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Origin
 Buddhism
began in India about 500 years before Christ's birth. People at
that time had become disillusioned with certain teachings in Hinduism,
such as the caste system and the belief of an endless cycle of
re-births. Many different sects of Hinduism arose, of which Buddhism
is the most successful. It denies the authority of the 'vedas',
the Hindu sacred scriptures. However, since Buddhism developed
out of Hinduism, we still find many Hindu elements in Buddhism.
The Buddha
The founder
of Buddhism is Siddharta Gautama. Archeological discoveries claim
his historical character, but very much like a fairy tale. There
even are 500 stories describing the 500 lives of Buddha before
attaining Nirvana. In short, the life of Buddha is portrayed like
this:
 Siddharta
Gautama was born about 560 B.C. in the Northwest of India. His
father was a king, and he grew up in wealth. One day, going outside
the palace he was confronted with suffering, sickness, old age,
death and poverty. This greatly distressed the prince and he started
to think of a way to help people in their suffering. When he saw
a religious man, devoted to meditation, he gave up his wealth,
his wife and son and put on a yellow robe. He went into the forest
to look for knowledge from among the religious leaders, through
asceticism and studying. However, he did not find any satisfactory
answers.
One day, meditating
under a fig tree he attained "enlightenment", having,
by himself, obtained the truth about life. From that moment on,
he was "The Buddha". He was then 35 years old. After
receiving enlightenment he met 5 ascetics. He held his first sermon
for them. They became his disciples and the monastic order "sangha"
was established. From that day on they went around sharing the
truth with others.
According
to tradition Buddha's birth, enlightenment and his death, all
took place on the full moon's day of the sixth month of the year.
These three great events are celebrated on "Visakhabucha
Day" in May. Buddha died when he was 80 years old and he
attained "Nirvana".
Buddhist
Missions
Buddhism spread
quickly over a large part of India and beyond. It reached its
height during the reign of King Asoke (273-232 B.C.), who became
the great patron of Buddhism. Missionaries were sent out to Sri
Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. In these countries
we have the Theravada School of Buddhism, whereas in the Northeastern
Asian countries people follow Mahayana Buddhism, a school of Buddhism
arising later.
Buddhism
in Thailand
By the time
it came to this area, the Thai central plains were still inhabited
and ruled by Mons/ Khmer (Ankhor kingdom), who practiced Brahmin
religion. The Thai came in late from the South of China in the
13th century and they conquered the Mons and Khmers, thus establishing
the Thai kingdom of Sukhotai in A.D. 1238. King Ramkhamhaeng invited
Buddhists monks from Sri Lanka to teach his people the Buddhist
religion, although Brahman beliefs and practices continued to
co-exist. Around 1350, the Sukhotai kingdom was replaced by the
Thai kingdom of Ayuttaya (1350 & 1767) which also practiced
Buddhism. The city was full of temples and pagodas, which were
destroyed by the Burmese in 1767.
After the
fall of Ayutthaya, Buddhism declined. It revived again during
the Bangkok period, especially during the reign of King Mongkut
(1851 & 1868), who had been a Buddhist monk for 27 years.
During his intensive studies, he discovered that many things in
Buddhist life and belief had changed, and he sought to bring Buddhist
teaching and conduct back in line with the original teaching of
Buddha.
His follower,
King Chulalongkorn, unified Thai Buddhism by legally allowing
for only one central order of monks, the Sangha. Buddhism, though
mixed with Brahman rituals and local, animistic practices, slowly
but surely developed into the national religion, with the kings
being the protectors and defenders of the faith. Thus developed
the strong ties between Nation, Religion and King, as represented
by the 3 colors of the Thai flag. Therein developed the idea that
to be Thai is to be Buddhist.
The Teachings
of Buddha (Dharma)
At his enlightenment,
Buddha came to understand the following truths which have become
the central teachings of Buddhism. The teachings of the Buddha
are called "Dharma" (Thai: Thamma).
The Four Noble Truths (Thai: aryasat sie)
- There is
suffering
- The cause
of suffering (the craving for personal satisfaction)
- Suffering
can cease (when craving is stilled)
- The means
to stop suffering (following the Eight Fold Path)
The Eight
Fold Path (Thai: Mak pet)
- Right Views
(wisdom) - accepting the 4 noble truths
- Right Intentions
(wisdom) - Free from ill will, lust, cruelty and untruthfulness
- Right Speech
- No lying, no slander, no abuse, no idle talk
- Right Behavior
- No killing, stealing, no sexual misconduct
- Right Occupation
- Earn your livelihood in an honest way
- Right Effort
- Avoid and overcome evil thoughts, arouse and maintain good
thoughts
- Right Contemplation
- Be observant, alert, free of desire or sorrow
- Right Concentration
- Focusing of the mind in meditation
The Buddhist Prohibitions/ Percepts (sin)
By keeping
the 1st 5 percepts, we prohibit sin. If we would be free from
sin, we must keep the prohibitions as a first step and do what
is right as a 2nd.
Percepts 1
& 5 need to be kept by laymen, however, in daily practice
people tend to view them more like things you try to do on special
days and occasions.
1. Don't kill
2. Don't steal
3. Don't lie
4. Don't commit adultery
5. Don't take strong drinks
The next five
or (or just 6 & 8) are being kept in addition by novices,
and sometimes are observed by laymen on special occasions.
6. Don't touch
money or gold/ silver
7. Don't use perfume
8. Don't sleep on a soft mattress
9. Don't dance or sing
10. Don't eat after 12.00 P.M.
The monks
however must memorize and observe 227 monastic rules!!!
The Law of Karma (Thai: kot heng kam)
The Law of
Karma, often translated as the law of cause and effect plays an
important part in Buddhist beliefs. Karma means that every act
has some ultimate religious reward or punishment attached to it
through re-births being worked out in many lifetimes.
Popularized
karma means, "Do good and you will get good results. Do bad
and you will get bad results." Karma implies that we are
the authors of our own destiny. My present behavior will determine
my future. No one can influence my destiny for good or worse.
No one can help me. I solely depend on myself.
Doing good
(by following the eight-fold path) means gaining "merit",
doing bad (through anger, self-satisfying desires and ignorance)
means gaining "demerit". Merit leads to peace and well
being, sin causes suffering.
In the endless
wheel of life a person is traveling from suffering to Nirvana
( a state of non-existence or extinction). In this process he
must pass through countless reincarnations, which is determined
by his karma from the merit/ demerit relationship of his own effort
in life. As the karma action of past existence has determined
his present state, so present action will determine his next existence.
Merit/ Demerit (Thai: bun/ baap)
The central
concern of religious activity is to gain as much merit and reduce
as much demerit as possible. One way of gaining extra merit is
by doing religious acts, like offering food to the monks, donating
money to the temple, keeping the precepts and be doing (non-religious)
acts of charity, like giving to the poor.
One way for
a man to gain merit is by becoming a monk. By this he does not
only make merit for himself, but (if unmarried) also for his mother
(and if married for his wife). This is an exception from the general
karma rule!
Heaven / Hell (Thai: sawan/ narok)
Following
death the spirit of the person will first go to hell with many
levels in order to pay for the demerit and be purged. After that
he will go to heaven and enjoy his accumulated merit. If a person
has a large balance of merit, he would go to heaven directly.
Once his merit is used up, re-birth into the next existence occurs.
The Monastic Order (Sangha) (Thai: phra song)
Every male
of 20 years and older can become a Buddhist priest/ monk. In order
to become a monk, one needs to undergo a ceremony, shave the head,
wear the saffron robe, forsake home and the world, live at the
temple and follow the 227 precepts. One can enter into the monk
hood for short or long periods of time. Monks perform religious
ceremonies and services for the lay believers.
The Buddha, His Teaching and The Order Form The "Three Gems"
When Buddhists
worship, they pay respect 3 times by 'waiing' or prostrating themselves
3 times, lighting 3 joss sticks and declaring that the Buddha,
the Teaching and the Order are their refuge.
The Sacred Scriptures
Theravada
Buddhism knows three groups of sacred writings called the Tripitaka,
"The Three Baskets". They are written in Pali, the sacred
Buddhist language. However, they have also been translated into
Thai. The total volume is about 11 times larger than the Bible.
Animistic and Brahman Beliefs and Practices
As mentioned
previously, Thai Buddhism is syncretistic. The substructure is
animistic with belief in spirits and the supernatural.
There are
different kinds of spirits, called "phi". Some main
categories are as follows:
1. Ghosts
of the dead. Most feared are those of people dying an unnatural
death. These are malevolent and haunt people. Thais believe that
the spirit is set free through cremation and prior to that time
are greatly afraid.
2. Property
spirits. (phra phum chow thii)
They are the guardian spirits of property and need to be respected.
People build the spirit house for them to dwell in. They believe
the spirit will protect and provide help.
3. Guardian
spirits. (chao poh)
These have influence over a certain territory. Usually spirits
of influential residents in the past, like the founder of a city,
or a monk who performed miracles. They are worshipped at shrines.
4. Nature
spirits
Spirits which live in trees, rivers, mountains, etc.
Supernatural Objects (Thai: sing saksit)
Powerful Sacred Objects
- Images of
the Buddha placed on a shelf in the house or shop for home worship.
- Small objects
kept on the body, like Buddha images or sacred amulets.
- Other objects
which people wear for protection, success, or for attraction of
the opposite sex, etc.
Sacred Cloths
- Holy string,
used to ward off spirits, used in wedding ceremonies to unite
the couple, and used in funeral ceremonies to lead the spirit
of the dead person to heaven, and in the blessing of a new house.
- Holy cloth
having magical writings and drawings. These have been blessed
by or chanted over by the priest. Used for protection in houses,
cars, buses, etc.
Tattoos
Sacred tattooing
done by priests is thought to transfer special power to a person
to make him strong, invincible, and invulnerable.
Sacred Incantations
Short phrases
chanted in Pali invoking supernatural power for healing.
Holy water
(Thai: naam mon)
Made holy
by a special practice and the chanting of the priest. It is used
for healing and exorcism and in wedding and funeral ceremonies,
as well as when moving into a new house.
Most of the
above-mentioned practices have their origin in Brahman religion.
Ceremonies concerning the life cycle also come from Brahmism,
since Buddhism did not have the appropriate ceremonies. Also several
festival rituals, like Songkhran and Loy Krathong, are Brahman
in origin, but have been adopted by Buddhism.
Thais frequently
visit astrologers (Thai:moh duu) to get guidance for important
decisions. The astrologer, or Buddhist monk also provides the
"auspicious date and time" for important occasions.
Also, Thais
will help from spirit doctors (moh phi) and shamans who attempt
to control the spirit world by magical rites, charms and spells.
In some cases they become oracles through spirit possession, or
function as sorcerers. Most commonly they exorcise sick villagers
or evil spirits. Some Buddhist monks fulfill these roles as well.
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