Throwing the Stone

[Dodger]

I was sitting with Jai yesterday and asked him if he could explain to me why Thai newspapers (and other media) continually release news articles regarding changes to Thai law BEFORE any formal or concrete decisions have been made - which creates chaos and total confusion in the general public every single time this happens.

I provided Jai with examples including the recent hallway chatter regarding the legalization of adult movies and sex toys in Thailand which somehow ended up in the Press, several situations last year involving proposals (which were just ideas at the time) to change Immigration Law/Visa’s, and the recent debacle involving the legalization (or declassification) of marijuana – which has hundreds, if not thousands of small businesses standing on their heads right now.

Like almost everything else that I’ve learned from Jai over the years his teachings almost always have their roots deeply embedded in Buddhist belief. And this would be no different.

According to Jai, this practice, which is apparently widely understood in Thai culture, is referred to as “Yon Hin Tam Tang”, which translates to “Throwing the Stone”. Unlike the slang we have in the West of just tossing a stone in a pond to see how much of a ripple it will make, Yon Hin Tam Tang is an actual technique the Thais use during a decision making process which considers all of nature’s elements surrounding the pond in a broader context – intended to help during a decision making process.

In Thai culture Yon Hin Tam Tang involves “observing” – not just the size of the splash on the water’s surface – but also how the birds in the trees react when they hear the splash…how the fish and other aquatic life reacts to the ripples on the surface…how the impression of the stone when it sinks to the bottom of the pond effects other forms of sea life, etc. Sorry, I had to sit through this so so do you…555

What Jai was trying to explain to me is that the technique of Yon Hin Tam Tang is almost always used (especially in government agencies) as a preliminary step to chart the course forward, where any disruption(s) to nature (including in this case the general public) caused during this process are deemed as necessary.

In the West we often use formal Risk Management techniques in similar situations resulting in much less confusion in the public sector - where observations in data variation are the basis using modern software for this purpose – where in a Thai Buddhist culture they rely simply on the “effects on nature”. This is where feedback from the public (including ours) is extremely important when Yon Hin Tam Tang is taking place. According to Jai the internet is a main source of such feedback.

Right or wrong in the eyes of a Westerner, this at least explains why we keep experiencing all the chaos and confusion when Thai news releases like the ones mentioned above are tossed out to the general public. To them, these releases are the “Stone” and we are the “Ripples”.

Jai is in the next room right now lounging on the sofa in a pair of very short boxers. I think I’ll practice a little Yon Hin Tam Tang of my own to see if I can make any ripples…

[Gaybutton]

What happened to reading tea leaves?

Seems like the tea leaves would be the way to go considering how tea money seems to be the way to go . . .

[Dodger]

Thailand announced its largest increase in Electricity in decades 4 months ago - jumping to 6 baht per KWH.

It was then announced in the news on Tuesday of this week that the increase was not going to happen . When mentioning this good news to Jai he just rolled his eyes and said..."Yon Hin Tam Tang.

I'm starting to get the picture.

[Gaybutton]

Yon Hin Tam Tang.

I think you need to translate that one for us.

[Dodger]

I think you need to translate that one for us.

"Throwing the Stone".

[thaiophilus]

Tthe English concept of a "stalking horse" is similar.