How much do you know about the Buddhist faith ?
I am a Buddhist , part of the core beliefs of this faith is inner peace , happiness , karmaBuddhism is the primary religion of Thailand . Most Thai are practicing Buddhists and learn the religion from a very young age .
The Basic beliefs of Buddhism are covered by 5 rules (ศีล 5)
1. Do not take the life of any other living thing (hâam kâa sàd : ห้ามฆ่าสัตว์)
2. Do not steal from anyone (hâam lág-sàb : ห้ามลักทรัพย์)
3. Do not betray or cheat on your partner ( husband /wife/ BF/gf)(hâam bprà-preúd-pìd nai gaam :ห้ามประพฤติผิดในกาม)
4. Do not lie to anyone (haâm goe-hòg: ห้ามโกหก)
5. Do not drink alcohol (hâam deùm kreûang-deùm körng meun-mao : ห้ามดื่มเครื่องดื่มของมึนเมา)
As foreigners ,you might question rule number 5. You are thinking does not make sense because drinking is part of socializing or having a good time . The thought behind that is that overindulgence of alcohol can cause you the temptation to break rules number 1-4 .
I learnt about my religion from a young age . Being born into a family who regularly visited the temple and celebrated the most important days of the Buddhist calendar . It was not until recently I decided to study more about Buddhism , beyond what I learned from my family or monks as I was growing up . Through this learning and practicing of meditation I found inner peace inside myself and it was such a complete and fulfilling feeling , not something that’s easy to put into words .What I have learnt is that in everything we do , every decision or activity we have focus and conscious realization of it . Whether it be walking , eating, showering , sleeping or working it’s all a conscious act . Just by using that conscious thought you are already practicing Buddhism .. The act of ” being “
Karma (กรรม gam) , both good and bad , is a very significant belief in Buddhism .When you do good – you feel good about it , when you do bad karma will catch up with you at some point . Basically every action you will have a reaction . Good or bad .
Our religion teaches us to be happy and understanding of others and live together in harmony .
It does not matter what your religious beliefs are , or even if you have no religion , we all live in this world and the most important thing is tolerance and understanding of each other .
This is where the beauty of language helps bridge those divides and brings people from different cultures , countries and religions together .