Buddhist and other religions in Thailand
95% of Thai declare that they are Buddhist. 5% are pagans, mostly tribe people living in mountains in North and Northwest of Thailand.
Buddha lived in the 5th century before Christ.
“There is the Eightfold Path that is at the core of the Buddhist beliefs:
1. Right View. The right way to think about life is to see the world through the eyes of the Buddha--with wisdom and compassion.
2. Right Thought. We are what we think. Clear and kind thoughts build good, strong characters.
3. Right Speech. By speaking kind and helpful words, we are respected and trusted by everyone.
4. Right Conduct. No matter what we say, others know us from the way we behave. Before we criticize others, we should first see what we do ourselves.
5. Right Livelihood. This means choosing a job that does not hurt others. The Buddha said, "Do not earn your living by harming others. Do not seek happiness by making others unhappy."
6. Right Effort. A worthwhile life means doing our best at all times and having goodwill toward others. This also means not wasting effort on things that harm ourselves and others.
7. Right Mindfulness. This means being aware of our thoughts, words, and deeds.
8. Right Concentration. Focus on one thought or object at a time.
Finally, we have the five precepts, much like Judaism and Christianity's Ten Commandments.
The precepts are:
1. No killing Respect for life (comm 6 in the Bible)
2. No stealing Respect for others' property (8th and 10th in the Bible)
3. No sexual misconduct Respect for our pure nature (7th in the Bible)
4. No lying Respect for honesty ( 9th in the Bible)
5. No intoxicants Respect for a clear mind”
In the Bible, there are Ten commandments
In Buddhism, there are not included four first commandments from the Bible about God, because there is no God in Buddhism since Buddha is not a God.
Buddhists believe that there was not a Creator. The World has no beginning, no end.
About stealing and adultery in Buddhism are two percepts (2 and 3) but in the Bible are three commandments:
SEVEN: 'You shall not commit adultery.'
EIGHT: 'You shall not steal.'
TEN: 'You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.'
There is no Commandment about intoxication in the Bible.
Jesus Christ unified the first four commandments in one:
'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind
And he also unified the next six commandments in one: “ Love your neighbor as yourself”
Using Jesus Christ 's pattern we can unify Five Buddhist Percepts in one:
“Respect yourself and your neighbor”.
May be that this teaching about respect for yourself is helping these people to be so honest good and forgiving.
Buddha says that people living by his teaching will enter nirvana, a state with no suffering, but in the later writings nirvana was declared as a state of permanent happiness.
So there is not much philosophical difference between Christianity and Buddhism, I thought.
I told this idea to Hansa.
- That is so superficial, she responded. Buddhism is not only in percepts. Five precepts are common to all religions. Buddhism is the Eightfold Path showing to you how to achieve the state of nirvana, a state with no suffering.
Hansa advised me to go to monastery to learn about Buddhism.
A few of my colleagues were monks or nuns for two weeks or a month. Some of them went again and again for short periods of time. I also decided to try to understand Buddhism from the inside. So I will go to live like a nun for two weeks in a monastery in Southern Thailand. I will go on February 27th and will be back on March 12th.
A few days ago I was invited to the English Dept party. There are mostly Westerners from English speaking countries. One of them told me: "You know, you saved me. I told to my colleagues that I go to a Buddhist monastery in April. They said that I am Luny, Lunatic. Now when they found out that you also go, they do not say me Luny anymore."
Religion practice
There is a big difference in practicing religions.
In West, Protestant and Catholic communities meet for service, have Sunday schools for children and take care of old and ill. Nothing of that is in the Eastern, Orthodox, Church. In the Orthodox church people usually meet for prayer. Priest frequently does not know his people, since he is paid by the state, not by people. So the western church is more practical, while in the Eastern church is more mysticism.
Buddhist practice of religion is very different. There are no priests. There is no service. People do not meet at the Temple. A man who wants to be a Buddhist can become a monk for the time of his choice: for a few weeks, months or for the whole life. Monks live in a monastery, in the morning they go in a certain place in the city where people bring food for them. They eat once a day. Sometimes they do service in people's houses on different occasions. They try to apply the teaching of the eightfold path in their lives.
People going by a temple frequently enter it, go to the altar, get on their knees in front of Buddha, bow and pray.
Buddhist temples
Buddhist temples are everywhere. Only the altar with sitting Buddha has three walls. All other sides are usually open. Pillars keep the roof.
All temples are heavily ornamented. Everywhere is carved wood.
Chinese architectural influence is very strong. The dragons and other mystic animals are in all temples and nearby.
A very important Buddhist idea is Enlightment, Illumination. It is something as the Newton apple. The idea of Eightfold Path came to Buddha after his 49 day lenten. The word Buddha means Enlightened. Therefore, there is a sculptured torch on the Buddha head representing the Enlightment. But some times on the Buddha head is lotus, representing purity.
torch
torch
lotus bud
The influence of earlier religions is frequent.
There are big drums in many Buddhist temples. If you hit the drum your Saint will hear you and you can tell him your wishes. In some temples you can put a coin in order to hit the drum, but in the majority it is free. These pagan practices have nothing in common with the Buddha teaching.
95% of Thai declare that they are Buddhist. 5% are pagans, mostly tribe people living in mountains in North and Northwest of Thailand.
“There is the Eightfold Path that is at the core of the Buddhist beliefs:
1. Right View. The right way to think about life is to see the world through the eyes of the Buddha--with wisdom and compassion.
2. Right Thought. We are what we think. Clear and kind thoughts build good, strong characters.
3. Right Speech. By speaking kind and helpful words, we are respected and trusted by everyone.
4. Right Conduct. No matter what we say, others know us from the way we behave. Before we criticize others, we should first see what we do ourselves.
5. Right Livelihood. This means choosing a job that does not hurt others. The Buddha said, "Do not earn your living by harming others. Do not seek happiness by making others unhappy."
6. Right Effort. A worthwhile life means doing our best at all times and having goodwill toward others. This also means not wasting effort on things that harm ourselves and others.
7. Right Mindfulness. This means being aware of our thoughts, words, and deeds.
8. Right Concentration. Focus on one thought or object at a time.
Finally, we have the five precepts, much like Judaism and Christianity's Ten Commandments.
The precepts are:
1. No killing Respect for life (comm 6 in the Bible)
2. No stealing Respect for others' property (8th and 10th in the Bible)
3. No sexual misconduct Respect for our pure nature (7th in the Bible)
4. No lying Respect for honesty ( 9th in the Bible)
5. No intoxicants Respect for a clear mind”
In the Bible, there are Ten commandments
In Buddhism, there are not included four first commandments from the Bible about God, because there is no God in Buddhism since Buddha is not a God.
Buddhists believe that there was not a Creator. The World has no beginning, no end.
About stealing and adultery in Buddhism are two percepts (2 and 3) but in the Bible are three commandments:
SEVEN: 'You shall not commit adultery.'
EIGHT: 'You shall not steal.'
TEN: 'You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.'
There is no Commandment about intoxication in the Bible.
Jesus Christ unified the first four commandments in one:
'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind
And he also unified the next six commandments in one: “ Love your neighbor as yourself”
Using Jesus Christ 's pattern we can unify Five Buddhist Percepts in one:
“Respect yourself and your neighbor”.
May be that this teaching about respect for yourself is helping these people to be so honest good and forgiving.
Buddha says that people living by his teaching will enter nirvana, a state with no suffering, but in the later writings nirvana was declared as a state of permanent happiness.
So there is not much philosophical difference between Christianity and Buddhism, I thought.
I told this idea to Hansa.
- That is so superficial, she responded. Buddhism is not only in percepts. Five precepts are common to all religions. Buddhism is the Eightfold Path showing to you how to achieve the state of nirvana, a state with no suffering.
Hansa advised me to go to monastery to learn about Buddhism.
A few of my colleagues were monks or nuns for two weeks or a month. Some of them went again and again for short periods of time. I also decided to try to understand Buddhism from the inside. So I will go to live like a nun for two weeks in a monastery in Southern Thailand. I will go on February 27th and will be back on March 12th.
A few days ago I was invited to the English Dept party. There are mostly Westerners from English speaking countries. One of them told me: "You know, you saved me. I told to my colleagues that I go to a Buddhist monastery in April. They said that I am Luny, Lunatic. Now when they found out that you also go, they do not say me Luny anymore."
Religion practice
There is a big difference in practicing religions.
In West, Protestant and Catholic communities meet for service, have Sunday schools for children and take care of old and ill. Nothing of that is in the Eastern, Orthodox, Church. In the Orthodox church people usually meet for prayer. Priest frequently does not know his people, since he is paid by the state, not by people. So the western church is more practical, while in the Eastern church is more mysticism.
Buddhist practice of religion is very different. There are no priests. There is no service. People do not meet at the Temple. A man who wants to be a Buddhist can become a monk for the time of his choice: for a few weeks, months or for the whole life. Monks live in a monastery, in the morning they go in a certain place in the city where people bring food for them. They eat once a day. Sometimes they do service in people's houses on different occasions. They try to apply the teaching of the eightfold path in their lives.
People going by a temple frequently enter it, go to the altar, get on their knees in front of Buddha, bow and pray.
Buddhist temples
This is our University Buddhist temple. It is simple and beautiful
Here you can see that the sides of the temple are open.
600 years old temple. In front are remains of the old fortress walls
Frequently there is a monastery in the temple yard.
Some times there is a Stupa near the temple. It is a building where the priest's remains are deposited. Stupa has no doors.
Very old stupa
All temples are heavily ornamented. Everywhere is carved wood.
Chinese architectural influence is very strong. The dragons and other mystic animals are in all temples and nearby.
A very important Buddhist idea is Enlightment, Illumination. It is something as the Newton apple. The idea of Eightfold Path came to Buddha after his 49 day lenten. The word Buddha means Enlightened. Therefore, there is a sculptured torch on the Buddha head representing the Enlightment. But some times on the Buddha head is lotus, representing purity.
torch
torch
lotus bud
Lotus bud on the head and flames around
The influence of earlier religions is frequent.
I visited a temple near Chang Mai. It has two altars. One with Buddha and another one with a Thai king who lived appr 1000 years ago and succeeded to unify Northern provinces. He was a great warrior. He liked rooster battles and battles on the elephants. There are many roosters and elephants sculptures around the temple. People pray to Buddha and after that go to pray to the king. There was possible to buy some kind of indulgences, just pieces of paper. I was told if I buy them my wishes become true.
Buddha's altar
Emperor's altar
Emperor's portrait on the wall of temple
Roosters
The elephants are also revered. Their sculptures are in many temples or around the temples.
Pagans in Thailand
Pagans believe in spirits: spirits of water, forest, trees, houses and so on.
There are two trees on my way to the office where people put food and drinks on the table every day.
One morning I saw two students putting food and drinks on the table. I asked them what is the name of their religion. Girls told me that they bring food to spirits who live in the trees. The third student who was going by stopped and told to me: "You should not ask people about their religion. Religion is a very private matter."
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