For those facing a run of bad luck and wanting to start things over, one Thai temple has an unusual solution: "rehearse" death with a mock funeral, including lying down in a coffin.
Pram Manee temple in Nakorn Nayok province, 107 km northeast of Bangkok, holds two of the rituals every day: at exactly 9:09 a.m.and 1:09 p.m., since the number nine is believed by Thais to bring good luck.
In the ritual, participants stood in front of their designated coffins, holding flowers and praying for bad luck to go away, then asked to receive good luck.
All had paid 180 baht ($6) for the flowers, a white sheet and "merit set" -a collection of necessities sometimes including toothpaste, toothbrushes and food - to be offered to monks, and the promise of a better life.
"First we pray for the 'dead', to wash away the bad things. They will go away when the monk draws a sheet over the coffin. The monk will turn the sheet over and pull it back, like pulling the good things back in. First we push the bad luck away, and then we put the good things in," said Rin Manaboom, a monk at the temple who conducts the ceremonies.
While the participants lie in their coffins, monks chant prayers. After this, they emerge from their resting place to be blessed with holy water.
Krisda Netmanee, a 39-year-old police officer, said he wanted a fresh start after a series of bad work assignments.
"I had bad luck this year. I'm here to wash my bad luck away, and ask for blessings for good things to come," he added.
Others take part in the ritual regularly.
Farmer Ra Damthanin said she has lain within a coffin at least six times in the hopes of a long life.


据《路透社》8月2日报道，泰国一家寺院为那些连遭不幸意欲转运的人们想出了一个怪招：通过模拟葬礼让参加者躺在棺材里"预演"死亡。


Pram Mane寺院位于距离曼谷东北部107公里的坤西育省，该寺庙会准时在每天上午9点9分和下午1点9分举行两场"死亡"仪式，泰国人认为数字9可以给人带来好运。

在仪式上，参加者们站在给他们指定的棺材前，捧花祈祷厄运消散好运到来。

每位参加仪式的人都需要花180泰铢（6美元）来支付送给僧侣的花束、一张白布、"积德物件" 以及其对幸福生活的承诺。 "积德物件"通常为一些生活必需品，如牙膏、牙刷和食物。

负责该仪式的寺庙僧侣仁-马纳布说："首先，我们会祈祷厄运远离'死者'，当僧侣把棺材上的白布拽下来时，厄运也就随之远去。然后，僧侣会把白布翻过来，再将其拉盖到棺材上，就好像把好运拉回来一样。我们先驱散厄运，然后再把好运放进去。"



当参加者躺在棺材内时，僧侣们就开始念经祈祷。随后，参加者从棺材里走出来，接受圣水的祝福。

39岁的警官科瑞斯塔-奈特曼尼说，在接手一系列糟糕的案件后，他希望有个全新的开始。

"我今年运气不好，所以就到这儿来'冲喜'，请求赐福让好事来到我身边。" 奈特曼尼补充道。
还有一些人会定期参加这种仪式。
农妇 雷戴姆塞尼说，为了能活得更久，她至少已经在棺材里躺过6次了。

• temple [´tempəl] n.庙宇；寺院；太阳穴 (初中英语单词)
• unusual [ʌn´ju:ʒuəl] a.不平常的；异常的 (初中英语单词)
• solution [sə´lu:ʃən] n.解答；解决；溶解 (初中英语单词)
• funeral [´fju:nərəl] n.葬礼，丧葬；困难 (初中英语单词)
• province [´prɔvins] n.省；领域；范围 (初中英语单词)
• collection [kə´lekʃən] n.收集；征收；募捐 (初中英语单词)
• emerge [i´mə:dʒ] vi.出现；显露；暴露 (初中英语单词)
• series [´siəri:z] n.连续；系列；丛书 (初中英语单词)
• northeast [,nɔ:θ´i:st] n.东北 a.东北的 (高中英语单词)
• coffin [´kɔfin] n.棺材，柩 (高中英语单词)
• blessed [´blesid] a.享福的；神圣的 (英语四级单词)
• wanting [´wɔntiŋ, wɑ:n-] a.短缺的；不足的 (英语六级单词)
• ritual [´ritʃuəl] n.典礼；礼节 a.典礼的 (英语六级单词)
• holding [´həuldiŋ] n.保持，固定，存储 (英语六级单词)
• toothpaste [´tu:θpeist] n.牙膏 (英语六级单词)