The kitten in the Thai Buddhist temple has proved very popular so in this post I’ll try to explain a bit more about Buddhism and cats.
In some Buddhist cultures cats can be regarded as holy creatures particularly so as they are perceived to be one of the more ‘mindful’ animals and have traditionally been useful in keeping down pests such as mice and rats that feed on food stores. The Birman cat - also known as the sacred cat of Burma descends from cats that were raised in Buddhist temples in Burma and the monks regarded that the souls of the departed returned to earth as a cat. Traditional folklore posited that on the death of a person if he had reached the highest level of enlightenment then their soul would return to earth for one last time as a cat and when it dies would be freed to reach nirvana. Furthermore the cat is believed to speak with Buddha in favour of its owner that is still alive. Thailand has similar beliefs and so the cat is respected highly amongst Buddhist monks and many temples will have cats that live amongst the monks and Buddha statues and images.
In this temple just outside Hat Yai the mother cat seems to be particularly friendly with one particular monk who stroked and feeds it and is allowed to eat the alms food that has been prepared by the laity for the monk. Strict Buddhism practice teaches non-attachment and the keeping of pets would be discouraged but in many temples in eastern cultures the dominance of Buddhism leads to many variances and it should also be noted that many monks may just be ordinary citizens that are serving their time as a monk so as bring merit to their families. These periods can be short as a month and so they often bring outside habits and practices into the temple.
To view all the eleven videos of the cat and her kitten in the Thai Buddhist Temple visit the playlist on our You Tube channel beautifulthailand99.
“Because he has pity on every living creature, therefore is a man called ‘holy’” Buddhism Dhammapada
