Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Religion
Religion is alive and well in Thailand and colourful examples of daily worship can be
found on nearly every corner. Walk the streets early in the morning and you'll see the sol-
emn procession of Buddhist monks, with shaved heads and orange-coloured robes, engaged
in
bin·dá·bàht,
the daily house-to-house alms food gathering.
Although the country is predominantly Buddhist, the minority religions often practise
alongside one another.
HOUSES OF THE HOLY
Many homes or inhabited dwellings in Thailand have an associated 'spirit house', built to provide a residence for
the plot of land's
prá poom
(guardian spirits). Based on animistic beliefs that predate Buddhism, guardian spirits
are believed to reside in rivers, trees and other natural features and need to be honoured (and placated). The guardi-
an spirit of a particular plot of land is the supernatural equivalent of a mother-in-law, an honoured but sometimes
troublesome family member. To keep the spirits happily distracted, Thais erect elaborate dollhouse-like structures
where the spirits can 'live' comfortably separated from humans. To further cultivate good relations and good for-
tune, daily offerings of rice, fruit, flowers and water are made to the spirit house. If the human house is enlarged
the spirit house must also be enlarged, so that the spirits do not feel slighted. Spirit houses must be consecrated by a
Brahman priest.
Buddhism
Approximately 95% of Thai people are Theravada Buddhists, a branch of Buddhism that
came from Sri Lanka during the Sukhothai period.
The ultimate end of Theravada Buddhism is
nibbana
('nirvana' in Sanskrit), which liter-
ally means the 'blowing out' or extinction of all grasping and thus of all suffering
(dukkha)
. Effectively,
nibbana
is also an end to the cycle of rebirths (both moment-to-moment and
life-to-life) that is existence. In reality, most Thai Buddhists aim for rebirth in a 'better' ex-
istence rather than the supramundane goal of
nibbana
. The concept of rebirth is almost
universally accepted in Thailand, even by non-Buddhists.
The idea of reincarnation also provides Thais with a sense of humility and interconnec-
tedness. They might observe a creepy-crawly in the bushes and feel that perhaps they too
were once like that creature or that a deceased relative now occupies a non-human body.
Reflecting Thailand's social stratification, reincarnation is basically a reward or punish-
ment. This is essentially the Buddhist theory of karma, expressed in the Thai proverb
tam
dee, dâi dee; tam chôo·a, dâi chôo·a
(good actions bring good results; bad actions bring
