Within Cambodian Buddhist temples, neak ta are understood as guardian spirits who watch over both the sacred space and the surrounding community. They are regarded as protective beings who safeguard the temple grounds, its monks, relics, and worshippers from harmful forces and misfortune. Their presence reflects an older stratum of belief that has been woven into the fabric of Theravāda Buddhist practice, so that the temple is anchored not only in the Buddhist cosmos but also in the spiritual life of the local land and people.

These spirits are closely tied to particular places, and many temples maintain dedicated shrines or statues for neak ta at entrances, corners, or other significant points within the compound. Such shrines are often associated with the protection of the nearby village or neighborhood, extending the guardianship of the spirits beyond the physical boundaries of the temple. In this way, the temple becomes a focal point where the safety of both the religious community and the lay population is entrusted to these local protectors.

Ritual life around neak ta emphasizes practical, this-worldly concerns that complement the more transcendent aims of Buddhist doctrine. Devotees bring offerings such as incense, flowers, food, and prayers, seeking protection, good fortune, healing, and help with family, legal, or livelihood difficulties. These petitions address matters that many feel lie outside the primary scope of formal Buddhist merit-making, yet they are carried out within the temple environment, creating a layered religious experience in which different needs are met through different forms of reverence.

The veneration of neak ta thus embodies a living synthesis of pre-Buddhist animistic traditions with Buddhist teachings. Rather than being in competition, these strands of belief coexist: the Buddha and the monastic community orient practitioners toward liberation, while the guardian spirits attend to the vulnerabilities of daily life. Cambodian temples, through their relationship with neak ta, become spaces where cosmic aspiration and local protection are held together, allowing practitioners to navigate both spiritual and worldly realms under a single sacred canopy.