Buddhism in Thailand

After passing so many temples, this is the perfect moment to pause and talk about religion in Thailand. Spirituality is everywhere here. More than 90 percent of the population are Theravāda Buddhists, around 64 million people, making Thailand home to the second-largest Buddhist community in the world after China. But the picture is more diverse than that. The country is also home to Muslims, especially in the South, as well as Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and large Chinese-Thai communities who keep alive ancestor worship and Taoist traditions. And don’t forget the animist beliefs that remain very present today, those little spirit houses you’ve seen in front of shops and hotels are a good example. None of this contradicts; in Thailand, traditions coexist and blend together very naturally. To really understand what you’ve been seeing in the temples, though, we need to look at Theravāda Buddhism. At its heart are the Four Noble Truths: that life involves suffering, that suffering comes from desire, that freedom is possible, and that the path lies in the Noble Eightfold Way. Sounds a little abstract, doesn’t it? In everyday life, most Thai Buddhists follow something simpler: the Five Precepts. Don’t kill, don’t steal, don’t commit adultery, don’t lie, and don’t drink alcohol. Basic principles, easy to remember, that guide daily life. Another key word is “merit,” or bun in Thai. You might have already seen this in action: at dawn, when monks walk silently through the streets, people give them rice or food. That’s merit-making. You can also make merit by donating to a temple, keeping the precepts, or joining a religious festival. The idea is that these good deeds bring positive results, in this life and the next. Buddhism in Thailand is also very organized. Monks belong to the Sangha, the national monastic community governed by laws and a supreme council. And the Constitution states that the king is a Buddhist and protector of all religions. So Buddhism lies at the heart of public life, while the country remains open to religious diversity. Now you have a few more keys to make sense of what you’re seeing around you as you walk through Bangkok.