Thai Buddhism

Buddhism is a fairly broad and complicated subject to summarize in a web page, but let's see if I can get you started. Buddhism evolved in the sixth to fifth century BC (see the history of Buddhism) based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, a prince who became addressed as "Buddha" – enlightened one – after leaving the palace in search of meaning. Siddhartha's epiphany was that life's suffering — including the endless cycle of rebirth that was part of the beliefs of the people at the time — was caused by our very own attachment, or craving, for life, things, etc. By realizing this, and training our minds see the truth, we can release ourselves from all this suffering and become enlightened ourselves.

A Buddha Image from Sukhothai, one of the earliest Thai kingdoms.

While Buddhism as practiced in Thailand, and much of Asia, has all the trappings of a religion, it can just as accurately be seen as a philosophy — one that can supplant traditional religion. Indeed, much of what you may observe in Thailand's Buddhist temples may have very little to do with Buddhism, and actually reflects the pre-Buddhist animist beliefs of the inhabitants of Southeast Asia.

Buddhist Iconography

Speaking of what you'll observe in Buddhist temples, we may as well talk about Buddhist iconography; in other words, all the Buddha images. With all the images that people pray to, it's no wonder that Buddhism was labeled as idolatry by westerners. While this perception is perfectly understandable, I don't think it's entirely accurate. Buddha images are not meant to represent the Buddha himself, but rather to convey one or more of the lessons of the Buddhist canon. There are some 43 recognized poses for Buddha images, each with its own story.

Buddhist imagery evolved over time. In the beginning there were no statues or other images of the Buddha. Nobody really knows what he looked like. There were a few symbols, such as the wheel and the lotus flower. You may be surprised to learn that we have the Greeks to thank for the introduction of statues illustrating the life and lessons of Buddha. When Alexander the Great conquered Bactria in Northern India in the third century BC, he left behind soldiers who founded several states modeled on the states of Greece. These states infused Greek visual representation into the oral traditions of the nascent Buddhist beliefs to create the first Buddha images. These first images were quite realistic, but over time Buddha images have become more and more symbolic.

Temples and the Monastic Tradition

There are something like 40,000 Buddhist temples in Thailand. Just about every village or big city neighborhood will have one. Temples often serve as community centers, and many have schools associated with them as well. The construction of temples is funded by the community, and businessmen will often donate large sums to temples when they encounter success, to "make merit".

Most Thai men will spend some time as a monk at least once in their life, usually before marriage. The time spent may be as little as three days, but will usually be more like two weeks. Younger boys may spend an entire rains retreat of three months as novices.

In this section

Buddha Images

Standing Buddha Golden Buddha Reclining Buddha Buddha images are perhaps the most obvious symbol of Buddhism's extensive iconography. But one of the questions raised by many people unfamiliar with the religion is about the many shapes and forms of Buddhas, particularly among those westerners who have only ever encountered the 'fat happy' Buddhas displayed in Chinese restaurants. How can the representations of one many vary so widely? What did the Buddha really look like?

Temple Talk

The many chedis of Wat Po. Thai temples seem to some in an infinite number of shapes and sizes, so it may be surprising to learn that they all have the same set of elements. Every temple must have a bot, surrounded by eight Sema boundary stones, and will often have one or more wiharn housing an important Buddha image. Note that in rural Thailand, as well as Bangkok itself, temples often house schools, serve as meeting places for the community and even places where the departed are cremated.

Buddha Image Postures and Hand Gestures

The seated Golden Buddha of Wat Traimit Images of the Buddha can be found in four basic postures: Seated By far, most images in Thailand depict the Buddha in the seated position. Seated images can further be divided into three poses: With the legs folded over each other. With the legs folded over each other and the soles of the feet facing up - the "lotus postion". Perhaps the most common pose.

Temple Etiquette

Thais are generally very forgiving by nature, and will rarely show it if you do anything to offend them. However, it's best to avoid giving offense in the first place by observing some very simple rules regarding the proper behavior for temples and other religious places. Here's a brief summary of how to behave: Dress Properly Bare shoulders and short pants should be avoided. This rule is somewhat flexible depending on the "rank" of the temple and whether you're a man or a women.

The Story of 'Subduing Mara'

The most common pose for Buddha images in Thailand is the seated image displaying the Bhumisparsha Mudra gesture, more commonly known as the "subduing Mara" pose. A Buddha Image from Sukhothai, one of the earliest Thai kingdoms. Mara is a demon who attempted to lure the meditating Buddha away from the path of enlightenment. The story goes that the Buddha was meditating on his way to attaining enlightenment when Mara came to try and force or tempt him from the spiritual path — this was, in effect, Mara's "job".

metadesc = "Overview of the history of Buddhism for visitors to Thailand."; $page->metakeys = "Buddhism, culture, Thailand, history, timeline"; $page->page_head("History of Buddhism"); $page->menu(); ?> Although the exact date of the birth Siddhartha Gautama - the Buddha-to-be - is the subject of some disagreement, it is put somewhere between 624 and 563 BC. Dates in Thailand, which numbers the years since the Buddha's death, are based on the earlier birth date of 624, so I've used that for any dates given here.