Most Westerners know Buddhism through meditation, but everyday Buddhist life looks quite different in Thai temples

A scholar of contemporary Thai Buddhism describes leading a program for Western practitioners in Thailand, contrasting the meditation-centered image of Buddhism common abroad with the ritual-heavy, communal daily practice found in Thai temples. Activities include merit-making donations, applying gold leaf to Buddha statues, and rituals tied to zodiac signs and birth-year animals.

The piece describes the delicate relationship between monks and laypeople, where monks provide spiritual guidance in exchange for alms, a bond strained during COVID-19 and by occasional scandals such as a 2022 case involving a monk's affair. Many Thai temples also host shrines to Hindu deities and local spirits, where worshippers pray for practical concerns like jobs, romance, or lottery winnings.

The author concludes that Buddhism in Thailand functions as a lived, collective, everyday practice rather than a purely individual, meditative pursuit.

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