Buddhism gained wide acceptance because its emphasis on tolerance and individual initiative complemented the Thais’ cherished inner freedom Fundamentally, Buddhism is an empirical way of life

Buddhism: More than 500 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, the Indian Prince Siddhartha Gautama attained Enlightenment and founded the great Eastern religion, Buddhism Gradually spreading through Asia, Buddhism became the dominant spiritual force in Sikkim, Bhutan, Tibet, Mongolia, Ceylon, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Korea and Japan, where it was responsible for moulding attitudes, tempering morality, colouring customs and inspiring some of the world's finest art, sculpture and architecture

As in medieval Europe, most early Thai scholars were clerics whose major monastic activity was to teach the unlettered Behind the quiet facade of monastic life, many village boys learned the rudiments of reading and writing Thai and Pali, simple arithmetic and the Buddhist precepts