Phenomenon of the beliefs of Thai people in the present era

Abstract

This article aims to study “Phenomenon of the beliefs of Thai people in the present era.”  Belief phenomenon related to the religion in Thai culture has been rooted in believing in spirits, dead ancestors, in sacred things, gods, and also believing in distinctive superstitious rituals. These blending beliefs with a lack of knowledge and understanding of the right belief has moved the belief in religion away from the authentic Theravada Buddhist confidence, resulting the credibility of everything that can be relied on and exploited. Sometimes they become victims of wrong faith due to its lack of right wisdom association.  According to early Buddhism, belief or confidence can be classified into 3 levels respectively: (1) the initial level of belief entering by using the Yonisomanasikara principle as seen in early Buddhism; (2) the level of reasoning by using logical principles indicating facts appearing in the teaching of Four Noble Truths and (3) the level of intelligence by using the Three Trainings principle to develop the mind with correct knowledge seen in 4 beliefs. By this fact, Thai people’ beliefs are classified into 4 groups: beliefs in disease treatment, belief in happiness, belief in love and belief in Kamma or actions. It can be analyzed according to the principles of Buddhism as follows: the disease treatment uses the 4 Noble Truths, and the happiness belief performs the teaching of householders’ happiness and homeless one’s solitude. In term of love, one should follow the teaching of four Samajivitadhamma, four Gharavāsadhamma, four Brahmaviharadhamma, those who believe in Kamma should exercise the teaching four beliefs seen in current of beliefs of Thai people in the present.