Did you know that it’s illegal to take a Buddhist statue outside of Thailand? This means that it’s against the law for tourists to take even the smallest of figurines with them through customs. This is true for Thai people as well. As Buddhism is the de facto, official religion of Thailand, airport personnel have the authority to confiscate any images of Buddha and possibly employ another form of punishment as well.
Whether you are foreign or Thai, if you rent a condo in Thailand or even own your own property, it is completely acceptable for you to buy a Buddhist statue and keep it in your home. If you are travelling through Thailand however, your only true option to take an image of Buddha with you is to purchase it in the form of a Thai Buddhist Amulet.
Buying an amulet is by no means the worst-case scenario if you want a Buddhist image. If you’ve spent time in Thailand, you’ve probably noticed that many locals wear Buddhist amulets around their neck, as they believe the amulets bring them good luck, health, safety, success, fertility, fortune and/or more. They come in many shapes and sizes and materials, with different images and icons representing different things.
Thai’s can be quite superstitious and treat wearing the amulet almost as a religion itself. While the original reason why Thai’s started wearing amulets was to have a constant reminder of Buddha’s teachings or to commemorate highly respected monks, today it also serves as a way to find peace of mind and a way to gain some control over the more mysterious happenings of life.
Over the past couple of years the amulet has gained more popularity than ever before, thus knock-offs (amulets that have not been blessed by a monk, claim to be older or of a more precious material than they actually are, etc.) do exist.
Many Thai’s collect amulets, and focus on finding only the most authentic, antique and unique amulets on the market. If you are looking to buy an amulet, you may want to take a Thai person with you who can ask the right questions and determine whether the amulet will have the power that the merchant claims it to have. Your best bet is to buy an amulet directly from a temple so you can have a monk bless it in front of you, and then bless it yourself before putting it on.
Facts about Thai Buddhist Amulets
- When not wearing the amulet store it somewhere higher than your head is when standing.
- Do not wear the amulet while having sex or engaging in any immoral activity
- The amulet loses its power, or will even collect negative power if worn by an immoral person
- An amulet must be blessed by a monk for it to have power
- You are never the actual owner of an amulet, but merely the holder, as it has a life that is separate from whoever keeps it at any given time.
- Never touch someone else’s amulet as that will take away some of its power
