Say Wat?

Say Wat?

Thai Village Temples

The word wat, often translated as “temple,”  actually refers to the whole property – the grounds on which the temple, monks’ residence, and any buildings for meetings or classes are located.

During my first night with my host family in Central Thailand months ago, I wasn’t surprised to be awakened by roosters crowing before dawn – it’s a rural village after all – but I was quite surprised to hear announcements over a loudspeaker from the wat across the street, starting at about 5:30am every day. When I asked my host family what the announcements were about, they said “news.”  -- Hmmm, I thought, why would that be necessary? Everyone here seems to have TV.  This example shows how you can misinterpret even the most everyday word – such as “news” – if you don’t know the cultural context.  Eventually I understood that these early-morning announcements are news about events in the village, mostly at the wat – local news that isn’t reported on TV.   

The same thing happens where I live now, in Northeastern Thailand, except that this village has two temples. 

Wat Sirinamaram

Wat Buraparom

Wat Sirinamaram is the larger of the two, with several buildings and spacious, tree-shaded grounds for festivals and other events. Both have resident monks who make their rounds of the village collecting alms early each morning. As you can see, the temples are quite modest, especially when compared to the many historic temples, often lavishly ornate, for which Thailand is famous. 

However, these smaller temples probably serve a majority of the population – more than half of Thailand’s 66.79 million people live in rural areas.  The country is about 95% Buddhist.  Many people go to temple twice a week, and oftener when there is a Buddhist holiday or festival.

The first event that I attended at a wat was a monk ordination. Becoming a monk is an important way for a man to make merit for his parents. And, before you ask, no, women don’t (yet) have equal opportunity in this realm:

Under the current Thai constitution the ordination of women is permitted. But the Thai Sangha Council, a government-linked religious advisory group, maintains that only men can enter the monkhood, citing the 1928 Sangha Act that forbids Thai monks from ordaining women.

http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/11/thai-women-don-monks-robes/

Making merit, as I understand it, is somewhat akin to doing good deeds – for example, to freely give something (food, money, time as a volunteer), light candles and offer prayers, or help in other ways. To ensure a peaceful life in the hereafter, such acts must be done “from the heart,” not with selfish motives. Thus, merit-making also requires one to follow the precepts of Buddhism and develop the mind through prayer and meditation.

Usually, the occasion of becoming a monk calls for a big party the evening before the ordination. I attended such a party in January with my host family and several members of my Peace Corps group. It reminded me of a wedding dinner – the young man, dressed all in white, stood with his parents to greet the guests as they arrived. Later the three of them walked around to each of the more than 100 tables to thank all the guests for coming. There was music and dancing after the meal. At one point, the young man mounted the stage with his father and many people came up to put garlands around his neck.

Giving a garland to the monk

Dancing with the monk's mother

The next morning, a large crowd of villagers came to the wat to accompany the young man as he was carried around the temple by his friends. In the photo below, he is throwing foil-wrapped one-baht coins to the crowd. Notice the huge smile on his father’s face – it is clearly a joyful occasion for the family.

Bearing gifts

After being carried around the temple three times, the new monk was taken into the temple, along with the gifts that we had all brought, and most of the guests went home. I had assumed that the ordination represented a momentous decision by the young man to dedicate his life to the monkhood but learned that many if not most Thai men become monks for a short time  – as little as a week, two weeks or a month. It is a way to demonstrate their commitment to Buddhist values, make merit for their families, and prepare to be a good husband – some families won’t allow their daughters to marry a man who hasn’t been a monk.

Up to now, I’ve visited relatively few temples in Thailand and have only a limited understanding of the symbols, architecture, and statuary at different places and from different historical periods.  I hope to write about some of the more intriguing symbols and traditions as I learn more. To close with a glimpse of one of the famous temples alluded to at the beginning of this post, here is a picture of me with the Naga (mythical serpent) at the foot of the stairs (300+ steps!) of Wat Phra Tat Doi Suthep near Chiang Mai.