Beliefs in Thailand (1)

If you visit Thailand for the first time or never visit and study about this country only on the internet, you may think that Buddhism is only the main belief among Thai People. However there are other beliefs that also affect the people's life. Interestingly, Thai people’s lives are connected to these beliefs no less than to Buddhism.

Offering alms to monks; the way of Thai people's life that you can find easily when you visit to Thailand (Photo from www.csmonitor.com)

Before we know about the other believes of Thai People, let me describe about Buddhism in Thai at first. In fact Buddhism can be divided into 3 sects : Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. Among the three sects, Only Theravada and Mahayana have an impact on Thai People’s lives so I will focus on explaining only these two.

According to the meaning of the word,

Theravada means "the way of elders." It teaches us to do meditation until we realize that everything in the universe is nothing real existence. We shouldn't cling to anything; instead, we must learn to detach from it. This is the path of enlightenment according to the teachings of Theravada Buddhism. 

Mahayana means "the great ship" which helps more people escape the cycle of rebirth and ultimately end all of suffering. It teaches us to accumulate enough merit to become a Bodhisattva. Bodhisattva is like the compassionate being who helps relieve the suffering of humankind. In this role, Bodhisattvas choose not to attain enlightenment until they have help all being achieve liberation from suffering. In conclusion, the essential virtues or-core ethics- of Mahayana are compassion and generosity. 

Guan-yin; Bodhisattva according to the interpretation of Chinese People

About Bodhisattva, if you are Chinese people or educated about Chinese culture before, you may know about Guan-Yin.

Guan-Yin is one of the Bodhisattva who names Avalokitesvara (or Goddess of Mercy) according to the interpretation of Chinese People. 

The belief about Guan-Yin is found not only in China but also in regions where Chinese people migrated and in areas influenced by Chinese culture such as Korea and Japan. In the case of Thailand, Guan-Yin can be seen in many shrines and temples, as Chinese immigrants have settled in the Thai Kingdom since the past. Although they have now integrated into Thai society, they have preserved their beliefs and cultural traditions.

The bell shape stupa at Wat Mahatat of Sukhothai Kingdom, the origin of Theravada Buddhism in the history of Thai race

Because Thai culture has been shaped by the integration of various beliefs and traditions, it’s not surprising to find two sects of Buddhism in Thailand. Nevertheless, for Thai people, the main religion of us is Theravada Buddhism. This sect has been followed this since the Sukhothai or Ayutthaya Periods. Both of which were great Thai kingdoms that existed around thirteenth to fourteenth century.

As mentioned in the second paragraph, the main goal of Theravada is to practice meditation until we realize that nothing in the universe has a true or permanence existence. If we attain this realization, it means we have reached nirvana. Therefore, meditation is regarded as the most important practice for Thai Buddhists.

Doing meditation in the posture of sitting, the way to enlighten the real of the universe according to the teaching of Theravada Buddhism (Photo from https://watpathumwanaram.wordpress.com)

Meditation can be practiced by either sitting or walking. The goal is to be aware of the movement of the mind until gaining the insight that everything is empty or without true substance. At the present day, there are lots of temples teach this. Wat Patumwanaram near Siam Paragon (Patumwan District) is an example if you pay visit Bangkok and want to see this.

To reach an enlightenment that everything in the universe is empty, you can practice meditation by walking to be aware the movement of your inner mind. (Photo from https://watpathumwanaram.wordpress.com)

Buddhism in Thailand, like many other religions around the world, has been influenced by capitalism. The way Thai Buddhists live and practice has changed. People tend to focus more on rituals or ceremonies as a way to ask for things they want. This shift is also influenced by other beliefs systems present in Thai society, along with long-standing political and social conditions.

The way Thai Buddhists live and practice has changed by the influence of capitalism. In the photo, you will see the Thai Buddhists pray the monk for asking the number to draw a lottery. (Photo from http://www.xxlotto.com)

However in my opinion

“only focusing on the rituals or ceremonies is not the real goal of Buddhism if we compare to practice meditation. Because if you get insight the Buddhism truly, it teaches us to detach everything because nothing in the universe has a true or permanence existence.”

When you read until this line, I think you will understand Buddhism which is the main belief of Thai People more. But as I mentioned in the first paragraph Buddhism is not only one belief of Thai people. There are other believes which affect our life. I will describe this story in the next part.