Beliefs and Behaviors of Making Merit by Offering Foods of Buddhist People Support Monks’ Health: A Case Study in Nan Province

Abstract

This study is a descriptive research. Data were collected by using a qualitative research to study the beliefs and behaviors of making merit by offering foods of Buddhist people affecting monks’ health, and using related and field documents from participatory observation, in-depth interview, and analytic induction.

The findings indicated that Buddhist merit making is based on faith in merit and sin through rituals and religion that are linked together. This affects the foods, offered to make merit, which are all related to personal preferences and auspicious to bring prosperity to themselves, beloved people, as well as people who passed away. Although both Buddhist people in the city and the countryside have similar beliefs in offering foods, Buddhist people in the countryside are stricter in the way they make merit than those living in the city due to social context, local traditions and culture inherited from generations to generations. Unlike Buddhist people living in the city, Buddhists living in the countryside cook by themselves and offer the foods for monks. However, with the changing economic and social conditions from agricultural society to urban society, time-restricted working pattern makes overall Buddhist people have the habit of buying foods from the market more than cooking in the household by themselves. Most of the dishes are easy to cook, using less time, and containing high carbohydrate and fat, which should be consumed less frequently. However, it was found that the monks receive the same foods every day, which may have a negative impact on their health.

The survey of making merit foods and offering foods 163 dishes result that buying foods from the market 113 dishes 69.3 percent more than cook by themselves 50 dishes 31.7 percent which consists of a mixture of high carbohydrate and fat is the foods in the red zone affect to monk health such as instant noodle, stir-fried food, pork rind, curry with coconut milk, sweetened milk and Thai dessert.