Feb 21
Thailand is not the first nation we’ve visited with a large Buddhist population. After all, Buddha himself came from India. However, it is the first place that has felt distinctly Buddhist. Perhaps it is the 30,000 temples which dot the country, or the bright saffron robes of the monks who are everywhere. Or maybe it is simply the fact that 95% of the 68 million who live here identify themselves as Buddhists. Even if they are not especially religious, people here embrace Buddhism as a life philosophy and really do seem to exude a certain kind of inner peace.
In addition to visiting several of the most sacred temples in Thailand (especially the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok and its original Thai location in Chiang Rai), we were able to experience two very traditional Buddhist ceremonies. The first was called “making merit.” This ceremony is centuries old and is still widely practiced today. Its purpose is to allow one to receive good (merit), by doing good; a beautiful manifestation of the Golden Rule.
In this case, the ritual begins at 6:00 am. It is still dark. We join the people lined up along the side of the road with offerings of food for the hundreds of monks who come each day to beg. All they will have to eat for the day will be what we strangers give. We see them well before they reach us. Some have walked for several kilometers. All are barefoot, their hair and eyebrows are shaved. They are as young as eight and as old as eighty. When they come near, we place our offerings in their brass bowls and instinctively bow our heads. Then we kneel to receive a blessing which they chant in unison. It sounds ethereal in the early morning light.
We repeat the offering process several times. On the last, we kneel and slowly pour a tiny pitcher of water into a matching bowl. As we pour, the monks chant a special extra prayer. This prayer is meant to transfuse the blessings from our act of offering into the water itself. We then pour the water into the earth, where it and the blessings are absorbed and transferred directly to the spirits of our ancestors who keep watch over us. It is solemn and serene. I wonder how many millions of times this exchange has happened since the dawn of Buddhism more than 2,500 years ago and decide that making merit does indeed leave one feeling a little lighter in the soul and that can’t be a bad thing.
Our second Buddhist experience came at the most famous temple in Chiang Mai, Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep. Built in 1383, this temple is situated 1300 meters high on a hillside overlooking the city. The site was chosen by the king’s elephant which, according to legend, carried a relic of Lord Buddha himself to the very spot, circled three times, and collapsed. The king saw it as a sign consistent with a dream he had had and ordered the construction of the temple.
More than 600 years later, the temple remains an active place of worship and a prime attraction. The views alone are worth the trek. The highlight of our particular visit was a blessing ceremony. We took off our shoes and entered a small shrine. Off to the side sat a monk on a simple wooden platform. Next to him was an assistant dressed in lay clothes. We knelt as the monk chanted his blessing, then dipped a lotus flower into scented water. He then used the lotus flower to sprinkle us with the water. We were caught by surprise when the cold droplets hit and tried hard not to giggle or gasp.
When the prayer was finished, Carter and Russ were instructed to approach the monk who then tied a white bracelet around each of their wrists. As monks aren’t allowed to have any interactions whatsoever with women, Katherine and I approached the assistant who gave us ours. We were told that we should wear the bracelets for three days to ensure that the good fortune wished upon us “took.”
We are in the business of collecting good luck, so it came as no surprise to me that as we boarded the flight from Thailand to Cambodia, we were all still wearing our bracelets. I might even keep mine on a little longer. Just to be sure.
