May 2006

HIYA!

I've talked with lots of people along the way. Guys ordaining as monks for a short time. This is tradition. It's losing ground as people move to the city and forget about old customs, traditions, and other "old" things. It's interesting to hear guys talk about the reasons they ordain and what they get out of it. I feel that there is a great opportunity to really get a good feel for the heart of Buddhism even in this short time that they ordain, but for the most part it seems to center on learning the chants. And they learn the chants in Pali language, which is like Latin in the sense that who understands Latin? So they don't know the meaning of what they're chanting, and so, it seems to me, they've passed up a great opportunity to learn something incredibly valuable for their lives. They don't get into the heart of the teaching or the heart of the practice.

I've talked with farmers as they work in their fields. Talking about conventional versus organic practices and thier views towards both. I always like doing this.

Talk with shop owners and others along the way. Just anybody. Sometimes it's just a few words back and forth, other times it's a bit more involved. It's always a break from the rigors of the road. And I get that much more of a feel for Thai people. Why not do something like this with Americans? Hey Troy.

Troy.

HIYA!

Those monks got pooped pretty quickly. I on the other hand, was fine the whole way. I got a bit tired at the end but for hours and hours I was fine. These monks after only a couple of hours were talking about how tired they were. They walk every morning on their alms round and have been for years now. Monks don't eat after noon so this is a plus when you're eating typical food. I will concede that they had only one meal that day. Usually they'd eat their second meal about 11 or 11:30 am.

I can't say that I have so much energy because of my diet but it's more than likely a factor, I'd say.

Pranom, the guy who started walking with me, is 61 years old and kept up with me pretty well. Sometimes it was more like me keeping up with him. I feel like I had more energy than he did. I have to keep in mind that he's 61 years old, I know. He's been much more active than I have been though for a long time and that's got to be at least part of the reason that he's got as much energy as he does.

Yesterday my legs hurt during the morning. Now I think I know why. The night before last I was a bit cold while sleeping. I only had one blanket and it was a bit small. So I slept on my side with my legs curled up. Then without stretching, to go on a long walk, well, my legs didn't get the chance to "thaw out" before being called on to work hard.

Troy.

HIYA!

I walked away from the temple with a couple of monks from that temple. Let me explain how it happened that I we walked together.

The morning I left the temple I sat in the hall eating some bananas after the monks had finished their breakfast. It's very common for laypeople to eat after monks. One monk saw me eating a bunch of bananas and was impressed. So he came up to me and sat next to me. He had these charms and little amulets strung around his neck. I asked him what these were for and he said they protected him from gunshots and knife stabbings. I said bring a knife and lets see what happens. Another monk burst out laughing.

I felt that here was an opportunity to learn a little about what monks think about these charms and amulets. The power that they have. So I invited him to walk with me. Then I thought, "Jeez, I guess I should invite any of the monks. All of the monks." Two of them decided to go with me.

We set out a little after nine am. I at first thought they were going with me for an unlimited time. I later found out that they hadn't brought their alms bowls so couldn't go on alms round in the morning to accept alms / "beg for food".

We walked until about 11 am then stopped for a break. It was pretty hot so we found some shade. The guy with the amulets is the senior of the two and knows more, both internally (meaning he knows himself better) as well as theoretically. Turns out he doesn't believe in the power of those amulets. What he told me anyway, is that he doesn't have faith in himself to keep up a good solid practice of Buddhism so he uses those amulets as reminders to be mindful and careful in his everyday life. That makes much more sense to me than believing in some supernatural power of those amulets. His explanation gives me an idea regarding how the belief that they have supernatural power came to be but I won't go into it.

We talked and talked for at least 30 minutes about Buddhist practice, teaching, and other such things. I feel he has a fairly good grasp but didn't get that much into his deeper understandings. He on the other hand was all praise for me. He wouldn't stop talking about how much I know, how deeply I understand and all that. Yakity yakity yak. I got tired of it after a while. He'd talk to me in respectful terms that I've never heard from a monk before. After continuing the walk, when we'd meet someone he'd say how well I know the teaching and praise my practice. I get tired of this sort of thing but it's just one more thing for me to practice. Just accepting that someone feels this way or that way about me without getting irritated or having my ego bloat and my head get big or anything. Just accept and let it go at that. Nor do I want to reject the feelings of irritation and any other feeling that arises. Accept everything as it appears to be.

We walked to another temple where they let me go and they returned to their temple.

HIYA!

Been quite a few days since I've been at an internet shop so I've got lots to say. I'll be brief though as I could spend all day here.

Stayed one night at a temple set in a national park against a rock mountain. You know, those rock mountains like you see in the traditional Chinese and Japanese paintings? Beautiful. I love to look at these mountains. And to see trees growing off them. Amazing. How in hell can a tree grow out of a rock? I've never gone up to see what they live off of. Is there soil up there? Do the tree roots extract nutrients from the rock?

I didn't get a really really good look at the mountain until I walked away the next morning. It was all the more pretty with the trees in bloom with red flowers at the base of the mountain. No camera though, sorry.

I walked away with a couple of monks from this temple. I'll write about that in the next entry.

Troy.

HIYA!

I left the temple this morning with little to eat. And there were no shops nearby and the area seems like there would be nothing around. But a lady at the temple gave me two mangos and I got a few wild vegetables from the temple.

As I walked on I saw a truck selling vegetables and stuff. I decided on a snack and some cucumbers. I asked the man how much he wanted but he wouldn't take any money. He just gave them to me. I insisted but he wouldn't take it.

So, what I usually do is accept their generosity. A couple of days ago I didn't though. I gave the money to a guy who was standing near the lady who made my food. She told him to give it back to me but I walked away and won! Nice people they were. I didn't walk away rudely or anything.

Later on this morning I saw what looked like a shop. As I got closer I could see that there were a lot of monks sitting down and a lot of people sitting down too. I approached asking to buy water. But the lady who greeted me just gave me some. She and the others were hosting the monks from some nearby temples. This is a way of "making merit" which may be understood as the opposite of commiting a sin. It's an active and intentional thing. They spend money to buy and make food, organize an event for the local villagers and the monks to eat. The monks bless everybody during and afterwards. And the people are happy because they've "made merit", have fed the monks delicious food, have themselves eaten delicious food, and have gotten together for some fun and some merit making.

Well, after getting water the lady who greeted me offered some food. I told them that I didn't want the rice or anything and would be happy with just fruit. They offered so much fruit. Then brought out some durian over rice with sweetened coconut milk. I should have just gone for the bananas but I succumbed to my durian desire. It was sweet and tasted of durian so I liked it but the bananas would have been a much better choice. Then they gave me eight big bananas. From no food to too much food.

A little bit of chanting by the monks while we put our hands in prayer position to accept the monks' blessings, then a monk sprinkled everyone with a bit of "holy water". Then it was all over. Help put things away a little and everyone scatters. Goes home. I only spent about 30 minutes there but they were all there probably about two hours. I left there about 9:30 and continued walking. I was already barefoot by this time.

This blessing thing is one place where Thais largely misunderstand Buddhism and where monks don't do their part in teaching that this is not Buddhism. Monks don't have any supernatural power to "bless" anyone. What does that mean anyway? Monks are just guys dressed differently. A monk may or may not be more spiritually developed but is still just a person and has no power to bless someone anymore than I do. But people like it because they feel that they get something out of it. What they don't seem to realize is the inner work involved in merit making.

Troy.

This thing about generosity, and giving.