WHEN I was a little boy, a Buddhist monk noticed me and suggested that my name should be Panya, meaning “intellect,” or “wisdom,” in the Thai language. Being devout Buddhists, my parents were delighted to have my name changed accordingly.

Thailand, where I was born 60 years ago, is a country where over 90 percent of the people profess Buddhism. Buddhism was founded some 2,500 years ago in India and then spread to many parts of Asia. Buddhism holds out a hope for something better​—freedom from suffering—​that is supposedly attainable through individual effort.

According to Buddhism, one’s present station in life is believed to be the result of acts (Karma) committed in the present life and in previous lives. Desire is thought to be the cause of all suffering, so the goal is to eliminate all desire. To achieve this may require numerous existences, or reincarnations, until one has gone beyond the cycle of rebirths to a state called nirvana, which to many means nonexistence.

Gautama Buddha claimed to have found the truth through his “enlightenment,” and Buddhists believe that following his teachings is the path of wisdom.

Early Religious Influence

At the beginning of each school day, there was a flag-raising ceremony and singing of the national anthem. Afterward the class would say a prayer in Pali, the religious language of Buddhism. Our school curriculum included basic Buddhist ethics and morals; otherwise we did not receive much religious instruction.

In most Buddhist homes, there is a small altar with an image of Buddha that is used for daily prayer and meditation. Here candles are lighted and incense is burned. Families of Chinese descent usually have additional altars for the worship of ancestors or to appease different spirits and deities.

Believing that there is good in all religions, Buddhists readily adopt and incorporate ideas and practices that they feel are good and can help them in one way or another. As a result, many people in Thailand worship not only at the Buddhist temple but also at one or more of the numerous Chinese and Brahman shrines.

Although our family was not particularly religious, the influence of religion was constantly present in our lives. For example, monks with clean-shaven heads and dressed in saffron-yellow robes would make their daily alms visits soon after daybreak. They would walk barefoot along the road or paddle a boat along the klong, stopping to let the householders ladle out rice and put other food into their alms bowls.

From a very early age, I was taught respect for Buddhist monks as those who have adopted a life in imitation of the Buddha. They were to be regarded as having great wisdom, and we were encouraged to value highly their opinion and counsel.

[Picture on page 25]

Buddhists believe that support of monks brings merit