Wat Thai

There is no such thing as a good Buddhist or a bad Buddhist, viewed in the same context as someone being considered a good or bad Christian. Buddhism, is more of a personal philosophy than a group religion. An individual following the ‘middle path’, the long road to enlightenment encounters and overcomes the obstacles at his own pace. How good a Buddhist he is, or how far along the path he has traveled, is unimportant to anyone other than himself.

The main difference between Buddhism and Islam or Christianity is that Buddhists place little emphasis on the worshipping of God the 'creator' and more on the spiritual development of the individual.

Where Christian religions preach that one must have ‘blind faith’ in the aspects of the doctrine that you may have trouble accepting, Buddhism teaches that you should ‘question everything’ until you find an answer that satisfies you. Buddhism not only teaches tolerance, it practices it. It does not claim that other religions are false, it encourages you to make your own judgments. There is no hard sell, and no requirement for monks to ‘save’ a certain number of souls.

Seeking inner peace is becoming a powerful global phenomenon in the face of seemingly uncontrollable external conflicts and social mayhem. The pursuit of material wealth and bodies-beautiful is widely perceived as a short-sighted and short-term objective that does little to lift the human spirit. The breakdown of family values and the ruthless competition of political and economic systems only accelerate this search. Indeed, monks and meditation instructors note that meditation is non-denominational; by seeking to enhance concentration and mind-power, the technique can be used by anyone to enhance the practice of their own religion, whatever that may be. This philosophy is indeed the bedrock of the Buddhist religion, which was founded by a prince who abandoned his legacy of riches in order to identify with those who were truly suffering, and to pursue Truth and Enlightenment. His simple formula for the alleviation of suffering, known as the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, imparts the message that every human being has it within him/herself to attain peace, starting first with the individual and then expanding, like ripples on a placid lake, to families, communities, even companies and countries.

The decision of a young man to become a monk, and thus to make merit for his family, is an extremely important act. The making of merit should not be looked upon lightly in this context because Thais believe that merit (boon and kwam-dee), plus demerit (bap), is always rising and falling and that one's future, in this life and in the next, can change at any moment. Together, merit and goodness determine a person's level of existence at any moment in time. This is what is generally known as a person's karma. Thais see both their suffering and enjoyment at any time as a result of their own karma, and making merit increases their level of existence in Thai society and hence their enjoyment. By entering the monkhood, a young man can make merit for himself and for his family.