NAKHON NAYOK, Thailand — It is the ultimate in second chances: a Buddhist temple here offers, for a small fee, an opportunity to die, rise up again newborn and make a fresh start in life.
Nine big pink coffins dominate the grand hall of the temple, and every day hundreds of people take their turns climbing in for a few moments as monks chant a dirge. Then, at a command, the visitors clamber out again cleansed — they believe — of the past.
It is a renewal for our times, as recent economic hardship brings uncertainty and people try seeking a bailout on life. In growing numbers, they come here from around Thailand to join what has become an assembly line of resurrection.
“When the economy is down, we latch our hopes onto some supernatural power,” said Ekachai Uekrongtham, the writer-director whose movie “The Coffin” is in Thai cinemas now with a plot revolving around such funerals for the living.
Don’t miss the accompanying video.
Thanks to Austin B. for the link.