Same Same but Different
There you go, I know that the title has confused you and that you are wondering what can I possibly tell with my story of “ same same but different ” and “ different different but same ”.
So there you go, let me explain.
If you have been to Thailand, you must have heard this famous phrase “ same same but different ”.
The phrase is hailed by sellers extolling the merits of a counterfeit, so numerous in Asia... but that is another debate. So to come back to this little phrase which is very successful, know that it is used throughout Southeast Asia but it is in Thailand that it is the most popular.
For my part, I discovered it while learning Nuad Bo'Rarn massage, where it is used to highlight the fact that the traditional massage that we were learning was very similar, Same, even, to that that we can see in all massage parlors, but yet very different.
This is a way of highlighting the fact that the formalization of teaching within the Ministries of Public Health and Education makes it possible to receive, within certified schools, a fair, healthy and risk-free practice, as opposed to certain massages delivered without real skill, learned on the job, and often ending in a "happy ending".
As for the origin of this phrase, opinions differ and several versions oppose each other:
some say it comes from Vietnam , at the time of the war, used by the American army to communicate with the Vietnamese people.
others say that it would be linked to the Thai language which for the plural doubles the words
another version, which seems very Buddhist and adequate to me , would come from the fact that the Thai Buddhist people, not engaging in confrontation, would use this phrase to advance a disagreement and thus formalize a way of expressing their disagreement without confrontation. I also remember while writing these lines, a political discussion that we had in Cambodia with someone, a discussion for which we did not have the same point of view as the person, and the person then had advanced "same same but different", which I approved because yes, the sentence seems perfectly suited to this type of situation. Once said, the subject is closed, everyone maintains their opinion, there is no tension.
Lu Jong Vs Ruesi Dat Ton
Different Different
So here, in our context, I'm not going to use " same same but different ", but rather " different different but same ".
They are different by nature .
Ruesi Dat Ton is Thai . Lu Jong is Tibetan . We are therefore here from very distinct origins, in a different cultural context and an opposite climate, different movements and yet very very "same", let's speak French, very very similar.
They are different in their approach .
Ruesi Dat Ton seeks to work on deep muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and uses anatomical language, i.e. using anatomical terminology and focuses on the theory of the 4 elements . Lu Jong is practiced in full awareness , talks about feelings , and focuses on the theory of the Five Elements . Ruesi Dat Ton is based on the stimulation of energy lines , the SEN, and accupunture points , while Lu Jong is based on the stimulation of the winds and therefore of the 5 elements and the 3 humors .
But even
They are therefore very different, that is a fact, and yet, they are very “ same ” on many points:
the breath first with the retention used as much in one as in the other and which on the Tibetan side comes down from the Tsa Lung.
the characteristic twists of the spine present in both
the movements practiced for the majority seated , as much for one as for the other.
the many almost identical postures between one and the other , but practiced differently.
And although their way of stimulating the movement of energy is different, both work to balance wind, fire, water and earth.
The spiritual dimension is of course not left out. Strongly present in Lu Jong and especially in the theory that accompanies it, it is also present in Ruesi Dat Ton although brought differently since it is important to know that Ruesi Dat Ton developed in the environment of Theravada Buddhism while Lu Jong developed within Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, and is based on the theory of the Five Elements from the Bön Zhang Zhung movement.
To sum up, Lu Jong Vs Ruesi Dat Ton, we can say that they are both Same Same but Different and Different Different but Same .
