Folks in Rayong celebrate
“Kuam Im’s” birthday.
Patcharapol Panrak
Eastern Buddhists marked the birthday of the goddess of
compassion with a vegetarian festival in Rayong.
Celebrated this year on March 31, the birthday of Guanyin, a bodhisattva
devoted to carrying the dead on a lotus leaf to the “land of bliss,” is
a special holiday for East Asian Buddhists, particularly Thais of
Chinese heritage.
In Rayong’s Klaeng District, the Jao Pho Toh Kong Temple hosted its
annual vegetarian festival and lion parade. Noppakhun Saengpongpittaya,
manager of the small seaside temple, said the event is unique on the
Eastern Seaboard and has brought prosperity to a Chinese shrine that had
fallen into disrepair.
From March 27 to April 2, followers of “Kuam Im,” as the goddess is
known in Thai, give up meat and set tables outside their homes filled
with incense, meat and sweets. Residents of Klaeng and Bolphae districts
come to the temple to participate in the vegetarian festival.
On March 31, a lion-dance troupe from Nakhon Sawan
danced for festival guests to celebrate the goddess’ birthday and
welcome her annual reappearance to bless her followers and ward away
disease and bad luck.
One of the most popular bodhisattva in China, Guanyin is said to rescue
all beings by hearing their voices of suffering and cries for help. As
one of the four great bodhisattva, Guanyin - originally depicted as male
and now most commonly shown as female - is also one of the triad of
Amitabha Buddha, represented on her left, and being the future Buddha in
the Land of Ultimate Bliss after Amitabha Buddha. Guanyin can transform
into many different forms in order to cross over to the beings.
Noppakhun said the festival has led to a rebirth for the goddess’
temple. Local businesspeople had tried to buy the land, but failed and
the temple had fallen into disrepair.
But legend has it that a Chonburi businessman’s Mercedes-Benz stalled
outside the temple for no apparent reason. Superstitious, he saw it as a
sign and walked down to the temple’s dilapidated pavilion on the shore
and prayed to the resident god to start his car. When it restarted, he
pledged to rebuild and support the temple.
