THAI WAYS OF LIFE AND INDIAN WAYS ARE DIFFERENT: INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTIC AND GENEROUSITY, FOOD AND RICE, VILLAGE COMMUNITY, PLANTS AND CROPS, FRUITS AND WEEDS,

         Individual characteristics: Characteristics of Indian people do not match the characteristics of people appearing in the Buddhist Scripture, especially generousity in giving away food to the needies..      

    In the Tipitaka, there are many generous millionaires who set up the Rong Dhana or "Giving-Away" halls to provide food and clothes to the poor and build Buddhist temples, i.e. Vihara, and Dhamma chambers. The most famous millionaires were Anathabinthiga Sethi of Savasti, Tananjaya Sethi of Sakade (Wisaka's father). Wisaka was the most famous ubasiga in the Buddha's time.

         Tanajaya Sethi, the least rich millionaire of Rajakruh,  was granted by King Pimpisarn to resettle in Savasti upon the request of King Patipasenthikosol of Kosol Kingdom.  Instead of resettling in Savathi, Tananjaya chose to set up a new town on the suburb of Savasthi, seven (7) yotchana (112 kilometers; 1 yotchana=16 km). King Patipasenthikosel named it Sakade (Lake with Headtop emerging from the water) to be thw 102th City in the areas and ruled by one of King Patisenthi's son. Sakafe is presently Roi-Et Province in Northeastern Thailand).

         Food and Rice: In the Vinayapitaka, on Pochana Patiyook, it was clearly stated that God Buddha and his monks ate sticky rice.  Sticky rice is the main dish of Northeastern and Northern Thailand.  During their meals, the monks are reminded not to make a piece of rice too big to put in the mouth, to make a round piece not the long ones, not to bite the piece of rice before putting in the mouth, not to cover the dish of soup or curry with big pieces of rice to conceal and hope for more, and not to spread wet gains of rice from their fingers into the Bard or Monk's bowl. Sticky rice is the main rice disk of Northeastern people in Thailand. No sticky rice was found in India or Nepal.

         In the Arthagatha, there are many stories mentioning people growing and consuming sticky rice, not loti (Indian food) or plain non-sticky rice

  Village Community:  In Northeaster, and Northern Thailand, The term "nai Barn (in home)" is still in used to mean the center of the hamlet or village. As appears in many stories implies being "in the village" not inside the house.  Is this term used in India in the similar sense?  Please advice us.       

Plants, Fruit, Crops and Weeds: There are 264 species of plants mentioned in the Tipitaka  and all are found in Thailand and its neighbors. For instances:

         "Ya Kabkae"(Gecko grass)-a type of grass mentioned in the Scripture is available in Northern Thailand. The Buddha chewed this grass right after his fast as the initial light meals before concuming heavier nornal meals.  Then he ate the inner part of Kabao fruit for its juice before consuming heavy meals.  

         "Kabao Fruit" -also a native Thai fruit available everywhere in Northern and Northeastern Thailand.  Kabao fruit is good for curing leprosy-a  type of serious skin diseases.

         Chompoo Fruit or Wha Chompoo"- a kind of  wah fruit. When it is ripe, it is dark pink and look very much like cherry.  Wah is a species of big plants commonly found in Thailand.  They grow in plenty in the garden, orchards, woods, or rice fields.  It is a big tree just about the same size as mango trees but    taller.  There are two types of wah trees: small wah and big wah.  Big wah is called Wah Chompoo. They grow in the North and Northern Thailand. It is the origin of the term Chompoo Dwip meaning "the land of Wah Chompoo."  Francis Buchanan misheard the word Chompoo Dwip as Tamsa Dwip at the time  inwhen he discovered the ruined Brahmin temple at Bodha Gaya and declared it a Buddhist templehis writing, he mentioned "Dignitaries with many followers from Tamsa Dwip came to Bodha Gaya..." This clearly shows that Bodha Gaya was not in Chompoo Dwip or Tamsa-Dwip but it was in India. So India was not in Chompoo Dwip. Hense, Good Puttha was not born in India as he was born in Chompoo Dwip.

         In India, there also exists a big  type of big wah trees but it is not called Chompoo, Jamu or any other words closer in sound like Choompoo indicating that Chompoo Dwip does not have anything to do with India. The Indian people, in general, are not aware of or have never known that Chompoo Dwip is a name referred to their country.  Sad to say, some Thai academcians get convinced and believe that Chompoo Dwip is India and put this wrong information in Elementary school texts. Thus, the present Thai generation believe that India is Chompoo Dwip and believe without questions that God Puttha was born an Indian.

         In conclusion, in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Burma, people's everyday life are in harmony to those found in the Tipitaka. When the Chataka or Buddha's past lives in the Tipitaka, they have no doubts or suspicious on the ways people act or behave as appear in the various stories.