Buddhism and the Culture of Thai Local Medicine

Abstract

This article is a synthesized version of research project, “Buddhism and Thai Local Medicine in Cultural Aspects”, funded by the Centre for Buddhist Studies, Chulalongkorn University. Its objective is to study the integration of Buddhist teachings and ancient Thai medicine in order to better understand the Thai culture as a Buddhist culture. The study shows that basic knowledge of Thai medicine has been infl uenced by Buddhist teachings and beliefs, resulting in the emphasis on not only the physical but also spiritual aspects of healing practices, as evidenced through rituals and prescription of both healers’ and patients’ behaviors.