Bribes and Merits: Exchange Mechanisms in Thai society

Abstract

Animist beliefs continue to play an important role for Thai people in the 21st century, forged by sacred yet intermittent interactions in everyday life. The appeal of spirits’ power, and perhaps the fear of them, appears to offer benefits with a worldly-focus that sometimes exceeds or at least complement the more other-worldly scope of Theravada Buddhism. Joining animism and Buddhism, seems to be the idea of an exchange taking place with something to be given and something to be received. Scholars have long debated on the matter of Thai faith, formulating various academic theories to account for the co-existence of these apparently contrasting beliefs in society. The research aim for this study is to first explore the theoretical common ground between the two beliefs systems and then to interview directly individuals as they engage in ritual offerings. The objective is to understand people’s expectations and motivations in relation to one belief system over the other, that may fit or go beyond those existing academic theories on the subject. The surveys revealed the existence of different subsets of Theravada Buddhist people, who although both declare the primacy of Buddhism and merit-making, have strong and divergent opinions on its pragmatic value and influence in daily life, in relation to the practice of spirit worship.