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While
religion in
THAILAND
is centered around
Buddhism, people in Thailand have compassion
and tolerance towards any religion and welcome
others
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to
study Buddhism or learn to meditate
More Religion
While
roughly 95% of the Thai people are
practitioners of Theravada Buddhism,
the official religion of Thailand,
religious tolerance is both customary
in Thailand and protected by the constitution.
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By
its very nature however, Buddhism, which
is based on the teachings of the Buddha,
�the enlightened one� (nee Siddhartha
Gautama), is a compassionate and tolerant
religion, the aim of which is the alleviation
of suffering. Consequently, Thai people
are very respectful of the religious
beliefs of others and are very open
toward discussing their Buddhist values
with visitors. In fact, there are many
opportunities in Thailand to visit Buddhist
temples to learn about or study Buddhism
and perhaps to learn to meditate. |
Religion
in Thailand pervades many aspects of Thai
life and senior monks are highly revered;
it is not uncommon to see their images adorning
walls of businesses or homes or upon ornaments
inside of taxi cabs. In many towns and villages
the neighborhood wat (temple) is the heart
of social and religious life. Buddhist holidays
occur regularly throughout the year (particularly
on days with full moons) and many Thai people
go to the wat on these and other important
days to pay homage to the Buddha and give
alms to monks in order to make merit for
themselves.
Meditation,
one of the primary practices of Buddhism,
is a means of self reflection in order to
identify the causes of individual desire
and ultimately alleviate ones suffering.
Visitors can learn the fundamentals of this
practice at a number of wats across the
kingdom. Some temples, particularly in Chiang
Mai, allow visitors to chat with monks in
order to gain general knowledge about Buddhism
or to study Buddhism more seriously.
While
Theravada Buddhism may technically be considered
a philosophy rather than a religion (there
is no �God�) Thai Buddhism is infused with
many spiritual beliefs which are likely
the result of lingering animist and Hindu
beliefs from centuries earlier. Most Thai
homes and places of business feature a �spirit
house� just outside the building, where
offerings are made to appease spirits that
might otherwise inhabit their homes or workplaces.
Furthermore, Buddhist monks are often brought
to new homes and businesses to �bless them�,
and Thai people frequently light incense
and make prayers to both Buddha images and
a host of Hindu gods whose shrines are located
throughout Bangkok and the countryside.
The
next largest religion in Thailand, Islam,
is practiced by only about 4% of the population;
the majority of Thai Muslims live in the
most southerly provinces near the Malaysian
border. Other religions in Thailand include
Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Christianity,
which are generally practiced by those living
in Bangkok, where a multi-cultural population
includes citizens of Indian, Chinese, Japanese,
and European descent.
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