Buddhist Monks in Thailand
Most Thai men over the age of twenty will at sometime in their lives ordain as a Buddhist monk. Periods spent in the monk hood vary and can be as little as a few days or in other cases for life. Indeed a Thai man may spend several periods as a monk.
While there may be many personal reasons for becoming a Buddhist monk, the process in Thailand is viewed as a way of making merit for oneself(in this or another life) and your family. Particularly your parents, both of whom may not be alive since it is believed you can make merit for a deceased person.
The ordination of a Buddhist monk in Thailand varies slightly from place to place. This account is of a ceremony where I was a guest held in Central Thailand at Samut Sakhon. I have added a few relevant parts that happened before the ceremony actually started in order to set the scene. I have also avoided as much as possible technical terms since transliteration from Thai is quite difficult, using instead English words that describe actions or particular functions. The ceremony itself lasted two days.
The monk subject to ordination is named Benz and he is 21 years old, he is the second oldest son of a large Thai family. Prior to the actual ceremony Benz and his parents had visited the local temple and spoke with the Abbott, seeking his permission for Benz to apply to become a monk. This permission was granted and a date was set, many young men go to the temple during Buddhist Lent or just before, but as in this case it is not a requirement. During the period leading up to ordination Benz was expected to study relevant Buddhist text and prepare himself mentally for what lay ahead.
A wihan at the temple was decorated on the day before the ceremonies started, it had a large brightly coloured centre piece which was made up of gifts that would eventually be given to the other monks already in the temple. Two groups of Thai musicians, one drums, one a brass band where also in the wihan playing traditional Thai music.
The Ordination Ceremony.
Day One
It is perhaps appropriate to point out that ordination ceremonies in Thailand are joyous events with lots of alcohol consumed(even in the temple), dancing and singing, quite different to what you might to experience at say a Christian Vicars ordination.
The first part of the actual ceremony started with Benz washing his parents feet, a symbolic gesture, showing his respect for them. He was then seated in a shady area before all members of the family started to cut his hair in preparation for it being shaved by an ordained monk. Buddhist monks have shaven heads which copies the Buddhas example and is a symbol of rejecting worldly goods.
All the hair was collected and placed in lotus leafs none was allowed to fall on the floor. When the hair was quite short an elderly ordained monk used a razor to shave off the remainder including the eyebrows. The shaving of the eyebrows appears to be unique to Thailand. Once this process was completed, Benz was washed before the family members rubbed ground turmeric over his exposed skin. Turmeric is a yellow/orange spice often used in curries and the rhizome is used to dye the robes Buddhist monks wear. It is also said to make the hair grow! Once he was thoroughly covered in the turmeric he was again washed before heading to a monks kuti where he changed into white robes which he was to subsequently wear until fully ordained.
The remainder of the day involved a mix of religious and social activities. After praying together with his parents at a shrine in the temple grounds, Benz, was led back to the wihan proceeded by the bands and other guests.
Seated in front of the dias containing the gifts for the temple Benz was then adorned with garlands to which Baht notes were stapled as family and friends made merit to him. Incidentally the money was later returned to his Mum to help pay for the party.
During the remainder of the evening two lay people, knowledgeable in Buddhist custom instructed the soon to be monk in things he needed to know. The male member of this duo was also somewhat of a comedian and it would be fair to say the atmosphere was quite relaxed with plenty of jokes along with the serious stuff.
While this activity was centre stage there was lots of partying going on in the wihan too. The men sitting on one side of the building and the women on the other. At times it seemed there was a competition to see who could drink the most and shout the loudest. Eventually dancing started and more merry making while Benz and his Mum and Dad did their best to concentrate.
Proceedings were finally brought to a close with more merit making between Benz and his parents. Here gifts were exchanged and his mother fed him fresh coconut to signify their bond . The final act of the night saw everyone seated in a circle around the the young man and his parents, passing lighted candles from one to another. Newspapers were carefully placed on each guests knees to ensure no candle grease fell on their clothes.
Day Two
Day two of the ordination ceremony saw us at the temple very early, preparing breakfast for the slowly arriving guests and getting several children from the family attired in traditional Thai costume.
Eventually everything was ready and a parade formed up with the children and flag bearers at the front and Benz somewhere in the middle surrounded by friends and family. The bands struck up and everyone headed through the public area of the Wat towards the Bot. Once in the sacred area of the temple the parade circled the Bot five times(an odd number is lucky) with Benz held shoulder high by his close friends before he was lowered to the ground outside the entrance.
Photographs and a prayer at a shrine followed before he was led to the Bot by his Mum and Dad. Before he entered he turned to the crowd and threw brightly wrapped coins to the crowd-signifying yet again his rejection of worldly goods. This cause a great scramble among the kids(and one or two parents too). Apparently it is lucky to get a coin.
Only five people were allowed in the Bot, myself included. Here I witnessed Benz prostrate himself before the gathered monks. He was presented with his saffron robes by his Mum and then approached the Abbott who blessed the garments. Eventually he removed part of his white robe and was draped in his new monks habit. A short interval then followed while Benz accompanied by two experienced monks left the Bot to dress correctly.
When he returned more religious activities took place before he along with ourselves were asked to leave. Benz stood outside for a while before the Abbott arrived with another monk to question him about his life, personal circumstances and Buddhist beliefs. I guess he got the questions right because we then all returned to the Bot where Benz was presented with his alms bowl by the Abbott. He will use the bowl to collect offerings when he walks the streets of the neighbourhood in early morning.
The final act in the Bot saw the family present the gifts for the temple to Benz who in turn passed them to the assembled monks. This was the cue for all the other monks to leave and for Benz to be escorted back to the wihan by the band and a group of well-wishers.
After a short while several monks from the Wat joined Benz on the raised platform in the wihan we
re the new novice monk served food to his parents who were kneeling in front of him. Again a symbolic act since the food was not at that point consumed because the gathered monks had not eaten and it was getting close to midday(monks do not eat after midday).
Benz then joined the other monks for food that was served to them by the male members of the family. Once they had finished they left the wihan and headed back into the inner reaches of the temple. Benz however stayed behind and posed for photographs with proud family members. Since women are not allowed to touch Buddhist monks all his sisters and mother had to remain a respectful distance from him during this process.
A Few Final Thoughts.
I found the whole process of ordination fascinating, fun and at times even hilarious. If this sounds disrespectful it is not meant to be, it is simply that the Thai way of doing things makes it so. I know that at the end of the day the family and Benz will have gained considerable inner strength and satisfaction from their devotions, seeing it as an important part of their lives as Thai Buddhists. I thoroughly enjoyed it too and would recommend that if ever you get the opportunity to attend an ordination of a Buddhist monk that you accept the invitation.
