Most Westerners know Buddhism through meditation, but everyday Buddhist life looks quite different in Thai temples

(The Conversation) — I recently returned from leading an educational program in Thailand focusing on how Buddhists practice the religion in their day-to-day lives. The participants – Buddhist practitioners from North America and Europe – wanted to deepen their understanding and practice of the religion.

Many Western Buddhists’ practices centers on meditation. As a scholar of contemporary Thai Buddhism , I have taught many students and adults in the U.S. who have a similar understanding.

Although meditation can be very important to many practitioners, as I show in my 2023 book, “ Living Theravada ,” Buddhism is more than an intellectual tradition focused on the mind. In countries with a majority Buddhist population, such as Thailand, Buddhist practice involves rituals, offerings to monks and visits to temples, among others traditions.

Here are three ways in which Buddhism shapes daily life in Thailand.

1. Merit-making A central part of daily practice is performing rituals associated with merit-making. To make merit means to do something morally good that will generate good karma – actions that are believed to impact this life and future ones. The simplest way to do this…