Michael’s Favorite Buddha at Wat Phra Mahatat, Nakhon Si Thammarat

This shows the Buddha statue from the waist up showing a variation of the Dispelling Fear mudra. Standing at the side of one of the Buddha statue bases, I have left the background as is, stains and all. This is an androgynous image that could easily be a woman, although Thai Buddhism is very sexist — nuns in Thailand exist in the structure only to be servants for the monks and have virtually no status whatsoever, whereas the monks are highly respected. At some temples you will see signs forbidding women to enter a main sanctuary area.

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