Join the Living Hour Thai Affiliate eBook Program

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If you operate a blog or website dealing with Thailand, Thai tourism, Thai culture, Thai language, Thai teaching or a related topic you can earn 50% commission on the sale of our new Thai language learning tool The Original Thai-English Cognate Dictionary and Generation Next (Thai Slang & Colloquial Talk) ebooks, as well as our Learn Thai/Learn Isaan Top 40 ebook series, by joining our affiliate program.

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The Three Laughing Monks

In China, there is the legend of the three laughing monks. They are also today sometimes referred to as the three laughing saints (but of course in a very SBNR way). The monks only ever did one thing: on entering a new village, they would stand in the market place and start laughing. They would laugh with their whole being (mind, body, heart, and soul) and suddenly people would wake up to the Life and Kingdom of God that surrounded them. A crowd would soon gather and everyone would start laughing because of these three crazy monks. Eventually, the whole town would get involved and be alive to joy. Then the monks would shimmy on to another town.

The three laughing monks were loved and admired very much. For their only sermon, their only message; was laughter. They never taught; they would simply create a situation. As the years passed, the laughing monks’ fame grew and grew. All of China loved and respected them. Nobody had ever preached the way they did: with laughter and nothing else. Yet they also remained an enigma. For they never laughed at anyone in particular, but rather as if they had understood a great cosmic joke. The three laughing monks spread joy all over China without using a single word.

After living long lives together, one of the three laughing monks died. When this happened, the whole village in which they were staying wondered what would happen next. They thought that when the monk had died, the other two would surely weep. The whole village gathered expecting to see this unusual sight. But instead of crying, the two remaining monks stood beside the corpse of the third laughing a great belly laugh. The villagers asked, “How can you be laughing at a time like this?”

So for the very first time, the two monks spoke and said, “We are laughing because our brother has won. We always wondered who would die first and he has defeated us. We are laughing at his victory and our defeat. He lived with us for many years and we laughed together and we enjoyed each other’s company. There is no better way of giving him a last send off. We can only laugh.

Nevertheless, the whole village remained sad. But then when the dead monk’s body was place on the funeral pyre, the whole village realized that the two monks were not the only ones who were joking, the dead monk was also laughing! At that time, the custom was to change the clothes of the deceased and bathe the body. But the dead monk said to his companions, “Don’t give me a bath because I have never been unclean. So much laughter has been in my life that no impurity can accumulate, can come to me. I have not gathered any dust. Laughter is always young and fresh.”

So just to respect his wishes, the two monks did not change their brother’s clothes. Then when the body was put on the fire, suddenly they became aware that he had hidden some Chinese fire-works under his clothes and had started going off. The whole village began laughing and the other two monks said: “You bastard, you’re dead, but you have defeated us once again. Your laughter is the last.”

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Call for Manuscripts: SBNR & Thai Language

LivingHour.org is currently issuing a call for manuscripts. We will consider SBNR (Spiritual But Not Religious) books that involve Progressive Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, or Islam. For a manuscript to be seriously considered it must be in keeping with the perspective of the material that you see posted on LivingHour.org—so do spend some time reading the website to make sure your submission is appropriate. We appreciate works that are both literary and accessible, books where the author exhibits a sense of humor about themselves and the world around them.

We are also accepting submissions of learn Thai language books that are original and can offer students of the Thai language something which they cannot get from other books.

Do to the amount of submissions we expect to receive, please do not expect a detailed critique of your manuscript. But we will let you know our decision usually within 2-3 weeks after receiving your submission.

Please note that our publishing program for authors is for e-books and POD books. Accepting publication with LivingHour.org means that we will edit your manuscript, prepare it for e-book and print publication, and distribute it online via Smashwords, CreateSpace, Amazon.com, and Barnes & Noble. We also will promote the book via our website, which receives thousands of visitors every month, and other online venues. In return, we keep 40% of the revenue that we receive from our distributors. The author receives 60% of this revenue as their royalty payment. There are no upfront costs for the author required.

For Thai language books wished to be purchased by expats in Thailand, we will print these locally and ship them from our Isaan office.

Submission Guidelines

Please send us a sample chapter, along with a well written cover letter that details who you are, who you see as the audience of your book, what aspects of your book make it original and compelling, and what you will do personally to help promote the book. Submissions should be made to: living [at] livinghour (dot) org.

Lastly, please do not get discouraged if we reject your manuscript. We are a small publisher and can only accept a few manuscripts each year that most closely match the mission of LivingHour.org.

Same As It Ever Was

In the world of Progressive Christianity and the SBNR (in its various forms), there seems to be a growing belief that we are on the cusp of a new age of spiritual enlightenment. This has engendered an enthusiasm much like in the 1960s, when the “spiritual but not religious” of that time thought they were ushering in the Age of Aquarius–a time when peace, love, and understanding would reign. Unfortunately that didn’t happen.

The hippies of the 60s and early 70s quickly became the yuppies and capitalists of the 80s and 90s. All that talk about letting the sunshine in was well just talk. Many who grew up during that generation simply chalked it up to youthful idealism. While others grew bitter that the generation which held such promise turned slowly into a Generation of Swine. Such is the way of the world. And the way it has always been. Every generation likes to think itself as special. And in many ways every generation is special, with unique experiences to celebrate and unusual challenges to overcome. But we ought to leave it that.

Think globally, Act locally is an ecological dictum. It doesn’t translate into spiritual affairs–which demand that we act locally and think locally. In other words, the big picture will work out on its own if we simply endeavor, like Gandhi said, to become the change we want to see in the world. This “becoming” though is a lifelong process. It is not a pinnacle that we reach which then allows us to go conquer the world as missionaries or become spiritual gurus for the public at large. To nurture the idea that we are igniting some grand church revolution or world awakening is little more than self-aggrandizement–which is why such transformations never actually take place.

So the next time we find ourselves becoming enchanted with ideas of ushering in a bright new spiritual epoch, let’s turn to the wisdom of Ecclesiastes:

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.

Or in the words of David Byrne & The Talking Heads

Same as it ever was…same as it ever was…
same as it ever was…same as it ever was…
same as it ever was…same as it EVER was…

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The Living Hour’s Motivationals series combines history, literature, religion, and pop culture to challenge Progressive Christians and the Spiritual But Not Religious. Sign up in the “Opening the Small Gate” box in the right hand corner of this webpage to have these SBNR Motivationals delivered to your e-mail box three times a week. We will never share your email address with any third party.

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Thai Culture: Mai Pen Rai

In Thailand the ubiquitous phrase “mai pen rai” is well known to foreigners who have visited the Kingdom. Used in a variety of situations, mai pen rai is often translated as “never mind” or “it’s no big deal” in guidebooks, but a more accurate, albeit wordy, translation would be “this matter is so insignificant, let us not give it another thought.” Mai pen rai encapsulates much of what is admirable in the Thai character, and it is a phrase that one expects Jesus would have used liberally had it been available to him.

Mai pen rai¹ is perhaps most commonly used as a substitute for “you’re welcome,” a phrase which basically has no equivalent in the Thai language. You’re welcome is also a phrase that we never see Jesus using in the Gospels. The reason for this is that you’re welcome is really a command. You are welcome to do what? You’re welcome to return my kindness some day; that’s what. In other words, you’re welcome carries with it the feeling of “you owe me”.

That is not how Jesus (or Buddha) taught us to perform kindness and charity. Instead the prophet taught us to act kindly with no expectation of anything in return. We are to behave kindly because that is what we are expected to do as Sons and Daughters of God. Kindness is part of our divine natures, thus when acting kindly and generously we are tapping into that divinity.

It is for similar reasons that Thais never developed an equivalent phrase for you’re welcome. Behaving with kindness and generosity is expected of you because that is the way good people behave, and you are expected to be a good person. Mai pen rai is thus the perfect response to those who thank us. It takes the ego out of our charity and kindness, erasing the idea that there is anything special about it, and casting away any notion that we desire something in return.

Mai pen rai is ultimately an SBNR (Spiritual But Not Religious) term, and one which all Westerners (especially Progressive Christians) could benefit by using daily.

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Go to Amazon.com to purchase the e-book version of LivingHour.org’s book for Thai language learners by clicking the following link: The Original Thai-English Language Cognate Dictionary & Learning Tool.

Or purchase the Smashwords Thai Learning Edition for your Palm Pilot, Sony Reader, Nook, iPhone, or other portable device. Come back soon for information on buying the print edition.

1. Also spelled mai pehn rai, mai ben rai, and mai bpen rai [↩]

Tom Robbins on Religion, God, & The Spiritual Life

Tom Robbins is the kind of author who people often say you either love or hate. All things considered, that is probably the best kind of author to be, as it reflects that level of truth telling which always inspires radically opposing emotions in others. Robbins is also the kind of author that we at The Living Hour would identify as an excellent example of the SBNR Progressive Christian, even though he would undoubtedly not describe himself in such terms. Regardless, Robbins displays the kind of attitude, wisdom, and joie de vivre that we admire.

The following are selected quotes from Tom Robbins covering the subject of God, religion, and the art of living:

**”A sense of humor…is superior to any religion so far devised.”

**”We waste time looking for the perfect lover, instead of creating the perfect love.”

**”If by the quarter of the twentieth century godliness wasn’t next to something more interesting than cleanliness, it might be time to reevaluate our notions of godliness.”

**”What difference does it make if the Gospel is mostly a lie? It’s an engrossing story and the words of its hero are excellent words to live by, even today.”

**”If you believe in peace, act peacefully; if you believe in love, acting lovingly; if you believe every which way, then act every which way, that’s perfectly valid – but don’t go out trying to sell your beliefs to the system. You end up contradicting what you profess to believe in, and you set a bum example. If you want to change the world, change yourself.”

**”Curiosity, especially intellectual inquisitiveness, is what separates the truly alive from those who are merely going through the motions.”

**”All depression has its roots in self-pity, and all self-pity is rooted in people taking themselves too seriously.”

**”Anyone who maintains absolute standards of good and evil is dangerous. As dangerous as a maniac with a loaded revolver.”

**”Solace? That’s why God made fermented beverages and the blues.”

**”I believe in nothing, everything is sacred. I believe in everything, nothing is sacred.”

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The Living Hour’s SBNR motivational series combines history, literature, philosophy, psychology, and religion to help bring about new perspectives on Progressive Christianity and spirituality. Sign up by entering your email address into the “Opening the Small Gate” box in the right corner of this web page.

If You Meet Jesus On The Road, Kill Him

A famous old piece of Zen wisdom says: “If you meet Buddha on the road, kill him.” There are a couple of reasons why we are called to take Buddha out. The most commonly cited reason is that the prophet in the road is not really Buddha at all, but a figment of our imaginations–a psychological projection of the person we want Buddha to be. To approach the real Buddha we have to eliminate (kill) these projections.

The other reason for killing Buddha in the road is that by doing so we drop our last crutch and begin walking our spiritual path with full freedom and independence. In other words, we kill Buddha in the road to attain Buddha-hood ourselves. By killing Buddha we honor Buddha and ironically give him life.

This teaching actually finds great resonance in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. In the Gospel narratives, the disciples insist on seeing Jesus of Nazareth only through the prism of their own psychological projections, expecting him to assume the crown of an earthly king,¹ all the while refusing to truly honor Jesus by accepting the kingdom of heaven within, where Christ reigns eternally.

So, today, let the Progressive Christian be the Zen Christian: If you meet Jesus on the road, kill him.

Where you want this killin’ done? God said, “Out on Highway 61.”
– Bob Dylan

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If you have benefited from the work of LivingHour.org, please support us today by linking to our website. We also welcome and appreciate your financial support. You can make your secure online donation via PayPal by clicking the following icon:




The Living Hour’s motivational series combines history, literature, philosophy, psychology, and religion to help bring about new perspectives on Progressive Christianity and spirituality. Sign up to have these SBNR Motivationals delivered to your e-mail box three times a week. Enter your email address into the “Opening the Small Gate” box in the right corner of this web page.

1. On the following day great numbers of people who had come to the festival, hearing that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, took palm-branches, And went out to meet him, shouting as they went: “God save Him! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord: the King of Israel!” John 12:12-13 [↩]

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