FAQs about Thai Amulets
How many categories of Thai amulets?
There are 2 categories of Thai amulets: Guru-created amulets, and antique amulets which found in old ancient temples and historical sites.
How many kinds of Thai amulets collected or used by Thai people ?
There are MANY THOUSANDS kinds of Thai amulets collected and used by Thai people. For foreign collectors and users know only few kinds.
Are there fakes on Thai amulets?
Thai amulets in Thai society are valuable assets. They are high-liquidity assets, they can be transacted or changed to money easily because most Thai people hang amulets on their necks. They want authentic items which are limited in quantity. So, there are SO MANY FAKES AND IMITATIONS in amulet markets. A lot of Thai people buy these fakes and imitations. And a lot of fakes and imitations are also exported to many countries--in Asia, Europe and the United States. At present, many fakes and imitations are publicly sold via SOME WEBSITES. Foreign buyers who have no knowledges on Thai amulets can easily be delicious preys of the cheated and deceptive online dealers.
How do they do the fakes business?
Fakes and imitations are widely sold in amulet markets, the wholesale prices are very low. An average price of a fake or imitation runs between 10-20 Baht(around a US quarter--50 US Cents) per piece. They just sell you 10-30 US$, they can make a big profit. But the items on your necks are not amulets, but just plain pieces of plaster, alloy, copper, or gravel. Absolutely, these street materials can not protect you at all.
Is it difficult to identify the authenticity of Thai amulets ?
Yes, it's rather difficult. It needs time and experiences to learn and develop skills. Because Thai amulets comprise of MANY THOUSANDS items, examiners who identify them must have specific knowledges on their imprints, materials and surface characteristics which are widely different. It really takes time to learn them each by each as days have gone by. So, it is normally that many professional experts have standed on this field more than 15 years.
How different between identification on gems and Thai amulets?
Commercial gems are just many tens of kinds, their physical properties are certain values. We identify its hardness which run between 1-10 Moh Scale. We identify their reflective index and specific gravities which also are certain values. Todays, there are many modern device to identify gems, it's not so difficult to learn. But for Thai amulets, you use only 10x-magnifying lens to identify their authenticity. Absolutely, you must have good memory on MANY HUNDREDS or THOUSANDS of their imprints, mass, materials, colors, textures, surface characteristics, etc. You must differentiate these factors by one magnifying lens only. Apart from good memories on recording data onto your "computer"(brain), you also must have the efficient eagle eyes to differentiate everything under the magnifying lens.
Is there any best way to start collecting Thai amulets?
Yes, there is the best and most safest ways. Collecting and finding only the amulets that are CREATED BY OLD GREAT OR WELL-KNOWN GURUS, OR FROM FAMOUS TEMPLES. By this way you know their histories and origins. Try to avoid the unknown or strange-look items. Before collecting any item, please learn their imprints and mass characteristics thoroughly, otherwise buying from the ETHICAL AND TRUSTABLE DEALERS only.
How many ethical and trustable dealers?
There are not many good dealers of this kind. The most important thing you must realize--in the amulet markets the fakes and imitations overwhelm the genuine items. If you have no knowledges on Thai amulets, it's a must to rely on the moral, ethical and trustable dealers.
What do we have to do before we wear the amulets?
Before wearing amulets, please do this way :
- Make your mind calm, think of all your goodness you have done, and focus all your faith to the Buddha
- Put your amulets onto your hands, join your hands together
- Breathe in deeply and slowly
-Then chant 3 times of this initial Mantra:
NAMO TASSA PHAKHAWATO ARAHATO SAMMA SAMBUDH TASSA (sound)
The chanting verse means we are now paying respect to the Lord Buddha who has done the great goodness. Then request with your own language for his help, say "I, a humble one, invite the Lord Buddha and Luang Phor..... [name(s)] to sit on my head to protect me all day long and bring me a good luck, a victory, and a fulfilment of all my wishes."
Then say " BudDhang PraSitThiMae DhamMang PraSitThiMae Sangkhang PraSitThiMae." (sound)
The meaning of this Mantra is-may Lord Buddha, Dhamma and Sangkha or Triple Gems bless all my request
successful. And then wear the chain of amulets onto your neck.
What do we have to do if we want to take the chain of amulets out off our neck?
Just take it out off your neck and put all amulets in your hands. Join your hands together, say thanks to the Lord and Luang Phor(s) that protect us and let us come back home safely. Then bring them onto a high place.
Any restriction when wearing Thai Buddhistic amulets?
Yes, there are some restrictions:
-Don't bring amulets with you when you go to the low and improper place such as a brothel.
-Don't wear amulets when doing sexual activities.
-Don't go underneath the improper things such as the lady's skirt or someone's shoes, except you are on the inevitably compulsory environment such as going under a bridge or working in a skyscraper, etc.
Where is the place to park my amulets?
Put on a shelf, altar or any high place. Do not put them on the top of your bed, except you are single or sleep alone. If you want to keep them in your bed room, please put them in a higher drawer.
Is it true that the Buddha amulet can protect firearms?
Yes it is. But it also depends on the quality of your mind. The late Luang Phor Ngern of Wat Don Yai Hom, Nakorn Pathom Province, one of the greatest guru monks, once said that: the number-one mind with full-hearted trust in Lord Buddha's miracles, the gun will not bang or misfire; the number-two mind, the gun bang but the bullet misses; the number-three mind, the gun bang and the bullet hit the target but never penetrate into the body. So, when you hang Buddha amulets on your neck, you must have faith and trust on the Buddha!!
How can I know my amulets are authentic or fake?
You must often view the authentic pieces and remember their imprints, mass, and surface. We judge them by their physical appearances, that's the scientiffic way.
Can I check them with my intuition?
Checking with intuition can do only by a monk or any lay person who has meditative power. But almost all ordinary people don't know who really have this power. So, checking the authenticity or fake of an amulet with an intuition is not accepted in amulet-commerce arena.
Can an amulet lose its power?
Yes, if the amulet finishes blessing by SaiyaVeja(black magic), it will sooner or later lose its power. But if the amulet finishes by Buddhistic meditative power, it will be there forever. However, one will not be protected even he is hanging amulets but doing evils or improper action. That means the Lord Buddha will not be with him.
Does it need to re-blessed an Buddha amulet after hanging for long years?
No, no need to do that. But if you have an Buddha amulet on your neck, it's a must to abstain from doing evils. And if you wholeheartedly pay respect to the Buddha as if he is still alive, he will exactly protect you and bless you a great success.
Someone says that the Buddha is still alive, is that true?
Yes it is, one who says that is presumed that he has a knowledge of the 4th-dimension world which overlaps the world we are now living. I strongly confirm here our Lord Buddha is still alive even he passed away more than 2543 years ago; if not, he cannot protect us. The Lord is at the great grand place call Nipphan Celestial. But the enlightened one can be omnipresent at any place on this universe with unlimited bodies. So he can help every body at the same time. If you really have meditative power, you can meditatively reach there and pay respect to him directly. You will never be convinced on this until you reach there by yourself.
Is an expensive amulet better than a cheap one?
No, it is not. The Buddha power in an amulet does not depend on the price but on:
1. Who creates it? If the amulet is created by the great guru monk who has Samatha and Wipassana Yana ( the great knowledge on advanced meditation), he could invite Lord Buddha of every epoch and all Arahants to charged the great power onto the amulet. Do you know, a lot of people were saved from fatal accidents just their necks hanged 10 Baht-value (about 25 US Cents) amulets !! So, the rich and the poor are equal to receive protection from our Lord Buddha.
2. How clean and how good-intended on that creation. In the old times, almost all guru monks had very clean and good-intended mind because they aimed at the future-to-be Buddha, so they devoted their lives to help build a lot of facilities in many temples. That means tons of money are needed to buy raw materials for construction, so amulets were created to present to donors as a gift in exchange. The good examples on this are Luang Phor Doem of Wat Nong Pho and Luang Phor Parn of Wat BangNomKho, both Luang Phors helped build more than 30 temples!! At present times, we still have very good guru monks but not as many as in the past. So, if you would like to collect the newly-made amulets, you should have to ask yourself with some of these questions: who create them and do they have advanced meditation knowledge, what for, and who are invited to perform the blessing ritual, etc.
What is the name of the Buddha we pay respect to?
Phra Sri Sakkaya Muni, Kotama, Buddha. Sakkaya is the Lord's family name. He is the Buddha of our epoch.
Are there many Buddhas?
Yes, there are many Buddhas in various epochs, but we know only the names of 28 Buddhas. The last one is Phra Sri Sakkaya Muni Kotama. The 28 Buddhas are: TanHangKorn Buddha, MeDhangKorn Buddha, SaRaNangKorn Buddha, DheePangKorn Buddha, GonDhanYo Buddha, MangKalo Buddha, SuMaNo Buddha, ReWaTo Buddha, SoPheeTo Buddha, AnoMaDhassi Buddha, PaTumMo Buddha, NaRaDho Buddha, PaTuMutTaRo Buddha, SuMeDho Buddha, SuChaTo Buddha, PiYaDhassi Buddha, AtDhaDhasSi Buddha, DhammaDhassi Buddha, SitDhatDho Buddha, Tisso Buddha, Pusso Buddha, WiPassi Buddha, SiKhi Buddha, WesSaPhu Buddha, GoNaKaMaNo Buddha, GaKuSanDho Buddha, GasSaPo Buddha, and SakKaya KoTaMa Buddha or Phra Sri Sakkaya Muni, Kotama, Buddha.
Whose image on the amulet is?
Most of them are Lord Buddha, but many are Guru monks.