Thai ordination

I went to an ordination of two young men yesterday with our host family. It was held here in Nakhonsawan at the temple. Almost all young men become monks for at least a couple of weeks often when they turn 20 yrs old. One young man is 20 and his cousin only 13 or so and therefore the second one is called a novice rather than full monk. It was held at 7AM and a big celebration with family and friends. There were many steps from having the most elder family, followed then by guests each cutting a swatch of hair and placing it in a lotus leaf. Then a monk shaved their heads and eyebrows, followed by being rubbed by the congregation with herbs (with a tint of yellow) to purify and clean, then followed by bowls of holy water poured over their heads. I particpated in all of these rituals too. Then they went to clean up and returned in white gowns with gold and asked parents for forgiveness of any bad behaviors and parents prayed over them as they washed their parents and grandparents feet. Ths was followed by a parade of everyone including a band, walking and dancing around the temple three times. The boys then threw ribbon wrapped coins to the crowd sending good wishes as they entered the temple and asked the monks for admittance. This was then followed by a luncheon.

I was very impressed by this whole process; everyone was celebrative, and it was sacred too. It was touching to see the boys ask their parents for forgiveness and even some tears were evident. It was interesting to see them taking this step to be willing to live by the many rules of monks for even the week or two. Some stay longer of course and some may return later in life. This is seen as being a good son and as a good for the son and his parents in their future lives. They will have only the food given to them as donations each morning, they will sleep on hard beds, have many lessons and time for meditation and prayer with guidance from an experienced monk. Buddhism is very evident and strong in Thailand and it begins early in life, with experiences like this. Being good and kind to others is fundamental to the beliefs and this culture. I was so glad to get a glimpse into this special activity!