Visit to Wat Nawamintararachutis!

Today we went to the Wat Nawamintararachutis meditation center in Raynham MA. We all met in the parking lot as a group and were soon invited in by the generous Monks who live there. As we all walked in, we took our shoes off to show respect and were ushered into a small temple. It was beautiful. The altar was also beautiful, with Buddha statues, gold tables and flowers. As a group we brought a fruit basket and a donation for them. We were able to receive a blessing from the monks after we handed our gifts to them. The blessing was simple yet beautiful. The chanting they chanted was soothing. I was very intrigued with learning about their daily life.

They practice many calming and life methods. They develop these methods through morality, concentration and wisdom. They teach to help the world, to extend a hand to help others and that giving is receiving. They are very passionate. The monks showed us around what was finished of the new temple and it was beautiful. They have an enormous Buddha that came from Thailand that is the center of their large meditation room. There is wonderful detailing on the light fixtures; they look like small suns on the celling. You could see the joy on the monk’s faces and hear it in their words as they showed us around.

Until Next Time!

Third Meeting!!

 In November we once again met with Michael to learn more! This time we learned more about culture and education. We learned that Buddha images are very well protected. The Thai protect their image from tourist like objects.  We also learned to be aware of attire when venturing into religious areas and to try not to stand out. You need to show respect to all Buddha images. You also cannot touch a Thai on the head; this is because it is the most respected part of the body.

            We also started to learn about the political demonstrations that are occurring in Thailand. The ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is in exile because he was greedy. He ran programs for the rural poor, setting up banks that had little to no interest, and health clinics that were very cheep.  The rich did not like it because they were being taxed for it, the military also didn’t like it because they were not getting any money. The country has started to divide. The two sides are called the Red Shirts who support his return and the Yellow Shirts who don’t support his return.

            We also learned they play the national anthem twice a day. Once at 8 am and again at 6pm, this shows that amount of respect the Thai have from their country. We learned that teachers are very well respected. Thai students do not question or voice their opinion, because they are ranked high. Also, why would you question someone who is ranked higher than you? The teachers use rote learning, which is memorizing, what the teacher says is true, no questions. Teachers show kindness and tolerance to others. It is shameful to draw attention to yourself if you fail. Many children from poor families, ethnic minorities or migrant families do not get the chance to attend school.

 The class size in Thailand is large with about 50 students. I am excited to be able to experience a Thai classroom once I arrive! It is a wonderful opportunity to learn new techniques and ideas.

Until Next time!

Second Meeting in October

In October we met with a guest speaker named Michael Bedford. He was a great resource to learn from. He had lived in Thailand for a few years and had plenty of knowledge about the country. After listening to him we learned that the type of government they have is a monarchy. The King, King Bhumibol Adulayadej, is highly respected and you cannot even step on money with out a chance of being arrested. You also cannot talk badly about the king with out the same consequence. If you were to lucky enough to be able to approach the king you would have to approach him on your knees, out of respect. You also cannot point your feet at anyone. It is considered rude. This is because the Thai believe that your head is the cleanest part of your body and the feet are the dirtiest.

 We learned that the currency is called baht. The Thai people are very friendly. They have a saying, Mai Pen Rai, which translates to mean no problem, sorry, never mind or just accept it and move on.  I feel this is a great philosophy to think by. We also learned a bit about Buddhism. Buddhism is like karma, what goes around comes around or like Newton’s 3^rd law, for every action there is an equal opposite reaction. Buddhism believes in the now moment, that it is being shaped by present actions and present actions shape the future actions and present actions.

We also learned some phrases!

Hello, good morning, good day, good evening- (SA-WA-DEE- KA)

Thank you- (KAP-KOH-KA)

Until the next time!