In considering the influence of Buddhism on Thai life, we should look first at those living in the wat and striving to attain its ideal. A wat regularly, although at different times and in different numbers, houses three classes of people: the dek wat, the novices, and the monks themselves, usually under an abbot. The status of the three, and the expectations of how they should live, vary widely.

Usually the youngest are the dek wat, boys who come to live in the wat as helpers and companions to the monks. Some live there because their families are poor and the wat provides both schooling and suitable home. Others are sent by parents who feel their behavior shows a need for the sort of training or experience that can best be gained by wat life. Some poor students also live in a wat while they pursue their education away from home. In general, the dek wat do what is needed, such as helping the monks maintain the wat and accompanying them on their daily collection of food from laymen. The discipline and the religious beliefs and practices they learn prepare them for later life either as laymen or as monks.

The novices are normally young men who enter the monastery to acquire religious training. (Men of any age can do this, while they must be at least twenty years old to become monks.) They, too, are helpers to the monks, but they are guided by a rigorous code of behavior, comprising 10 precepts, and learn much of the scripture, doctrine and rituals of Buddhism. At the age of twenty and upon successful ordination, they may become monks; there is no obligation for them to do so, however and many return to the life of a laymen.

The most conspicuous members of the wat, of course, are the monks themselves. Already well trained and ordained, they live a pious, austere life, adhering to 227 rules and exemplifying the attitudes and behavior of the ideal Buddhist. Much of their time is given over to religious services, meditation and activities in the wat itself, but they also serve the laymen in many capacities. These include performing rituals and ceremonies outside the wat, enabling laymen to make merit by contributing food, saffron robes and other essentials to the monastery, providing advice or basic health care in accordance with the practices of traditional medicine, or performing other community services not forbidden by the numerous rules they must follow. Such services often include providing basic education-once the only such instruction for three months of the year during the rainy season, the monks may travel on pilgrimages or spiritual quests away from the home monastery.

The life of a Buddhist monk is an ascetic one: he is celibate, his living quarters are simple, he is limited to a few essential possessions, and he takes no food after noon each day. His life is fully governed by the 227 monastic rules until he chooses to leave the monkhood, an option always available to him.

While monks and novices are strictly governed by common rules, the daily lives of laymen vary greatly, depending upon their devotion, location, station in life, sex and age. All, however, should endeavor to keep the five basic precepts-refraining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and partaking of alcohol. All should rously. Above all, they should maintain and perpetuate the Buddhist faith by ensuring the existence and well-being of the monks, who exemplify the ideal life.

Probably the two most pervasive forms of interaction between layman and monk are the giving of food to the monks daily and attending the Uposatha service on Buddhist Sabbath days. These days are calculated according to the four phases of the moon and regularly occur about once a week, at which time laymen go to the monastery to hear the monks chant, listen to the sermon, and participate in the service.

Throughout the year, there are many other occasions when the daily lives of the laymen revolve around the wat and the monks. Whenever an auspicious beginning is called for-a house-warming, for instance, the opening of a new business laying the foundation stone of a building-monks will be invited to perform rituals to ensure the prosperity of the enterprise. Anniversaries of all kinds, from personal birthdays to those commemorating the establishment of a enterprise, cannot be considered properly celebrated without blessings from monks or some form of merit-making. On these occasions, food is offered to the monks either at the wat or on the premises of the hist, followed by prayers, blessings, and the sprinkling of lustral water. The merit thus acquired will be dedicated to deceased members of the family, friends and others who have been wronged, knowingly or otherwise, in this life and during past ones. The monks are presented with small gifts, usually consisting of essential commodities for their daily life, and a small sum of money for the upkeep of the monastery.

Buddhism shapes the entire life of the typical Thai. As a child, he learns from his parents to honor the Buddha images and to respect the monks. He learns to say his traditional Buddhist prayers at night before going to bed, to sit quietly and solemnly throughout all Buddhist rites, and to make merit by presenting food to the monks making their early morning alms round, usually on his birthdays.

If he lives in a village in the countryside, his principal playground is likely to be the temple grounds with their Buddhist ambiance. He will be taught Buddhism at school, sometimes one built by monks, perhaps named after a wat or prominent monk and frequently located in the wat compound. Most schools will see to it that pupils of both sexes born of Buddhist parents undergo a confirmation ceremony, held either at the school or at a monastery, in which they declare themselves Buddhists; at least once a week an afternoon will be given over to prayers attended by everyone at the school, pupils and staff alike.

The Child's Buddhist formation may be reinforced in Sunday schools, a relatively recent but popular innovation, where Buddhist scriptures and meditation are taught alongside certain regular subjects. As he grows toward adulthood, particularly if he stays in his rural hometown, his social activities continue to center around the temple grounds, where games are played, friends are met, festivals and fairs are held.

Buddhism is not a religion calling only on men to serve and benefit. There were women members of the clergy during Buddha's time, enjoying equal status to that of their male colleagues and leading the same ascetic life. They are no longer able to join the clergy nowadays, in the absence of a senior female clergy to receive them in an ordination ceremony, but many choose to become nuns, joining spiritual all Buddhist women play important parts in keeping the faith alive. They prepare food for the monks, from simple dishes for the daily alms round to more elaborate fare offered at important functions. In addition, they exhibit and teach their children the proper behavior of a Buddhist by demonstrating charity and devotion. Widowed, or when their children have grown up, they often turn to the wat for solace and become its major benefactors through merit-making activities.