Monk Chat

Today we went on a field trip with our Buddhism & Southeast Asian Society class to visit a temple. Our professor walked us around the grounds, explaining what some of the structures were built for and the history behind them. We then enjoyed a delicious vegetarian lunch at a popular restaurant at the monastery. After lunch we split into groups and spoke with monks. Emily, Tammy and I were paired with three monks from Cambodia, Burma, and Laos. They were all in their twenties and were studying English. It was very interesting to hear about their lifestyle and they were also eager to ask us questions. Of the three monks, two had become monks since it is tradition for males to be ordinated as a monk temporarily or for their entire life. The last monk came from a poor Cambodian family and had become a monk in order to receive a higher education.

Their daily schedule involved "lots of free time" according to them, however to me it seemed pretty busy, especially keeping up with their studies. Their day includes chanting, meditation, collecting food offerings, attending class, and studying. There is also some free time where they enjoy reading the news, watching American movies and TV shows, and chatting with friends. The Burmese monk told us that his weakness if football (soccer) and that his favorite team is Manchester United. He seemed a bit ashamed that he loved the sport/team so much, especially since monks are supposed to live their lives without attachment to material things.

I was very surprised when we asked the monks about what they thought of America. Their response was that Americans are "great, brave, clever, and adapt well to different cultures." They spoke quite highly of the US and were excited to see photos I showed them of Lake George and of the St. Lawrence campus covered with snow. The one negative thing they said about the US was that it seemed like there was a lot of crime and killings. I wasn't too surprised to hear this, especially with the many tragic events that have occurred recently.

On a happier note, the three monks I spoke with were some of the most humble and content people I have ever spoken with. The two from Burma and Laos were especially friendly, always wearing a big smile and laughing a lot. I felt that they were passionate about the different aspects of Buddhism and living their lives as monks. When we left they asked for our names to look us up on Facebook. I never thought I'd say this but I am now thrilled to be Facebook friends with "Buddhist Monk." (That is what the Lao monk's name on Facebook says) Unfortunately the language barrier makes it very difficult to remember/write names, so I wasn't able to get any of the monk's names. However, the Lao monk spoke to me on Facebook and we are going to try to meet up next week to talk more about our lives. Also I will be able to ask him more questions that I have about Buddhism and I can help him practice his English at the same time.

These white structures contain relics of Northern Thai Royalty