MrX Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 I have visited thai temples on and off as a tourist a few times but had always wondered exactly what a thai did when they went to the temple on their day off. Yesterday I found out My old friend Mon invited me to a wat down sukumvit 77 which is more or less her local. Among my astonishment this is what I recall We arrived by taxi and alighted in an emptyish court yard and approached a lean-to where Mon ordered me to "buy" a cellophane wrapped yellow bucket full of household things like scrubbing brushes and paracetamol for 150 baht.She then gave me an envelope and told me to write "rompandadam and family" on the outside and put 100 baht on the inside and it was added that to the yellow bucket. Moving on to another shack she explained that the various boxes on display were receptacles for donations to worthy causes and that she reccomended contributing to a fund for dead people who dont have enough money to be disposed of appropriately.This was twenty baht. I wrote my name on a bit of paper and stuck it on the side of the box in which I had put the money and struck the box lightly 3 times Throughout we were surrounded by small boys who offered to help for a fee, while we ungraciously moved towards a stairway leading to an open door and cross-legged monk As we entered his gloomy chamber I noticed he was he had a smiley lay side-kick and was surrounded by all sorts of modern and ancient paraphenalia, confusingly mixed together. There were, for example mobile phones and yellowing documents, CDs and photos under cracked glass, all untidily arrayed. We prostrated ourselves 3 times and he drew our yellow bucket toward him by hauling on an orange/yellow scarf which we had already placed the bucket on Next he droned on, declaiming something learned long ago and Mon recited something back. This prayer ( if prayer it was) concluded with us being given a small metal urn containg water by the lay side-kick. Mon had to pour it into a bowl and I had to hold her elbow while she did so and just as she finished, the monk sprayed water on us kept in some other container which was invisible in the gloom. Finished now we sloped out keeping low. Another booth sold us two joss sticks , a yellow candle and a folded piece of paper witha small amount of gold leaf inside all for 50 baht. With our newly puchased equipment we crept toward a seated buddha and after lighting the candle and burning the joss sticks we put the gold leaf on the statue's hands being careful not to touch the leaf directly. This was the best place, Mon said, to ensure money in the future. Later kneeling in front of yet another next buddha Mon handed me a wooden mug containg strips of wood with numbers on. She instructed me to shake the mug until a wooden strip fell out-- twelve was my number. We went over to a piece of furniture with numbered pigeon-holes and took a piece of paper from box 12 , which Mon portentiously read, grimacing slightly as she told me that my luck in the short-term would not be good. As we left this shrine we bought some oil and poured in a bath where several burning candles floated. Outside in the courtyard there was a ribboned tree which Mon made me touch where it was smooth already from other caresses and look for lucky numbers appearing in the bark. There were none. While we waited half an hour for the klong boat back to Phra Kanong I had a tarot reading which was pretty up beat. Are any of you, dear board members, able to enlighten me on what I underwent, for truly I understand very little..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 They go to the temples to make themselves feel good after the visit. Donations etc are all part of it. Some of the containers you saw are for the day of the week you were born. The cup and numbers is a good /bad luck reading . Many will take a bucket/tray of goodies they bought at the markets on the way for the monks ..as well as food for the monks . Do a bit of reading it is well worth it to understand more about the Thai culture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Hi, I did not read this before posting a similar post just now. I did the sticks thing too. Important that only one stick falls out. Whatever numbered stick does fall, the corsesponding paper fortune in the board will do just that. Tell your fortune. On the drive back home, tiraks family read what we had received, and found great humor in it. It did not seem to be taken very serious. I also was made to touch a tree, but this tree had flowers which would open if you clapped your hands very loud. While there were some flowers already opened, I could not make one do so. Places I went to were facinating. Way out in the sticks, above Ayuttaya. Ang Thong and Singburi to be specific. They took me to 3 very major Temple/Wats. All were very impressive. One housing the tallest Buddah image in Thailand (? so my g/f said ?). All had many, many tour busses from BKK. Really big operations, which surprised me for some reason. This is quite a ways from BKK (3-4 hours?) Some things I thought interesting were one Temple was located on the Chao Phraya river. I saw many people fishing on the other side of the river. I asked why not the better spot in front of the temple, and was told, "cannot do". It would be disrespectful, for whatever reason. Two of the Temples had pictures/paintings all over of a particular male Thai. I was told many Temples have a single famous monk attached to them. Which are revered to the highest degree. And you can see their presence everywhere. A Thai family of 4 (only my G/f speaking English), spending the whole day to show me the world they were all brought up in, and culture heritage, is something I'll never forget. It seemed as though was as exciting for them to show off, as it was for me to experience. A truly great weekend in my life, that sparked an even greater couriousity of their wonderous culture. They have a lot to be proud of. I feel lucky I could experience that through their eye's, as opposed to a tour bus driver. HT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Hi My wife is about to take me on the same ""tour"" as you...but up at floating markets....i am looking forward to it. A lot will be by longtail. Waterfalls and secret places for us to see Also will have the new family home blessing with nine monks attending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Hi torneyboy, I can only speak for me, but was really special. My g/f's family is great. And is a very big family up there, but all, such very warm people. I can only believe you will have a great time. My little cultural tour was great. Gave me a very deep appreciation of my g/f's sense of being, where she comes from, and her beliefs. Sin sot, taking care of parents, her duties to family......I understand it all, but not without living among them, and seeing the reality. Their culture is a very real thing. With very, very deep rooted in committments. A farang trying to just walk in, and upset that, will be put on his ass. :: Don't mess with a Thai girl's devotion to family. It's very real, and just something you gotta deal with. I'm sure I'm not telling you something you don't already know. :: Hey....have a great time! There can only be great new things to be learned. PS...can you draw a map to that hidden 'nam tok' for me? HT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Hi Yes i will :: we visited her family home when we got married but only slept overnight then onto Hua Hin. She has heaps planed....river Kwai ..her local wat.( i understand) is a very large one) a longtail boat tour along the canal out front of the new home and to points unknown And many many more...the sisters all grew up there so i will get the ""cooks""tour for sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Very cool. I hope you will post of the experience. I suspect you may come out of it with a deeper respect and understanding of your partner, if that is possible. HT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Yes for sure. She is as we talk saying other things to do and see....i will need a holiday when we get back i think. She is so excited she packed her bags last week First time all the sisters have been in LOS together for about eight years or so. I will post a trip report on our return...a very different part of Thailand ...falangs go to the markets and not much else so i am looking forward to see what there is to see and do. We had a great dinner last time with i think the biggest prawns i have ever seen at a local restaurant. Cant wait Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrX Posted March 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 Thanks for the reply torneyboy said 'Do a bit of reading it is well worth it to understand more about the Thai culture.' This might seem perverse but I prefer not to learn about anything important from books Maybe it is because I read myself out when a young man but now I prefer 'osmoticized reality info' as my knowledge font..---pretty much guarantees ignorance though I guess..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 26, 2004 Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 none works without the other. i prefer both - reading and involved experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.