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MZC: There's a combination of what one experiences and comes to understand and a belief perhaps in the sense of a confidence that there is an efficacy to the practice of the teachings. But again it's based in one's own experience, not taken, as Batchelor says and the Buddha teaches, because some authority says so.
After a brief conversation, our Thai massage session began with my careful examination of tightness and weakness throughout the whole body. I thoroughly worked through and tested all major muscle groups and joints for any irregularity. Harvey's body was stiff with many holding patterns, or areas of chronic tension, especially around the hips, and the chest.
Photos. Not only can photos be faked, but, having lived here in Thailand for five years now I can tell you that when looking at amulets just a half inch from their surface with a jeweler's loupe, it is often impossible for me to tell whether the amulet I am looking at is a copy or real. Photos are worthless when trying to assess the value of the amulet being represented.
The Great Buddha of Thailand is another colossal statue constructed in honor of Gautama Buddha. Standing 92 meters (300 feet) high and 63 meters (210 feet) wide, it was constructed in 1990 and was finished in 2008. Located in Wat Muang, Aung Thong, Thailand, it is made from concrete cement and finished with gold.
Does the Seller Reside in Thailand? The seller of authentic Thai amulets is almost certainly still living in Thailand. You can almost immediately weed out anyone not physically residing in Thailand at the present moment. If your amulets aren't shipped from Thailand there is an even better chance you are not getting genuine articles.
theravada MZC: Batchelor is specifically talking about the rebirth in the Indian philosophy where there is a rebirth of the individual soul or atma, which goes from life to life. Batchelor says that the Buddha was not interested in whether this is true or not, whether there is even a soul, if "the mind is different from the body." And further, we cannot know the answer to such questions.
He goes through the Pali Canon and separates what was new to the Buddha and what was also held in Indian philosophy before the Buddha. He can then pinpoint what's unique to Buddhism. So he doubts rebirth and different realms of existence. He pinpoints as distinctively Buddhist: dependent origination; the practice of mindful awareness, being focused on the totality of what is happening in our moment to moment experience; the Four Noble Truths & the Eight Fold Path; the principle of self-reliance, not to be dependent on some authority figure.