Thailand is a kingdom located in Southeast Asia. Thais live here, as well as a small percentage of representatives of other nationalities. The population is approximately 70 million people. Here, a lot of people adhere to one or another faith. Consider below all the religions of Thailand with a history of their appearance.
Buddhism
Approximately 94% of the total population holds this belief. And it is Buddhism that is the state. religion of Thailand. Also interesting is the fact that the ruler of the country must be a Buddhist.
Regilia appeared here a very long time ago - already in the 7th century BC. e. Ceylon monks preached. So Buddhism began to spread among Thais. And in the XIII century officially became the main religion of Thailand. The country still retains its basic faith, only slightly affected by other beliefs.
Thai Buddhism: types, features, what is its essence?
In general, in Asia, there are two types of Buddhism: Hinayan ("southern") and Mahayana ("northern"). The second type is adhered to by countries in the north of Asia, such as China, China, Japan, Tibet. But the Hinayan branching is in Sri Lanka, in Cambodia, Laos, Burma and, of course, in Thailand. The “southern” branch of Buddhism appeared much earlier than the “northern” one and comes almost unchanged from the Buddha himself, and her followers adhere to traditional rites and customs.
The main difference between the Mahayana and Hinayana branches is their attitude to the Buddha. Under “southern” Buddhism, including Thai, they treat him as an ordinary person who was able to achieve nirvana, and under the “northern” branch he is called a deity. In other words, we can assume that Buddhist Thais see the world as a whole, where there is no god as such, as the Mahayans or Christians, Muslims and others usually represent him.
At the heart of faith lies virtue, and the main task of any Buddhist is to achieve nirvana. They also believe in the rebirth of souls, as well as in the fact that past life and actions (good or bad) determine what this life will be in the next incarnation. In Buddhism, there are many rites traditionally performed in Buddhist temples. There are also Thai monks living in these places, either for a certain time, or all their lives.
But, in addition to the above, religion suggests that you need to live, even if it is virtuous, but without martyrdom, which is very characteristic of Christianity, for example. Buddhists have a simpler view of life. But at the same time, they believe that all bad deeds come from our human base desires, which should be overcome in ourselves if you want to achieve nirvana or live in the next life better than now. Therefore, many Buddhists can notice a craving for asceticism.
Islam
The second most popular religion of the country is Thailand. Muslims are about 4%, and their main concentration is in the southern part of the country. This is explained by the proximity of Thailand in the south with Malaysia, where Islam reigns.
This religion began to spread in the second half of the 20th century, when the country began to develop economic and trade relations with Arab countries, including neighboring Malaysia. Mostly Muslims in Thailand are representatives of other nationalities and Malays.
Christianity
There are very few Christians in Thailand - from 1 to 2% maximum. But Christianity appeared much earlier than Islam. Religion was spread by European missionaries from the 16th – 17th centuries. As in the case of Muslims, Christianity is supported mainly by other nationalities and Europeans living in the country.
Christians in Thailand fall into several categories: Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox. Mostly more Catholic.
The first mention of the appearance of a Catholic (namely, a representative of a monastic order) dates from 1550. He arrived from Goa to Siam. Then another missionary wanted to go to the city, but sudden death prevented his plans. Some time later, Catholicism began to spread the people who arrived from Portugal. In 1567, two Dominicans managed to convert as many as 1,500 Thais. But the local pagans opposed this and killed the Dominicans. For a long period, Catholics from other countries were denied entry.
However, closer to the XVII century, this confrontation began to subside. The first church was built in 1674. In 1826, missionaries were allowed to enter the country, and since then, since the beginning of the first half of the 19th century, the construction of many Catholic churches, churches, chapels began in Thailand.
But with Orthodoxy a different story happened. It began to spread only in the 20th century, and at the moment it is professed by about a thousand people.
Thais first met Russians in Siam in 1863. At the end of the 19th century, representatives of two nationalities from Russia and Thailand were interested in each other as representatives of completely different cultures, including in the religious sense. However, even though the Russian people began to come to Thailand, there were practically no priests among them. That is why Orthodoxy appeared so late, because in the 20th century the first Orthodox church was just built and the clergy arrived.
Animism
Some people in Thailand believe in spirits; they also have a special relationship with them than in other countries. This is called animism. The essence of faith is that these creatures live everywhere, and they must be read and fed. The so-called khanphrabhumas (sanprapums) are made for them - these are houses in which every day they put food, drinks and incense. It is believed that perfumes are nourished by aromas, which is why people should not smell incense in these houses.
With these small buildings there are also a lot of rules that must not be violated so as not to anger these invisible creatures. It is impossible for a shadow to fall on a house, for example. And almost every Thai family before installation usually asks the astrologer for advice on a good location.
These spirits surround Thais everywhere, there are evil and good. The souls of deceased people are considered evil, which were so “bad” that, instead of being reborn, they became something ephemeral.
Other beliefs
There are also adherents of other beliefs, which are held mainly by national minorities. There are less than 1% of such people. These religions include:
- Taoism
- Confucianism
- Judaism;
- Hinduism;
- Sikhism.
Relation to religion
As already mentioned above, a large percentage of people in Thailand adhere to one or another belief, about 0.4% are priests. Only 0.3% of the total population consider themselves atheists.
Parents to children from an early age instill a special attitude towards Buddhism. Almost all the boys are sent to the monastery for at least two days to stay as monks.
Also, religion in this country greatly affects the state itself. For example, Thais will never allow such a sacred religious (namely Buddhist) holiday to fall on the same date as the state one.
Thais also very often visit Buddhist temples, during which they must observe many rules. But it’s not scary if a foreigner, because of his ignorance, violated something somewhere. Locals are usually treated with understanding. And any religion has such rules of conduct in a sacred place. In Buddhist temples, for example, you cannot talk loudly, touch the altars and statues with your hands, and much more.
Famous temples
These buildings are one of the most interesting places in the country, and this is the most striking expression of Buddhism - the main religion of Thailand. Photos will not be able to describe the beauty of these structures. Any tourist who has visited the country at least once should look at least at one. There are a lot of temples here, and they are all beautiful, but consider the most ambitious of them.
- The White Temple, although it is a religious place, was created by its surrealist sculptor, which can be seen in the appearance of this place. It looks unusual and stands out among its "brothers."
- The Temple of the Tiger Cave (Wat Tham Suea) in Krabi is very large and elevated. At the very top there is a statue of Buddha, which leads to about one and a half thousand steps.
- The Temple of the Emerald Buddha is the property of the royal family and is considered one of the most popular for tourists in Bangkok.
- But the Temple of Truth in Pattaya is completely wooden. Wood masters worked on its construction, which can be easily noticed: the tree has very beautiful carvings and patterns. It reaches a height of more than 100 meters and has three floors, each of which symbolizes paradise, hell and nirvana.
Instead of a conclusion
So still, what religion is in Thailand? The state and most popular faith is Buddhism, which adheres to almost the entire population. Most Thais are very religious, but primarily believe that it is important to remain a virtuous person. Other faiths exist here, but there are many fewer. It is their attitude towards religion that Thais differ from many other peoples.