Holy Cow! The Role of Hindu Priests in Buddhist Thailand’s Royal Court (2.45)

Today we’re talking with an expert on the Brahmin, a Hindu caste that plays a very important role in the highest levels of Thai society. And we have something special planned for our one year episode. Oh, and there's a Bangkok-wide podcast meetup coming up. We’ll cover that and more on episode 2.45 of the Bangkok Podcast.

Have you RSVP’d to the big, huge, love-fest that will be the I Love Podcasting In Bangkok meetup on August 30th? It’s free, low-key, and something we’d like to repeat on a regular basis. So if you’re in town and free that evening, come join us and lot of other podcasters, podcast listeners, and those just interested in learning more about podcasting for a few beers and conversation. It’ll be fun! And if that’s not interesting enough, we’re coming up on our one-year anniversary of the podcast relaunch! We’re collecting questions, comments, and other items that you, our loyal listeners and fans would like for us to talk about on this special show. There are plenty of links at the bottom of this post if you’d like to send a query. But that’s not what we’re talking about on this episode. Recently, Greg chatted with Nathan McGovern, Assistant Professor in Philosophy and Religious studies at the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. He has a BA in Physics and a PhD in Religious Studies, and is a specialist on a unique Hindu Caste called the Brahmins. Not a lot of people have heard of the Brahmins, and even if you have you may not be aware that they play a vital role in the highest levels of Thai society and have been doing so for hundreds of years. Here are a few tidbits you’ll pick up from this fascinating conversation

• How Hindu priests (Brahmins) became employed by Thailand’s Royal Court (a Buddhist institution) hundreds of years ago -- and remain today
• What services the Hindu priests perform in Thailand’s Royal Court and how that differs from the Buddhist priests
• Why having Hindu priests quite close to the center of power in Thailand isn’t quite as strange as it might seem
• Which modern ceremony performed by Brahmins expats in Bangkok have probably have seen
• Where to visit the almost-hidden Brahmin temple in Bangkok

Love, Loathe, or Leave

What’s up with the trend (?) of using “bro” via messages in Bangkok? And how is it supposed to be pronounced? Brough? Brugh? Brah? We’re puzzled, so listen in and see just how much tiny things like this bother us. Or not.

We Love Our Supporters!

While we love ALL of our listeners, friends, and fans, we especially love the supporters on Patreon who help us keep the show going and free of annoying ads. This week we’re shouting out to Amy P. As is the norm, Greg did some research on Amy P. and came up with an interesting story. Have a listen to hear why she's such an amazing person! To help support the show like Amy did and get access to bonus content and cool swag, head to patreon.com/bangkokpodcast.

Want More Bangkok Podcast In Your Life?

If it’s your first time experiencing The Bangkok Podcast, you really should get our show downloading to your phone automatically every week. If you use iOS, it’s a breeze to listen via Apple Podcasts. Android users are be able get the show any number of ways. And for bonus points, leave us a review on those platforms or however you listen to the show. We’d love to hear from you! You can add our official LINE account, comment on a post or send us a message via our Facebook page, tweet to us @bangkokpodcast, or simply via the contact form on our website. You may also be interested in Greg’s tweets of snarky Bangkok goodness, and you can see way too much of Evo’s face  on Instagram. If you’re really new, the Bangkok Podcast is co-hosted by Greg Jorgensen and Evo Terra. Together the have over 20 years expat experience in Bangkok, and are self-certified experts in living in the City of Angels. (Not Los Angeles. Thailand, silly!)

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