The Kingdom of Thailand - Religion
Religion
White Temple, Chiang Rai
Thailand is one of the most strongly Buddhist countries in the world. The national religion is Theravada Buddhism, a conservative branch of the religion that adheres to the ancient Buddhist texts. Its doctrine emphasizes personal salvation through one's own efforts in a life-long process of self-purification - in other words, to reach a state of nirvana (enlightenment) where one will no longer be reincarnated to repeat the cycle. It is practiced by more than 90% of all Thais and continues to cast a strong influence on daily life. In effect, it has formed and shaped the very heart of Thailand's culture.
The government permits religious diversity, and other major religions are represented. Of the overall population, roughly 94.6% are Buddhist, 4.6% Muslim, and only 0.7% Christian. In other words, of the 65 million inhabitants, about 400,000 are Christian. Among the various hill tribe cultures, a variety of beliefs and practices can be found. For example, the Hmong are generally not followers of Buddhism, but rather animism, and they rely heavily upon the village shaman for spiritual guidance, incantations, and healing.
Buddhist monks are highly revered. Throughout the land, bill boards and TV public service announcements promote and recruit people for the lifestyle. In towns and villages, the temple (wat) is the heart of social and religious life. Except for religious holidays and festivals, the religion is not practiced collectively (i.e., regular weekly worship services by the people). Meditation, one of the most popular aspects of Buddhism, is practiced as a means of promoting inner peace and happiness.
The government permits religious diversity, and other major religions are represented. Of the overall population, roughly 94.6% are Buddhist, 4.6% Muslim, and only 0.7% Christian. In other words, of the 65 million inhabitants, about 400,000 are Christian. Among the various hill tribe cultures, a variety of beliefs and practices can be found. For example, the Hmong are generally not followers of Buddhism, but rather animism, and they rely heavily upon the village shaman for spiritual guidance, incantations, and healing.
Buddhist monks are highly revered. Throughout the land, bill boards and TV public service announcements promote and recruit people for the lifestyle. In towns and villages, the temple (wat) is the heart of social and religious life. Except for religious holidays and festivals, the religion is not practiced collectively (i.e., regular weekly worship services by the people). Meditation, one of the most popular aspects of Buddhism, is practiced as a means of promoting inner peace and happiness.
Superstition
Combined with Buddhism, spirit worship and animism (attributing spirits to objects) are also widely practiced. Buddhism provides no god and the only hope people can have is to strive to reach a state of perfect enlightenment. That is supposed to free them from the endless cycle of reincarnation where suffering and pain are part of existence. Buddhism in Thailand confronts mankind's natural knowledge of God's existence by combining elements of the Hindu religion. The Hindu religion has many gods. In Thailand, spirit worship and animism are also widely practiced. Nearly every home and business has a spirit house or home altar where offerings are presented to the spirits/gods to appease them, provide for their needs (food and drink), and to seek good luck.
Superstition is likewise a dominant feature of this religious lifestyle. Charms are often worn by the people or sold on the street corners to passing motorists. Vehicles passing a shrine will often honk the horn to get the attention of the gods and seek their protection.
Superstition is likewise a dominant feature of this religious lifestyle. Charms are often worn by the people or sold on the street corners to passing motorists. Vehicles passing a shrine will often honk the horn to get the attention of the gods and seek their protection.