The article is based on ethnographic observations and photo documentation of the festival Bun Phra Wet celebrated at the Thai Buddhist temple Wat Dalarnavanaram in June 2012.The article argues that the jataka genre (birth stories of the bodhisattva) is of importance for understanding contemporary Theravada Buddhism and lay Buddhism. Ascetic monastic ideals are often studied at the expense of lay practices. The article therefore raises questions of how Buddhism is studied, and investigates what sources should be used in the study of Buddhist traditions. The article argues that by focusing on the materiality of religion, a closer attention can be given to how religious life and rituals are being created in a migration context, including a wider focus that includes body, practices and space.