Project Term 2016: Ricefields, Monks, and Smiling Children: It's Temple Time!

It was an experience not to be missed. When the preliminary plans for this Project Term experience emerged, the idea to not only meet a monk but also to walk in his shoes developed. We packed an overnight bag and set out in search of answers to some of our questions about life as a Buddhist monk. Gretchen shared some of her thoughts and observations:

Since the beginning of the trip we have been continually told how our night stay at the monastery would be a once in a lifetime experience, so naturally we were all so excited for it. The temple was about an hour away from our base camp so we had a long ride ahead of us in our open air song taews. But, before we arrived at the temple we had to make sure we were wearing appropriate attire. We stopped at a local market in downtown Udon Thani where we were fitted for and bought our nun attire—a light purple floor length skirt and button up shirt (where we found much discomfort in the 100 degree weather). When we arrived at the temple in the country [this temple is defined as one in the "forest" and is one of four places in which monks choose to meditate], the first thing we noticed was how quiet the property was, which wasn’t surprising but it totally contrasted the city life of Udon Thani. We were greeted by three nuns who were wearing the same outfit as us. One of the nuns, who we all agreed was the cutest person ever, showed us to our room and then to the kitchen to a dinner of rice and fried eggs prepared for us by them. Although we’ve had our fair share of rice in Thailand, we embraced the meal, ate our dinner, and then headed to the temple to talk to a monk. After about an hour with him, our eyes were totally opened to Buddhism and how sacrificial and selfless it is to be a monk. This realization prepared us for the night sleep we were about to have—the twelve of us on a thin mat as monks do every night, a sleep we would always remember. ~ Gretchen