Religion and Beliefs in Bangkok

Abstract

The objective of this research project were as follows: To study Buddhism, conditions and beliefs by way of collecting the project data in the Bangkok Metropolitan area. To understand Buddhist monks, as one of the Thai social institutions, how much their functions and roles contributed to the society. To acquire knowledge concerned about Buddhism’s faith in behavior and in magical activities. To analyse the relationships between faiths in Buddhism and in other respects in the present time and in the future which the research tried to survey whether or not the two different faiths will be alternated in the future. The findings of this study showed: Buddhist people are divided into different kinds of worship: the first one is Orthodox Theravada or doctrinal Buddhism and the second one is attached to Popular Buddhism, Most people, Whom the research interviewed, critizied that Buddhism nowdays and in the future are declining a lot. Through the magical beliefs, the finding showed that most sampling population data did not belief in magical activities, while the same activities which the believed people organized are usually attached to shamanism and the beliefs in talisman.