In many old Thai wats all over the country the walls are covered in part or from dado to high ceiling with a richly detailed tapestry of painted scenes. The subject matter of the murals is largely limited to the life of the Buddha and episode from the Jatakas, the stories of his previous birth. The Thais have a deep reverence for the doctrine of the Lord Buddha, but since this is a natural part of living it does not inhibit normal everybody behavior, at least not of the common people. One can see here and there, even in the most sacred scenes,deftly painted vignettes of people working, playing, gossipping, flirting. The Tosachat in Thai painting includes Temiya. These ten illustrate the virtues by which the future Buddha perfected himself and thus finally achieved enlightenment. The last one, the Mahachat is somewhat of a recapitulation but with the dominating theme of generosity and selfless giving, and it is the single Jataka most frequently illustrated. The 547 Jatakas, are as rish a mine of subject matter for the Buddhist painter as the Bible is for the Christian artist. These stories recount the previous lives, as man or animal, of the Buddha and illustrate his path to enlightenment. In Thailand, the lasr ten Jatakas are used gor teaching and as a subject for painting.