1. The Origin of Thai Amulets
The origin of Thai amulets is closely related to the compassionate original intention of Thai monks. Thousands of years ago, when Siam was plagued by constant wars, monks in northern Thailand collected natural materials such as sacred soil from temples and scripture powder to handcraft small talismans. After chanting sutras to bless them, these talismans were given to soldiers going to war to pray for their safe return. These talismans are the embryonic form of Thai amulets. In the early period of the Bangkok Dynasty, Siam suffered a severe drought. An eminent monk received a revelation from the Buddha in a dream, made portable amulets with temple soil and holy salt, wore them close to his body, and chanted sutras to pray for blessings all the way. Eventually, the drought in the disaster area was alleviated. After the eminent monk presented the amulets to the royal family, the royal family, grateful for the protection of Buddhism, ordered mass production and distribution to the people. Since then, Thai amulets have evolved from battlefield talismans into a carrier of diverse prayers such as peace, health, and smoothness among the people, and have always adhered to the core inheritance of being blessed by monks' scripture chanting and promoting goodness and accumulating merit.
2. Miracles of Thai Amulets
The protective power of Thai amulets has been manifested in many real cases: According to Thai news quoted by Xiaoxiang Morning News, in a shooting incident at a restaurant in Bangkok, the Thai amulet worn on the chest of a man named Pornchai successfully blocked a bullet, leaving him only slightly injured. Although the amulet was damaged, it saved his life, triggering widespread discussion among Thai people. Xinhua News Agency also reported that after the explosion at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok reopened, despite the damage to the Buddha statue, a large number of people still came to worship. A Thai woman directly stated that the Erawan Buddha is very effective and an important spiritual sustenance. People prayed by lighting candles and putting their hands together, confirming the sacred status of Buddhist sacred objects. In addition, according to Hong Kong media reports quoted by Minnan Net, the artist Cecilia Cheung spent a huge sum of money to bring back a 200-year-old ancient Suan Dok Jai amulet (a type of Thai amulet) from Thailand. It is said that this amulet has multiple effects such as attracting wealth, protecting peace, etc. After wearing it, she received numerous work invitations and her career developed smoothly, which further increased public attention to the effective power of Thai amulets.
3. Overview of Thailand
Thailand, officially known as the Kingdom of Thailand and formerly Siam, is located in the central part of the Indochinese Peninsula, with Bangkok as its capital. It has a population of approximately 67.9 million, with the Thai ethnic group as the main ethnic group and Thai as the national language. It implements a constitutional monarchy and formed a unified country in 1238. It is the only country in Southeast Asia that has never been colonized, known as the "Land of Smiles", where Buddhist culture is deeply integrated into daily life.
4. Core Thai Cultural Traditions
(1) Etiquette Culture
Thai etiquette is deeply influenced by Buddhism, with the core being the "wai gesture", which embodies respect and humility. People have great respect for the royal family and taboo touching others' heads or pointing at others or objects with their feet, which are regarded as impolite behaviors.
(2) Core Festivals
1. Songkran Festival (Water Splashing Festival): Thailand's New Year, where people splash water on each other and bathe the Buddha to pray for blessings; 2. Loy Krathong Festival (Water Lantern Festival): Making lotus-shaped water lanterns and putting them into rivers and lakes to dispel bad luck and pray for wishes; 3. National Day (King's Birthday): People wear yellow accessories to celebrate and bless the king.
(3) Religion-Related Traditions
It is a tradition for Thai men to become monks before adulthood, aiming to thank their parents for their upbringing and accumulate merit. When visiting temples, one must take off shoes and hats, and dress appropriately. Women cannot directly touch monks.
5. Core of Thailand's Religious System
(1) Core Beliefs of the People
More than 90% of Thailand's population believes in Theravada Buddhism, about 5% believes in Islam, and the rest believe in Christianity, Hinduism, etc. Freedom of belief is protected by law. Buddhism is deeply integrated into life, and temples are the center of social and religious life.
(2) Number of Buddhists in Thailand
Authoritative data show that there are approximately 64 million Buddhists in Thailand, accounting for more than 95% of the total population. The proportion of Buddhists ranks second in the world. The large Buddhist population constitutes the core foundation of religious culture.
(3) Beliefs of the Thai Royal Family
The Thai royal family has believed in Theravada Buddhism for generations. The king also serves as the "protector of Buddhism", forming a tradition of "the royal family protecting Buddhism and Buddhism blessing the country". Successive kings have promoted the development of Buddhism, and Buddhist rituals are still integrated into important activities of the contemporary royal family, demonstrating piety.
6. Rules of Thai Theravada Buddhism
(1) Core Doctrinal Basis
Theravada Buddhism takes the Pali Canon as its core classic. Its doctrines are the "Four Noble Truths" and "Karma", advocating to get rid of suffering and achieve nirvana through the "Noble Eightfold Path". The core is "self-liberation".
(2) Core Precepts for Monks
The core precepts of the Thai Theravada Buddhist sangha are the "Five Precepts". Monks need to abide by the more stringent "227 Precepts", covering daily life, practice and other aspects. The sangha has a strict hierarchy, with the Supreme Patriarch as the highest leader.
(3) Practice Rules for Lay Believers
Lay Buddhists need to observe the "Five Precepts", and some will take the "Eight Precepts" on important festivals or key occasions. Daily practice mainly includes worshipping the Buddha, meditation, doing good deeds and accumulating merit. Offering daily necessities to monks is regarded as accumulating merit.
7. Habits and Unique Traits of Thai Monks
Thai monks have distinct living habits: every early morning, they wear orange robes and carry silver alms bowls to go alms-giving along the street. People will wait devoutly and put food into the alms bowls, and monks will chant sutras to pray for blessings in return; in terms of diet, they follow the precept of "not eating after noon", only eating two meals from early morning to noon, and only drinking liquid drinks in the afternoon without lighting fires to cook by themselves; their daily life is extremely simple, with no money or other property except alms bowls. They spend most of their time chanting sutras and meditating in temples.
Their unique traits are reflected in two aspects: first, they have a very high social status, being moral models and cultural inheritors of the people. They receive special respect in public occasions, and even royal family members need to salute eminent monks devoutly. The words and deeds of monks carry the transmission of Buddhist doctrines and social ethics; second, their practice method is unique, retaining the ancient alms-giving system. Through alms-giving, they eliminate arrogance, cultivate compassion, and at the same time maintain a connection with society to perceive the sufferings of the people. This model of combining practice with social service is a distinctive feature of Theravada Buddhism; in addition, Thai monks are also an important carrier of cultural education. In the tradition of Thai men becoming monks before adulthood, monks will teach Buddhist knowledge and traditional culture, completing the spiritual purification and growth enlightenment of young people.
8. Origin of Thai Buddhism
Thailand's Buddhism has its core origin in the introduction and localization of Theravada Buddhism. In the early stage, Mahayana Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism coexisted; from the 12th to the 13th centuries, the core inheritance of Theravada Buddhism was established. Promoted by dynasties such as Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, and Bangkok, a complete system with both orthodoxy and local characteristics was formed. Thai Buddhism is homologous and homogeneous with Buddhism in China's Dai ethnic areas, both belonging to Theravada Buddhism. Its classics are recorded in Pali, and its practice methods are consistent with the core of its doctrines, making it an important part of the Southeast Asian Buddhist cultural circle.
