Brahmanism (Malikhao 2007 : 63). Srichampa affirms that Thais have different
beliefs (2014: 50–51): Buddhist beliefs, superstitious beliefs, sacred thing beliefs,
deity beliefs, and astrological beliefs. For Buddhist beliefs, Srichampa ( 2014 : 50)
explains that these are about the triple gems (Buddha-Dhamma-Sangha), karma law
(do good get good, do bad get bad), reincarnation, law of nature which consists of
the Law of Kamma (action), the Law of Season (utu), the Law of Seed (Bija), the
Law of Consciousness (Citta), the Law of Dhamma (States), and heaven and hell.
For superstitious beliefs, Srichampa ( 2014 : 51) explains that there are two types:
magic beliefs—the beliefs of old scripts—and amulet beliefs. These can be called
the popular Thai Buddhist beliefs. Even the current Prime Minister, Gen. Prayudh
Chan-Ocha, revealed to the reporters on September 17, 2014, that he carries an
elephant hair bangle, Buddha ring made out of 9 gemstones (for good luck and
prosperity), and a ring he received from the Queen (as the Queen’s musketeer).
Mediums, amulets, magic monks, spirit-of-ancient-royal cults,
ghosts-of-superstar cults mentioned earlier are symbolic representations of these
beliefs. Stenges ( 2009 : 4) studied King Chulalongkorn cult where people worship
the spirit of the King and ask for his advice through mediums and concluded that
mediation between modernity and Thainess is the central theme in the King
Chulaongkorn cult. Stenges ( 2009 : 24) explains that“the King Chulalongkorn cult
is but one among many“junctions”that make up Thai public culture today. Since
the 1960s and particular in the 1980s, the Thai religious realm has beenflooded by
a wave of cults around (historical kings, queens, monks, local heroes and heroines,
gods and goddesses)”.
The core value of Thais revolves around the core ideology of
nation-king-religion adopted from England in the reign of King Rama VI or King
Vajiravudh (Cohen 1991 : 15).
Worldview is also a part of the construction of culture. It is directly influenced
by long-established traditional beliefs and religion. Berger and Luckmann discuss
in“The Social Construction of Reality”(1966) the interaction between thinking and
action. Socialization within a tradition and culture shapes an individual’s thinking,
and at the same time, this internalized form is reflected in the manifestation of
culture (Holm 1997 : 75). This model stresses the importance of religion, as it
provides a symbolic universe that explains birth, life, and death, as well as pro-
viding the individual with an identity. Religion explains the world through myths
and legends and also through rational discourses. Therefore, Robertson ( 1972 : 47)
definesreligious cultureas:“...a set of beliefs and symbols (and values deriving
there from) pertaining to a distinction between an empirical and a super-empirical,
transcendent reality; the affair of the empirical being subordinated in significance to
the non-empirical.”
Smart ( 1983 :7–8) presents six dimensions of religion: the doctrinal, the mythic,
the ethical, the ritual, the experiential, and the social. A religion typically has a
written system of doctrines; this is the doctrinal dimension. It has a special story
with a sacred meaning to pass on to believers; this is the mythic dimension. It sets
certain rules of do’s and don’ts and precepts; this is the ethical dimension. It
involves its believers in religious action such as worshipping, praying, singing
1.3 Thai Culture: A Mediatized Buddhist Culture 9