Some readers wanted to know what written Thai looks like. There it is. It's a bear to learn: vowels can be anywhere --over, under, to the left, to the right-- and that's only the beginning. There are 44 consonants and over 20 vowels, depending on how you count them. Worst of all there are five tones, and if you get them wrong, you won't be understood. Don't get me started on tone rules, invented in some Thai hell.
But. If you love Thailand and Thais, you must learn at least a little of the language, if only so you can understand "Mai Bpen Rai." It doesn't just mean "never mind," or even "who cares?" It is a profoundly Buddhist sentiment. My own favorite translation? "It isn't anything." It speaks to impermanence and the ultimate unimportance of every thing. A person who can say "Mai Bpen Rai" and mean it is on the path and can really relax. You pay attention, practice compassion, and do your own best, and all the rest is Mai Bpen Rai, Living Small.
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| This young monk is meditating and learning to un-connect, in the spirit of Mai Bpen Rai. |