Religious Culture in ASEAN A Case Study of Thailand and Cambodia

Abstract

Documentary research was used: 1) to investigate religious culture in ASEAN, 2) to review religious culture in Thailand, 3) to explore religious culture in Cambodia, and 4) to analyze religious culture in Thailand and Cambodia.

The results showed that ASEAN countries demonstrated vast cultural diversity in many areas including language, beliefs, arts, and traditions that largely depended on the religion in each respective country. The important religions were Brhmanism-Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. Before these religions came to the ASEAN region, people worshiped and believed in nature and spirits. The first religion to arrive in this region was Brahmanism-Hinduism, which continues to have influence over the area. Buddhism arrived later and spread to Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Singapore. Islam arrived in the ASEAN region in approximately the 9th century A.D. (B.E.1400) and was concentrated mainly in the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian islands. Christianity, on the other hand, came with Western colonialism and is today firmly established in the Philippines. Moreover, Chinese-ASEAN people follow a mixture of Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism.

In both Thailand and Cambodia, there have been similar beliefs in Brhmanism-Hinduism and Buddhism since the times of their earliest kingdoms no less than two thousand years ago. Both religions are the foundation of the religious cultures of both countries, which have led to similar and composite cultures that might be called Buddhism compounded with Brahmanism. Of course, there are differences between the cultures of the two countries. For example, Thai is a tonal language, whereas Cambodian is not. Also, Brahmanism-Hinduism has influenced Cambodia more than Thailand as seen for instance in its ancient architecture and statuary while Buddhism has influenced Thailand more than Cambodia as seen in the form of pagodas, Buddha images, and the Pali language. Nevertheless, both countries have related religious cultures and have influenced each other over a lengthy period of time.