 The king is required by the constitution to be a practicing Buddhist, and Buddhism is the official religion of the state  it is the force that ties together the country, 95% of the population claims to be practicing Buddhists  the landscape is dotted with temples – wats  more than 40% of men serve as Buddhist monks for at least a couple of months  the presence of so many monks has led some to call the country “the land of yellow robes”

 1.Karma and Samsara (actions and consequence cycle) karma: evil acts have evil consequences (bap); good acts garner good consequences (bun). not always in this life though… your status in society is determined by actions in your previous life (lives) samsara: concept of reincarnation all life connected (animal, plant, human…) your karma is reincarnated, not your soul!!!

Four Noble Truths:  1suffering exists  2suffering is caused by craving or desire  3stopping desire is the only way to stop suffering  4The Noble Eightfold Path must be followed to break the cycle of life and death (and stop suffering…)

 1the right view (know the doctrine)  2the right intentions (thought)  3the right speech (speak truths)  4the right action (behave morally)  5the right livelihood (follow the 4 Noble Truths)  6the right effort (try to improve yourself)  7the right mindfulness (develop mental concentration skills)  8the right meditation (necessary to follow these to be a arhat (saint) ready for nirvana)

 followers should support the brotherhood of monks  Can do this through many ways: food, clothes, shelter

 A View of Thai Religion A View of Thai Religion  The Buddha Buddha  Enlightenment Enlightenment

 Ayutthaya  was the capital city of the Thai kingdom of Ayutthaya and one of the world's largest and most sophisticated cities until it was sacked by the Burmese in  It's easily reached in a day trip from Bangkok.

 Tiger Temple Tiger Temple

 Smile and be polite and you have won the hearts of the Thai people  If you spend some time in this country you will notice this genuine every day smile of the locals. It helps if you greet elderly and monks with the famous Thai Wai (Thai way of greeting: fold your open hands together and hold them shortly in front of your face so that the finger tops touch your nose).

 Photography: Be careful where and what you shoot. If you are close to a ceremony ask one of the organizers first before making your photos.  Don't go with your camera too close to a person except if the person has prior given permission.

 If a woman has to give anything to a monk or novice, she first hands it to a man, who then presents it.  In the case of a woman who insists, the monk or novice will spread out a piece of his robe or handkerchief in front of him, and the woman will lay down the material on the robe which is being held at one end by the monk or novice.  Also women/men should cover shoulders and wear long skirts/pants before entering a temple.

 Many locations especially temples and caves have several meditation chambers for the Buddhist monks. Please respect their meditation sessions. Also if you have young kids try to tame them down for a while (no food/drinks inside a temple!)  It’s all right to wear shoes while walking around the compound of a Buddhist temple, but not inside the chapel where the principal Buddha image is kept. Don’t worry about dirt when you have to take them off; the floors of such places are usually very clean.  All Buddha images, large or small, ruined or not, are regarded as sacred objects. Hence, don’t climb up on one to take a photograph or, generally speaking, do anything that might show a lack of respect.

 Khwan: This is the body spirit or life soul this is NOT reincarnated  Spirits are everywhere: phi: spirits that have power over humans; May be reincarnated people Live in rocks, trees, other people  Spirit Lords: Ghosts of notable people; Reside in shrines and along roads; Can be summoned by mediums  phi pop: Evil Spirit Lords (bad ghosts); Witches can send them to eat your internal organs!!  Chao thi: Good guardian spirits which protect the home Thai homes have large central areas to house the chao thi spirits