While roughly 95% of the Thai people are practitioners of
Theravada Buddhism, the official religion of Thailand, religious
tolerance is both customary in Thailand and protected by the
constitution. By its very nature however, Buddhism, which is
based on the teachings of the Buddha, “the enlightened one” (nee
Siddhartha Gautama), is a compassionate and tolerant religion,
the aim of which is the alleviation of suffering. Consequently,
Thai people are very respectful of the religious beliefs of
others and are very open toward discussing their Buddhist values
with visitors. In fact, there are many opportunities in Thailand
to visit Buddhist temples to learn about or study Buddhism and
perhaps to learn to meditate. Religion in Thailand pervades many
aspects of Thai life and senior monks are highly revered; it is
not uncommon to see their images adorning walls of businesses or
homes or upon ornaments inside of taxi cabs. In many towns and
villages the neighborhood wat (temple) is the heart of social
and religious l