Rafael Nadal Makes Merit In Thailand

Rafael Nadal currently ranked No.1 in the ATP ranking is currently in Thailand to compete in the Thai Open which started on September 27.
He arrived earlier in the island resort of Hua Hin on September 21 for vacation.

On September 25, he got up as early as 6.00am to prepare himself to give food offerings to monks in front of Intercontinental Hua Hin Resort. He was accompanied by Poon, the wife of the President the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand who recommended him some traditional thai desserts to be given to the monks. When the passing monks arrived at the spot at 7.00am, Nadal guided by Poon and the monks , knelt down before them and gave food offerings, water and flowers to the monks. After the ritual, he returned to the hotel to pass the merits that he had gained from the offerings he made to the monks, on to his loved ones by pouring water.

Nadal is scheduled to be in Bangkok today and will meet the Prime Minister of Thailand, Abhisit Vejjajiva tomorrow before playing his first match ( in the 2nd round, was given a bye in the first round )on September 30. According to Poon, Nadal was happy after giving alms to the monks. According to Poon, Nadal was smiling happily throughout the food offerings and had followed the rituals involved correctly.

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Buddhist Personality : Carles Puyol

Name : Carles Puyol
Nationality : Spain
Date Of Birth : 13th April 1978
Height : 178cm
Profession : Professional Footballer

Barcelona and Spain defender Carles "Tarzan" Puyol who scored the only goal of the semi final against Germany to send his country into the first ever world cup final has a keen interest in Buddhism, according to his friend Ven. Thupten Wangchen of the Casa del Tibet, Barcelona.

Ven Wangchen said that Puyol's interest in Tibetan culture and Buddhism started after reading Sogyal Rinpoche’s book, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying which helped him deal with death of a family member. Puyol, Ven. Wangchen said, has a Tibetan tattoo on his left arm which reads “Power is inside the Mind. The strong can endure.”

Puyol, also an admirer of the Tibetan leader has met His Holiness the Dalai Lama during the latter's visit to Barcelona in 2007. Ven. Wangchen said Puyol has also expressed his interest in helping the Tibetan national football team in the future.

Puyol made his senior national-team debut in November 2000, shortly after playing his part in the Olympic squad which picked up silver at the Games in Sydney. Since then his name has been a constant in the Spain squad list, including appearances at two FIFA World Cups and two UEFA EUROs. Indeed, Puyol's tigerish defending was another key factor in La Roja's long-awaited success at the Euro 2008.




Meeting The Dalai Lama in 2007

He scored the only goal in the World Cup 2010 semifinal against Germany to lift his team to the final

A couple of hours ago, his team beat Netherlands to win the World Cup for the very first time ( he was partly hidden in this photo )

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