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Amulet Power

They are studied under magnifying glasses, judged in competitions, and featured in specialist magazines. They are Buddhist amulets, worn for centuries in Thailand, and many other parts of Asia, to ward off evil spirits and guarantee good luck and a healthy life.

These days almost every Thai wears at least one, usually blessed by a monk. But tradition ends there for many modern collectors, who are as likely to pick up their amulets on-line and to pay with a credit card.  Indeed, the best amulets don't come cheap. Lung Leut, a 70-year-old fortune teller from the northern city of Chiang Mai, is keen to show the most valuable piece in his collection: An amulet that was made almost two centuries ago at Wat Rakang, a temple in Bangkok. If he sold the amulet, it would fetch at least 700,000 baht ($16,000), "but I want to keep it," says Lung Leut, holding the amulet between his fingers. "It gives me good luck and makes people like me."  Lung Leut usually wears about 10 amulets, but the one from Wat Rakang is the most powerful. And it's very rare, hence the high price. Less sought-after amulets can cost as little as $10, but usually lack qualities like age, beauty and supposed supernatural powers.  Amulets are usually made of stone or clay (though gold, copper, jade and other materials are not unheard of), and usually display images of the Buddha or revered monks. Wearers carry them about their neck, often in small silver or gold boxes. The value of an amulet is affected by a number of factors: Who made it and where, the beauty of the image and--just as importantly--its reputation for bringing luck.

Lung Leut has been collecting amulets for 50 years, and reckons he's won about a dozen prizes for his collection. Competitions are held all over Thailand, and the biggest events attract collectors from as far away as Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia. Visitors to the shows can get expert opinions on their amulets, and put them through X-ray machines to help determine if they're the real thing: Fakes are a constant problem, and a serious issue in a market with an estimated annual turnover in 2000 of 5 billion baht, according to the research arm of the Thai Farmers Bank. 
Lung Leut, however, prefers to avoid the big events and stays at home in Chiang Mai, where he attends local amulet competitions--and reads people's fortunes every Sunday at a temple in downtown Chiang Mai. Old-fashioned, he has no time for credit cards or Web sites. His faith lies in his collection of old, rare and unique Buddhist amulets.

This article first appeared in the Far Eastern Economic Review, April 03, 2003.
Somdej from Thai movie Ong Bak (above)
Museum of faith

A retreat in Kanchaburi is home to a religious following that idolises the legendary ghost-busting monk of Nang Nak fame, Luangphor Toh.

The faded, temple-like building on a raised mound in the lush sprawl of rice paddies in Kanchanaburi�s Thamaka district is an optical illusion. It has the feel of an old forest temple, yet there are no monks in saffron robes.

Instead, a casually dressed woman, who has just resigned from a lucrative career with a US car making company, manages the so-called religious retreat with the help of several middle-aged men and women. They also cook vegetarian food for guests.

A pavilion stands right behind the gate, housing a big image of a monk. One is supposed to pay respect to the image on entering the compound, which is blanketed with the swirling fragrance of burning incense. Inside, the faded building is a panoply of religious images in various sizes of Somdejphra Buddhacharnto Phromrangsi, better known as Luangphor Toh, the late abbot of Wat Rakhang during the early Bangkok era.

Immediately one feels this place offers a different kind of experience. It is not for quiet inner contemplation, but a place of prayer before a huge collection of religious images. The joy of idolatry is very strong here. Idolaters � whether they be soldiers, politicians, archaeologists or members of the public � come in droves on weekends in search of blessings, luck, a shortcut to fortune.

�They come here to meditate and pay respect to Luangphor Toh,�� says Rakhang Ariyathantosri, the owner of the religious retreat known as Samnakdham Phromarangsi.

Rakhang is white-clad and leads a frugal lifestyle, eating vegetarian food once a day. He�s a faithful worshipper of the monk, recognised for his power in suppressing Nang Nak�s ghost in Bangkok�s Phrakanong some 150 years ago, an event that has spawned various movies. Rakhang even has an image of Luangphor Toh cast by Phrakhanong folks after the event.

This religious retreat has been around for 26 years and occupies a huge rice paddy and hill that used to be a graveyard. Buddhist monks once tried to establish a temple here but without success because of what they believed was the fury of wandering spirits in the area, says Rakhang.

Over the years, the retreat has expanded and now incorporates a museum, and the first to house a vast collection of Luangphor Toh images � to the envy of amulet fanatics.

Rakhang concedes that his collection of antiques is worth around Bt1 billion. He claims that more than 90 per cent of his antiques are genuine because some of his images have been bought for a whopping Bt450,000. One is worth Bt80 million on the amulet market, where Luangphor Toh amulets are prized the most.

Rakhang says he�s been collecting the images since the establishment of his retreat, and these amulets were once owned, sold, and then donated by people from different social strata such MR Kukrit Pramoj, a princess and daughter of King Rama VI, and other blue-blooded aristocrats, along with politicians and businessmen.

�I want this place to be the centre of Luangphor Toh amulets. A place where people can learn something about the life and times of this monk,�� adds Rakhang.

Over the course of his 26-year, saint-like existence, the 64-year-old Rakhang has become close to several prominent Thais and even been a meditation guru or ajaan (teacher). He has his own sawok, disciples, who dedicate their lives to running the religious retreat and propagating the gems of Luangphor Toh�s philosophy.

Even though Rakhang is not trying to build a new sect, one wonders why he seems more focused on talismans than the Dhamma.

�I�m against commercialising Buddhism. I don�t like the idea of buying Luangphor Toh images for high prices,�� he says, but then adds his goal is to collect as many as possible. On some occasions like his birthday, Rakhang makes a point of giving away a few amulets, and at other times may sell them at a discount.

�Many images have been bought by my disciples.�

What�s so special about his collection is the history behind his amulets. Besides the 1836 Nang Nak-busting monk image, Rakhang boasts white tablets made in the monk�s time as gifts to foreign guests of King Rama IV, whose names are featured on the back. Apparently, Luangphor Toh gave these tablets to foreign kings, queens, sultans, millionaires and other dignitaries during the fourth reign.

There are other tablets made between 1857-1860 with names of Anna Leonowens (1858) the prim Victorian English teacher in the court of King Rama IV; Dr Dan Beach Bradley (1857), the American doctor from New York city who made the first Thai typewriter; Queen Victoria of England (1858), King Alfonso of Spain (1860), Prince Henri of Paris (1860), King Constantinome of Greece (1860), the Sultan of Lahore (1860), and Ranee of Malacca (1860). These tablets date from the reign of King Rama IV. The inscriptions on the back of these tablets include:

�Toh 1858, for Ma�m Anna who has faith in Buddhism.�

�Toh 1858, for Queen Victoria who is of great talent and power.�

�Toh 1857, for Moh (meaning doctor) Paradlay (Thai pronunciation of �Bradley�) who has done great benefit to the land and Buddhism.�

The tablets given to the royal families of Europe feature the monk�s nickname �Toh� and have a cross or crucifix in-laid on the back, while those given to heads of Muslim states have a crescent-and-star inlay.

The year on the back of each tablet marks the year in which the tablet was made and given to his guests by Toh or through diplomatic missions. Rakhang says that these tablets were made in batches of several dozen, so even after the monk gave many away, there were plenty left over. It has to be said that Luangphor Toh was famous at both a national and international level in his time, being a son of King Rama II and who claimed to have supernatural powers. His images are believed to bring luck.

He broke Nang Nak�s ghostly influence at the age of 12, and continued to cast a spell inside and outside the royal palace. His amulets were acquired by Chinese sailors in the early Bangkok era as they believed they would protect them at sea.

So much power, yet so little is known about the monk by the younger generations, says Rakhang. Although many households have sold their images of Luangphor Toh, it doesn�t signify a decline in his popularity, according to Rakhang. On the contrary, it marks the vibrant commercial activity surrounding the amulets of the monk.

�Those who sold their images to me want to restore their family�s financial status. So the sale of images means a lot to their financial survival,�� says the collector. �For me, I bought these images with faith.�
Classic Pics

organics
PM backs amulet-ad crackdown

Published on Jan 26, 2004


Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has ordered the National Buddhism Bureau to crack down on radio and newspaper advertising for Buddhist amulets.

Many of the ads feature boastful monks claiming the amulets carry supernatural powers. In a document sent to the bureau, Thaksin asked it to be stricter in monitoring advertisements using nude pictures and ads and CDs with content boasting of supernatural powers, said bureau director-general Police Lt-General Udom Chareun. Udom said he agreed with the order, as the boastful advertisements were inappropriate. "This also includes tattooed monks or those giving people lottery clues," he said.

Advertisements with monks claiming Buddhist amulets have supernatural powers - found mostly on radio and in newspapers - are against the Sangha Supreme Council's announcement, he added.

"The bureau does not support monks making such advertisements, but we have no power to force media not to publish such ads and it is difficult to arrest wrongdoers," he said.

Udom said the media screened the ads for profit, without considering the truth of their claims.He said suspect monks would receive a warning from the bureau or a request to give up the monkhood from local seniior monks.  Pra Rachakavi, deputy dean of Maha Mongkut Ratchawiihayalai College and secretariat of the Centre of the Buddhism Protection of Thai-land, said advertising of Buddhist amulets needed monitoring.

"The making of amulets should not be done to serve an individual's interest, but to mark important national events or to raise funding for public interests," he said.
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Trade in antique amulets soaring

Published on Dec 8, 2003

Collectors of antique Buddhist amulets pushed profits at related businesses to almost Bt10 billion this year, a 40-per-cent rise since the gloomy post-1997 economic crisis. The Kasikorn Research Centre estimates that the trade will grow 10 to 20 per cent a year on average.

The "boom-or-bust" antique-amulet trade has always been closely aligned with the state of the country's overall economy and was dealt a severe blow in 1997.  Prices nosedived 40 to 50 per cent, although those of the most sought-after Phra Krueang pieces, such as the "Benjapakee" or "Grand Five", dropped by only 10 to 20 per cent.

The number of amulet shops also fell markedly, some established traders going out of business. However, the number of small or part-time traders has risen as unemployed workers put their own collectibles on sale. This year the overall business has blossomed anew. Prices for Phra Krueang are up, as are the numbers of amulet fairs and flea markets and advertisements for casting amulets and other sacred objects.

More shops have opened, pushing the number nationwide past 5,000, of which more than 3,000 are in Bangkok. Foreign investors, drawn by the ads in at least 34 amulet magazines in Thailand, have shown interest in buying antique Buddhist items for resale to aficionados abroad. Other foreigners have caught on to amulet-related websites, with information in English, which feature the histories of Buddhist holy objects and biographies of distinguished monks. Neighbouring countries are taking note. Singapore has more than 300 stalls selling Thai amulets and other collectibles, and almost every state in Malaysia has at least two or three outlets.

Taiwanese businessmen have begun buying three-dimensional portraits of the Buddha, deities and well-known monks for resale in amulet centres and booths in department stores.
Man invests Bt24m in rare amulet

Published on Dec 3, 2002

The organiser of an auction of amulets said yesterday that the person who bought an amulet for Bt24 million on Sunday was looking at it as an investment since he could not earn much from his saving accounts due to the low interest rates.

Dr Pichai Buranasombat, managing director of Bangkok Auction House, insisted that the amulet really had been sold during the auction at Silom Galleria on Sunday.

The Somdej Wat Rakhang Phimyai (Big Print) amulet was the highlight of the auction, which fetched a total of Bt86.3 million.

The auction house withheld the name of the buyer of the Bt24-million amulet, raising doubts whether the bid was real or just an attempt to drive up the market price of the amulet and similar ones.

Pichai said the bidder was a businessman who did not want to reveal his identity.

"He said he bought the amulet because he saw that banks paid very low interest on saving accounts. He sees a possibility that the price of the amulet will go up in future," Pichai said.

"He said he would auction off this amulet again in three years and I believe its price will increase by at least 20 per cent by then."

Pichai said his firm could not bring the amulet to the auction venue for security reasons but it showed x-ray films and slides of the amulet. Ram Watcharapradit, a lecturer on archaeology at Naresuan University, said the auction house should show a record of the transaction to the public to quash suspicion that the amulet's sale was faked.

Chuchart Maksumphan, who owns a museum of amulets, said it was possible that the amulet would fetch such a high amount. He said another amulet from the same series used to fetch Bt40 million to Bt50 million.
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