows) are given choices of grasses, vegetables, cereals, and fruit for them to eat. The Royal Cows are given drinks to choose.  Each choice of meals or drinks predicts the forth coming rainy season whether there will be more or less rain falls, how many showers of rains, the Naga will make the rain fall. The predictions are revealed by the Royal Brahmans supervising the Ceremony.

         The Paddy Rice Blessing Ceremony was evidenced in the Buddha's history.  When, Prince Siddhatha was seven years old, his father King Suddhotana proceeded to the Paddy Rice Blessing Ceremony in Kapilabustu.

During the Ceremony, the Prince was sitting under the shade of a Wah Choompoo tree meditating from noon until five o'clock in the afternoon. The shadow of the tree remained circling and protecting the Prince through out the period. When the Ceremony was completed, the King saw his son meditating and, to his astonishment, the shadow of the Wah tree did not move along the setting sun but remaining there around the Prince as if the tree were a big umbrella.

         Does the Paddy Rice Blessing Ceremony still exist in India or Nepal?  No evidence of such ceremony was available. But it is still practiced in Thailand. Before turning a socialist country and the country was a kingdom, Laos also performed such ceremony.

         3. Cremation Ceremonied found in Norteasrn Thailand not in India.

in India in the Buddha's time were different.  In the Tipitaka, the death bodies were completely cremated to ashes.  Then, parts of the bones were kept in a pagoda and small part of it was kept in the Gode  (blonze, silver or gold pagoda-shape container to be kept at home for worship by the survived.  The remaining parts of the ashes were kept in the temple.  Is this tradition stil practiced nowadays in India? If so. where?  The answer is positive.  This tradition is still practiced in Thailand and its neighbors but not in India

         How about cremation in India?  According to Hindu tradition, the death bodies are partly burned.  Then, there are carried to the nearby river, the most desirable one is the Ganges.  They were left to float on the water for sin purification. 

         The cremation ceremonies between Thailand and neighboring countries are so much different. So what is the reason you should think the Buddha was born in India or Nepal?

         4) Rice eating tradition found in Thailand not in India:  In the Tipitaka, it is  confirmed in mamy places that the Buddha and his monks ate rice as their main courses. (See more on Ways of Life)

         5. Head-top carrying Baskets for Women: How did the women in Paranasi carry things from one place to another? Most people tend to think that ladies in the Buddha's time usually broughhe bsskets crrying things by putting them on the top of their heads.  So you would imagine Paranasi ladies would carry things on their head as well. 

According to the Buddhist scripture,  Paranasi (Varnasi) a woman usually carries things from one place to another tby placing the basket on thethe top of her head unless there  left or right   waist.  There are many cases in the Tipitaka  showing that Paranasi girls carried things without putting them on their heads.

         6. Different Caste systems between Hinduism and Buddhism

 Among the four castes, Buddhist put Kasatriya (Kings) as the top followed by Brahmans (Teachers), Patya (Traders), Sutya (farmers, laborers)., and Janthan (mixed blood)

Kings respected their teachers but were in control of the power and the Keeper of Justice..  In Buddhism, the Janthan was not considered "untouchable" as was the Hin du Janthan  There were many cases in the Buddhist Scripture depicting the stories of Dhasi (salve woemn) who could associate themselves with higher classes.  

During the civil wars between Kind Ashoka and his borthers, a pregnant sister-in-law of King Sri Thamma Asokaraj (King Asoka) escaped the killings to lived outside the city of Patalibutra.  She lived with a Janthan (the mix breeding of one caste to another) who took her as his sister, taking care of care until she gave birth to a son unter a banyan tree.  Later, this boy became a Buddist novice and was invited by King Asoka to preach in the Palace.  King Asoka was so impressed and soon converted himself from Brahmaism to Buddhism. (Please note that Thai Brahmaism is different from Indian Brahmaism as the Thai do not believe that Brahma is the God of Creature--but they believe  they were ascended from two  Apasara Brahma gods who came down to earth and consumed a creamy soup covering the earth (called Nguan Din  in Thai) and soon became human beings.  In the Buddhist Tipitaka , there are many cases showing the different between the Buddhist castes and the Indian castes.