Known for their quiet and calm nature, the monks are one of the huge draws of Thailand. As a westerner, more specifically an American, the only contact I have had with monks is to pass them (seeing only a orange blur) while I am power walking around New York City. But coming to Thailand I have begun to shed the idea that all monks were old and quiet, and even as i type this, there is one sitting two seats down from me surfing the web. Today I had first conversation with a monk, three monks actually, and it completely changed my ideas about who these people are, why they chose to live the life they are living, and what exactly it is to be a devout Buddhist in Thailand.
I arrived this morning in Chiang Mai, after a lovely 14 hour overnight train from Bangkok. The scenerary was nice and the bunk bed style accomodation was a luxury, especially since it was air-conditioned unlike the stuffy, ceiling-fan only room I was staying at in bangkok.
I met an Irish girl named Ruth on the way to my guesthouse and since there was only a double left, we decided to share. We decided on a mixed day of temples, shopping, a massage and a beer. After booking my 3-day hill tribe trek, we headed out.
Chang Mai was such a refreshing change, not only a nice change of pace but literally more refreshing - the humidity was high, but it was cool enough to wear a jacket. At the second temple we visited, we walked past a Monk Chat area. It is fairly standard practice that the monks 'chat with tourists not only to exchange stories and help us better understand what we are seeing and what it all means, but also to practice and enhance their english skills.
Ruth and I pulled up a seat to chat with three young monks, rangin from 18-22 years old. It was really an eye opener. They were from Laos and were here studying English. When I asked them why they left home to come here, the main reason was not religious, but social. They wanted to see Thailand, learn it's culture and learn English. I was a bit surprised by this;they were just travellers too. While I chose to see the world and learn languages through odd jobs as a waitress, dance teacher or working on boats, they chose a different route. And as I learned it is often the only option they have.
Temples serve as the main centres for education in Thailand, especially post-secondary. So much like a university, these boys come after high school to continue their studies for a few years and then plan to move home and work. I asked about the older monks, thinking that maybe they had chosen to continue on their journeys and become monks permanenty. but the boys laughed and said that many of the monks were professionals, doctors, lawyers who came to teach for a few years to practice and deepen their religion.
The monks went out to internet cafes and restaurants (though i hear female nuns are a bit more traditional and tend to isolate themselves by staying in temples out in the forest) and were often seen being tourists at other temples, most of them hoped to travel around thailand if they could afford it. However, after speaking with them about their religion, it was clear that that the focus on deepeing their spirituality was as important as their other motivations for chosing to dawn the orange robes. They admitted that it could be boring, but that they also had a lot of fun. They spent thier days wortking, cleaning and studying, but assured up that there was plenty of laughing and joking that went on as well.
The youngest of the group was an 18yr who had just arrived to Chang Mai 6 months ago. When we finished the small talk about lives, family, hopes and jokes, the conversation turned to religion. It was then that you realized that you were speacking to monk swho have devoted their lives to the path of buddhism in search of nirvana, not just a bunch of young guys who loved to laugh and were as interested in seeing the world as you are.
They spoke of what it was to be a buddhista nd how in their minds the most important person in teh world was themselves. Buddhism teaches that you cannot help the world until you have helped yourself. That nothing and no one in the external world can make you happy. You must be happy with yourself and to know yourself to truly ever be happy. I love this aspect of the religion, it's focus on teh individual finding happiness, peace and nirvana in themselves, not a god or a book. It was a truly amazing experience and one that I will always remember.
