Introducing Thai Theravada Wisdom for All Cultures : หน้า 6/216

Forward When we want to introduce a new food item to the population of a country, we have to adjust the seasoning to fit the general tastes and flavor of the country that the new food is for. It is not that we are trying to diminish its inherent value; we just want to make it more easily accessible to the local public. The original writings of this book are from the Thai Theravada Buddhist perspective on life; the original version of this book, The Warm Hearted Family, was written in Thai and was intended for a Thai audience. As time passed, the authors wanted to convey the wisdom in this book to people outside Thailand, so it has now been edited for western audiences. Just as anyone from any religion can eat pizza from a shop or restaurant, this book does not mean to suggest that people need to convert to Buddhism. Rather, it should be read as simple advice for people on how to improve one's self and their relationships within the family. In translating this book, we strived to maintain the fundamental meaning and feel of the original version but also adapt it so that non-Thai's find the teachings more applicable to their own culture. No matter what religion a person is, the teachings in this book are meant to help people help themselves. In no way should they be viewed as dogmatic or doctrinaire. Thailand itself has a deep connection with Theravada Buddhism, heavily interlinked in culture and tradition. The Thai monastic way of teaching is generally