“I Versus Me”

The Friendship Between Buddhism and Spiritualism

In Linguistics, I and Me both mean the first person of the conversation, used differently as the subject and the object in the sentence. In sociology “I” means one’s true identity without any pressure or even social influences. Inverse, “Me” is interpreted as an identity once one has been socialised.

Many Thais might have heard the myth of “Pu Sae-Ya Sae”. Two spirits of Lanna (the land currently covers most of the Northern Region of Thailand) who were protecting the Lanna people from mystic dangers during the time of the spirit or the unknown era. It had been Lanna people’s deeply rooted belief before it was challenged by the new science of knowing and understanding Samsara. It was Buddhism who came from such a faraway land as South Asia.

I, in “Pu Sae-Ya Sae” lies in the mystery and upcoming disasters as soon as one has lost faith or offends the spirits. The spirits’ wrath would be expressed in such a big frame as everything under the sun. While “I” in Buddhism holds a belief on a logical ground, meaning applicability and a certain formula; no matter how many times a deed is done, the result is the same, “You get what you give”.

It could be easily predicted that the war between the existing and the extremely different new comer, was unavoidable. Nevertheless, the residual after the clash was over the conjecture. And there sprung in Lanna, the Spiritual Buddhism or Buddhist Spiritualism, a new Buddhist patch which beautifully blended with the native’s way of life.

So true that the reproduction of Spiritualism would arise for its own survival, such as the new myth about “Pu Sae-Ya Sae” meeting the Buddha when he came to propagate Buddhism in the region. In this myth, the Buddha asked these two spirits to stop abusing their mystic power and stop killing people.

Sociologically, both Buddhism and Spiritualism have since kept their own “I” inside and chosen to share only “Me”. Spiritualism accepted Buddhism’s influence in regulating the value of Karma and positive deed while Buddhism acceded to Spiritualism in holding their holy position as far as they could remain harmonious. In short, they both have kept “I” respectful to “Me”.