STORY
As someone who doesn’t have much of a regular spiritual practice, visiting the many temples around Thailand invited a reverence for the rituals of Buddhism. After studying Southeast Asian art in college and learning more about Buddhism through my yoga practice, I’ve found the symbolism that runs throughout architecture, art, worship, and life to be incredibly beautiful and meaningful.
After climbing to the top of the hill that Wat Saket sits on top of and admiring the sweeping views of Bangkok, I entered the temple and followed the flow of people slowly walking clockwise around the central golden chedi. This path of circumambulation around a sacred structure is referred to as parikrama. Parikrama is supposed to be carried out with a meditative intention and when you move in a clockwise motion in the northern hemisphere, you are moving with certain natural forces. The calm I felt during those few minutes of reflective, meditative circumambulations left me with a deeper appreciation for the traditions and rituals of Buddhism.