Little Angels : Life as a Novice Monk in Thailand
by Phra Peter Pannapadipo | Religion & Spirituality |
ISBN: 009943448x Global Overview for this book
ISBN: 009943448x Global Overview for this book
11 journalers for this copy...
The real-life stories of the novice monks in Little Angels reflect the lives of many youths in rural Thailand who are trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty, broken homes, illiteracy and drug abuse. When all else fails, Buddhism becomes their last resort:providing them with physical shelter and spiritual refuge. It heals their childhood traumas and gives them a moral framework for living and a better outlook on life. Each individual story, heartrending as it may be, subtly shows what Phra Peter sees and hopes to show to others: the 'human face' of Thai Buddhism.Bookring - List of Participants (In Mailing Order)
amberC ~ Australia
awaywithfairies ~ Australia
miss-owl ~ Australia
whitehorsy ~ Belgium
darkpunkangel ~ Canada
wolfprincess ~ USA
Bibliocrates ~ USA
azuki ~ USA
sistert ~ USA
sadogs ~ UK
Herbstwind ~ Germany
Tanamo ~ UK
Completed!
Then back to me!
One of 5 bookrings received today from 5 different countries.
I will be able to read it in the time limit tho.
I will be able to read it in the time limit tho.
I loved this book. Not only for the individual stories of each boy but for the insight into life in Thailand, life in a Buddhist monastery, and the look at Buddhism and what the precepts mean.
It is a book that has left me with a lot to think about.
Thankyou for sharing Dei.
I will be posting this to awaywithfairies tomorrow.
It is a book that has left me with a lot to think about.
Thankyou for sharing Dei.
I will be posting this to awaywithfairies tomorrow.
Journal Entry 4 by 
awaywithfairies
from Sydney CBD, New South Wales Australia on Wednesday, August 16, 2006
awaywithfairies from Sydney CBD, New South Wales Australia on Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Received in the mail today. Look forward to reading it.
Journal Entry 5 by awaywithfairies from Sydney CBD, New South Wales Australia on Saturday, August 19, 2006
awaywithfairies from Sydney CBD, New South Wales Australia on Saturday, August 19, 2006
An interesting book. I enjoyed the boys' background stories but felt that 12 of them were perhaps a little too many. That's not to say that these stories weren't important or worthwhile, it's just that several of them were quite similar. I think that seven or 10 may have been better.
It also gave me a better understanding of the basic principles of Buddhism.
It also gave me a better understanding of the basic principles of Buddhism.
Journal Entry 6 by awaywithfairies at Postal Release in Sydney, By Mail/Post/Courier -- Controlled Releases on Wednesday, August 23, 2006
awaywithfairies at Postal Release in Sydney, By Mail/Post/Courier -- Controlled Releases on Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Released 17 yrs ago (8/23/2006 UTC) at Postal Release in Sydney, By Mail/Post/Courier -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES: Posted to miss-owl today. Enjoy!
Thanks, awaywithfairies! I'm really looking forward to reading this as I've been to Thailand three times for various reasons & find the Thai culture & society endlessly fascinating. There's a bookring ahead of this one but I'll keep it moving.
This book blew me away with the novices' frank accounts of their lives before entering the monastery - & made me think how, for all their vows of poverty & simplicity, what an awful lot of baggage so many bring with them.
I'm full of admiration for Phra Peter. And it's sobering too to compare my own experiences in Thailand - particularly the tale of the novice whose mother sold tribal wares at the Chiang Mai night market. I was there, circa 2000, & again last year when flooding washed out the whole place. Many of the towns mentioned were familiar to me & it shocked me to realise how "invisible" poverty can be.
However, it wasn't all misery. Phra Peter's foundation is definitely the harbinger of change; & I laughed aloud twice - once when he referred to pizza, & once in the story of the "buffalo boy". I'll leave you to work out which bit!
Thanks to Dei for sharing this lovely book. Sent on to whitehorsy today.
I'm full of admiration for Phra Peter. And it's sobering too to compare my own experiences in Thailand - particularly the tale of the novice whose mother sold tribal wares at the Chiang Mai night market. I was there, circa 2000, & again last year when flooding washed out the whole place. Many of the towns mentioned were familiar to me & it shocked me to realise how "invisible" poverty can be.
However, it wasn't all misery. Phra Peter's foundation is definitely the harbinger of change; & I laughed aloud twice - once when he referred to pizza, & once in the story of the "buffalo boy". I'll leave you to work out which bit!
Thanks to Dei for sharing this lovely book. Sent on to whitehorsy today.
Sorry for the late journal entry... this book arrived at my parent's house when I was on vacation... as I still spent half a week at home I was able to finish the book before I had a chance to journal it.
I'm glad I signed up for this ring because this book really opened my eyes. I truly had no idea of the important role of Buddhist monasteries. It was really interesting to read these boys stories. It's known that big parts of Thailand are very poor but reading these stories made it all much more real. It's such a sad reality. But it's really refreshing to read how these children make something of themselves and how the Buddhist monasteries and the SET program give these kids a chance to to live a better life!
The book will be sent to darkpunkangel in a few days.
Sent today (Friday Nov. 3)
I'm glad I signed up for this ring because this book really opened my eyes. I truly had no idea of the important role of Buddhist monasteries. It was really interesting to read these boys stories. It's known that big parts of Thailand are very poor but reading these stories made it all much more real. It's such a sad reality. But it's really refreshing to read how these children make something of themselves and how the Buddhist monasteries and the SET program give these kids a chance to to live a better life!
The book will be sent to darkpunkangel in a few days.
Sent today (Friday Nov. 3)
Thanks, book came today. I'm think I might be able to start this today!
WOW, this book was an eye opener seeing what goes on in rural Thailand and how these youths escaped. From reading this book, I see how I'm lucky about the way of life I have right now and that I should appreciate what I have instead of taking it for granted.
I PMed wolfprincess for their address, and will send it off as soon as I get an address. Thanks Dei for letting me participate in this ring.
Nov. 20 - wolfprincess asked to be skipped so PMing Bibliocrates now for address!
I PMed wolfprincess for their address, and will send it off as soon as I get an address. Thanks Dei for letting me participate in this ring.
Nov. 20 - wolfprincess asked to be skipped so PMing Bibliocrates now for address!
Sent the book yesterday to Bibliocrates! Hope you enjoy the book!
The book is here! Thanks for sending it to me darkpunkangel. I probably won't read it for another couple of weeks because I have finals to study for, but I will PM azuki now for her address so that I don't hold up the ring!
As I have already explained to Dei, I intended on sending this book out much sooner, however, due to a family crisis, I had to set this book aside for a while. Dei told me to take my time with it, but before I knew it, all my rings and rays started getting backed up and I have just now finished this book. That said, I thought this book was very depressing and after having it all this time, I’m embarrassed to admit that I ended up skimming through much of it, as I found a lot of the stories to be redundant. I was completely unaware of this problem in Thailand, young boys entering the monastery, not because they wished to someday ordain as monks, but because they wanted to escape poverty, drugs, and get an education. It blew my mind to discover that many young boys also enter the monastery as a sort of rite of passage from boyhood to manhood, and that not doing so makes a boy remain immature.
Overall, I found this book to be interesting and informative and I thank you for sharing it Dei. I will definitely be passing this book on to azuki later today and I offer my sincere apologies to the rest of you who have had to wait so long for your turn to read this book.
THE 2007 KEEP THEM MOVING CHALLENGEThis book will be on its way to azuki tomorrow to continue the ring. I didn't make it to the post office on Saturday, sorry!
Book is here! I am so excited as I have been wanting to read this for a while. There is a Thai temple in my city where I enjoy going for the festivities and really good, authentic, super spicy Thai food. While I can barely communicate with the monks there, this book will offer me some understanding of their lives, culture and belief.
I thank you all for sharing this book. I am very glad for the opportunity to read it. I have never been to Thailand, and the stories in this book give me a glimpse of lives under a tourist's radar. The poverty, the simplicity of life, the drug and alcohol problem... you can see how they affect the lives of these young boys. It's heart-warming to know that their Buddhist belief, whether instilled by their parents or learned at the monastery, helped them overcome the difficulties and taught them something useful they can use when they grow up, regardless where their future takes them.
I was told a long time ago that in Thailand young men are mandatorily ordained for a short period, just like a military draft. Now I know it's not true, but couldn't help wonder: if indeed we have this type of "religious draft", won't the world be a much better place?
I was told a long time ago that in Thailand young men are mandatorily ordained for a short period, just like a military draft. Now I know it's not true, but couldn't help wonder: if indeed we have this type of "religious draft", won't the world be a much better place?
Received last night and will start reading it tomorrow.
Finished last week. I found it both enjoyable and fascinating if not a bet repeatious in the last few stories. Still, if you're curious about another side of how people get into Buddhism and how it affects them, its worth a read.
Contacting sadogs now.
Contacting sadogs now.
I've tried a few times but still no response from sadogs so I'm now trying Herbstwind.
Journal Entry 21 by sistert at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Friday, June 8, 2007
Released 16 yrs ago (6/8/2007 UTC) at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
On it's way to Germany!
On it's way to Germany!
hmm......it's almost coming to a year for this book to travel to Germany. Might anyone have any updates on the status of this book?
I'm sorry I had to spend a very long time away from my house and the book arrived when I was gone already. My neighbour only opened official mail and collected everything else in a box, where I found the book now I have finally returned. I should have written this sooner, but completely forgot it due to the family problems that made me live somewhere else for over a year.
I'm very sorry.
I'm sending the book as soon as I receive the next address without reading it, as I "kept" it long enough hidden in my mail box :(
Edit: On the way to the UK.
I'm very sorry.
I'm sending the book as soon as I receive the next address without reading it, as I "kept" it long enough hidden in my mail box :(
Edit: On the way to the UK.
Safely received today. Thanks a lot.
Sorry for the delay in passing on this book. I had a bit of a ring jam here when it arrived but now there is only one book in front of it then I will get it read and on to chapter1-andy.
I knew there were many poor people in Thailand but I didn't realise it was so bad in some areas that people could literally starve to death. I'm truly amazed that the youngsters featured in this book weren't more bitter and angry about their treatment and seemed very forgiving of their tormentors. If Buddhism taught them to forgive and gave them an opportunity to move on, whether they became monks or not, then Buddhism did them a great service. If there were such opportunities in the Western world then the need for ASBOs may disappear and a few child psychiatrists would be out of a job.
I'll now pm chapter1-andy for his address so I can get the book on its way.
I'll now pm chapter1-andy for his address so I can get the book on its way.
As there was no reply to pms to chapter1-andy, I have today mailed this book back to Dei.
Finally this book has completed the ring after 2 years! Kudos to all who participated in this ring and made it successful.
