Daily devotional life in Cambodian Buddhism unfolds as a layered synthesis of Theravāda teachings and pre-Buddhist folk beliefs. In many homes, offerings of incense, flowers, water, or food are made both to the Buddha and to ancestral or local guardian spirits, often at adjacent shrines. Acts such as giving alms, lighting incense at the pagoda, or sponsoring chanting are framed in terms of merit and karmic benefit, yet are simultaneously directed toward the well-being of deceased relatives and the appeasement of territorial spirits. In this way, ethical and soteriological concerns coexist with the desire for protection, health, luck, and domestic harmony.

Protective practices reveal this integration especially clearly. Amulets blessed by monks, sacred threads, and consecrated water are treated not only as expressions of Buddhist devotion but also as powerful safeguards against ghosts, sorcery, illness, and misfortune. Blessing rituals may combine Pāli chanting with local forms of incantation, and house blessings or preparations for travel are understood as both merit-making and as negotiations with an unseen world of spirits. The same monk who expounds on karma and rebirth may also be sought out as a ritual specialist to neutralize harmful influences and secure auspicious conditions.

Time itself becomes sacralized through this fusion of traditions. Religious observances and daily merit-making are often aligned with a traditional lunar calendar and with auspicious moments determined by folk astrology. Decisions about starting a journey, building a house, or holding a wedding may be accompanied by visits to the pagoda, consultations with astrologers, and offerings to both Buddha and local spirits. Taboo days and propitious times, rooted in older cosmologies, thus quietly shape the rhythm of Buddhist devotional practice.

Healing, prosperity, and life-cycle ceremonies further illustrate how these strands are woven together. When facing illness or misfortune, laypeople may seek blessings from monks while also turning to traditional healers, employing folk remedies and spiritual rituals alongside Buddhist chants. Weddings, funerals, New Year observances, and house-blessing ceremonies typically layer canonical Buddhist rites over indigenous customs and animistic purification practices. The result is a devotional world in which Buddhist principles provide the overarching moral and cosmological framework, while folk beliefs offer a practical means of engaging with the immediate, often unpredictable forces that are felt to permeate everyday existence.