Thailand reports that about 96% of its population is Buddhist. But what does that mean? How did Buddhism come to Thailand and how have I experienced that history? What shape does Buddhism take in current daily life situations? How many days off a year do I get because of Buddhist holidays? Well, like Julie Andrews sang in “The Sound of Music,” let’s start at the very beginning, it’s a very good place to start.
Buddhism’s Beginnings
Buddhism began in the 6th century B.C.E when Siddhartha Gautama was born, discovered the Middle Way and attained enlightenment. He established the Three Gems: the Buddha, the Dharma (teachings) and the Sangha (the monks). While the original monks worked diligently to try and preserve the integrity of his teachings accurately, no ungarnished recording have survived the test of time. This, and the Buddha’s birth in a place and family that was predominantly Hindu, have caused a number of other religious beliefs and philosophies to influence Buddhism throughout time.
Before Buddhism in Thailand
Before Buddhism arrived in Thailand, the spiritual realm of the people who lived in the region was rooted in animistic folk beliefs. These beliefs centered around spirits and ghosts, which is still a common belief in Thailand. This includes ancestral spirits as well as spirits of the land and elements. There were shamans and maw phi or witch doctors that would act as conduits to the spirit world and perform protective rituals to appease the spirits.
Additionally, before the arrival of Buddhism, the people and kingdoms in the area were highly influenced by the Khmer practice of Hinduism. The temples in Phimai and Phanom Rung pre-date Angkor Wat in Cambodia as well as the majority of the Buddhist temples throughout the rest of the country.
Spread of Buddhism
Through the 5th to 13th centuries, Buddhism began to have an increasing influence throughout Southeast Asia, though it was the Mahayana sect that flourished the most. As these traditions began to decline, missionary monks of the Theraveda sect from Sri Lanka adapted Burmese Buddhism to Theraveda, which then spread throughout Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. In the 13th century, the kingdom of Sukhothai made Buddhism the official state religion.
The Sukhothai kingdom was later absorbed by the Ayutthaya kingdom, which continued to support and spread Buddhism through its conquering of hill tribe peoples to become slaves. However, much of this history was destroyed when the Burmese took over the old city. It is generally believed that the king and the sangha worked in tandem as the protector and propagators of the religion, respectively.
The size and influence of the sangha fluctuated with the size and protection of the king in power, until the Chakri Dynasty, which brings us to more modern times.