Soumkhor

This is a beautiful image of the Buddha from Thailand. This particular style is called "Soumkhor", and it comes from the Khamphaeng Phet area in north Thailand. It is one of the most popular amulets in Thailand. It is believed to bring peace and prosperity to the wearer. This particular image shows the Buddha seated in a meditation position, meditating in the rain under the protection of the Naga, a great 7-headed snake. The story is that the Naga desired to be ordained into the monkhood. The rules forbid it; but the Buddha gave the snake instruction in the 5 Buddhist precepts so that if he followed them, he could be reborn as human in his next life and enter the monkhood. The Naga used his body to form a meditation platform for the Buddha, using his great 7-headed body to form a canopy to shelter Buddha from the rain. The Soumkhor Buddha images are so respected in Thailand that the government recently released a series of postage stamps honoring 5 different Buddha amulets - one of which is Soumkhor.

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