the untamed north: trip report, part v

During the trip to the north, we had the fortune to have two very good experiences with temples. The first was the aforementioned monk chat. Imagine seeing monks every day: always in their saffron robes, standing out so much from the general public, and seeming to always possess an aura of calmness. But, you can never really approach and talk to them to find out what their life is like. For a westerner, it is a complete mystery unless you are well-informed, and even then, you never here the information from the monk, it is always an informer. Imagine, then, how refreshing it is to be welcomed to talk with one of these men who seem (not negatively) holier-than-thou and, at the same time, an every-man.

Many of our questions were very simple. We asked how long our monk had been a monk. He replied that he had been a novice for eight years and that he had been a monk for one. We asked him what his daily routine was: he was only able to eat once a day, before noon, and had to wake up very early, before five, to beg for his daily sustenance from the local population, he then would chant and pray, and attended a college (with regular, non-monk students). He lived a life without belongings. He asked us what religion we were. I, personally, identify as an agnostic theist, but that’s probably not the first thing they teach you in English class, so I said that I believed in Buddhists and Christians and Muslims and all of them. As I’ve mentioned before, one of the best parts about Buddhism (in my view), is the room it makes for other religions. There is no prohibiting of worshiping ancient gods in Buddhism, and there is room for coexistence and understanding of other religions (I’ll get back to this later).

He asked us what the number one important “thing” about Christianity was. I said I didn’t really know but I was pretty sure it was to embrace Jesus Christ as the son of God and realize his dying for your sins. I asked him what the one most important “thing” about Buddhism was, and he said karma.

We compared the “Ten Precepts” he had to follow as a novice with the “Ten Commandments” of Christianity: Yes, there are similarities (shocker!):

The Ten Commandments:

1. "I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me..."

This commandment is to believe in the existence of God and His influence on events in the world, and that the goal of the redemption from Egypt was to become His servants. It prohibits belief in or worship of any additional deities.

2. "Do not make an image or any likeness of what is in the heavens above..."

This prohibits the construction or fashioning of "idols" in the likeness of created things (beasts, fish, birds, people) and worshipping them.

3. "Do not swear falsely by the name of the LORD..."

This commandment is to never take the name of God in a vain, pointless or insincere oath.

4. "Remember [zachor] the Sabbath day and keep it holy" (the version in Deuteronomy reads shamor, "observe")

The seventh day of the week is termed Shabbat and is holy, just as God ceased creative activity during Creation.

5. "Honor your father and your mother..."

The obligation to honor one's parents is an obligation that one owes to God and fulfills this obligation through one's actions towards one's parents.

6. "Do not murder"

Murdering a human being is a capital sin.

7. "Do not commit adultery."

Adultery is defined as sexual intercourse between a man and a married woman who is not his wife.

8. "Do not steal."

This is not understood as stealing in the conventional sense, since theft of property is forbidden elsewhere and is not a capital offense. In this context it is to be taken as "do not kidnap."

9. "Do not bear false witness against your neighbor"

One must not bear false witness in a court of law or other proceeding.

10. "Do not covet your neighbor's wife"

One is forbidden to desire and plan how one may obtain that which God has given to another.

The Ten Precepts:

1. Panatipata veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
(I undertake to abstain from harming or taking life).

2. Adinnadanna veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
(I undertake to abstain from taking what is not given).

3. Abrahmacariya veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
(I undertake to abstain from any sexual contact).

4. Musavada veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
(I undertake to abstain from false speech).

5. Sura meraya majjapamadatthana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
(I undertake to abstain from the use of intoxicants).

6. Vikalabhojana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
(I undertake to abstain from taking food after midday).

7. Nacca gita vadita visuka dassana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
(I undertake to abstain from dancing, singing, music or any kind of entertainment).

8. Mala ganda vilepana dharana mandana vibhusanatthana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
(I undertake to abstain from the use of garlands, perfumes, unguents and adornments).

9. Uccasayana mahasayana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
(I undertake to abstain from using luxurious seats).

10. Jatarupa rajata patiggahana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
(I undertake to abstain from accepting and holding money).

So, basically, we have (with differences):

6=1
8=2
7=3
9=4

Most of the other precepts refer to the rejection of possessions and ridding thyself of personal desire, while most of the other commandments refer to the acknowledgment and respect of a single God. I think you can really see how these have shaped western and eastern society (though I’d like to point out that, oftentimes, eastern society seems just as materialistic as western society, nowadays).

Later on, we found a very nice display at Wat U Mong that summarized the Buddhist mode of thinking regarding other religions, it read:

Why is it so:

Buddha Dhamma is not the religion of everyone who calls himself a Buddhist. For many are found who call themselves Buddhist, but do not conduct their lives according to the Dhamma as taught by Gotama Buddha.

Christianity is not the religion of everyone who calls himself a Christian. For many are found who call themselves Christians, but do not conduct their lives according to the Dhamma as taught by Jesus Christ.

People of other faiths all fall into this category.

But all human beings, regardless of age and sex, desire happiness, and hate and avoid suffering.

That is why they profess a religion in which they make take refuge.

This being so, why in the world [do] men have prejudices against one another—[is it] all just because of the difference of names of their religious founders?

I think everyone can agree that is pretty wise, and is agreed by most level-headed people.

Well, that entire passage serves as my segue to the second part of our Buddhist adventure. Vanessa and I got to visit Wat U Mong in the forest outside of Chiang Mai and it turned out to be a nice trip. The wat is somewhat unique; wat is Thai for temple, while u mong means “tunnel.” This wat is interesting because it is a somewhat unique style for a temple, with connecting tunnels under the Earth, as well as the traditional chedi (stupa) (…with mandatory stray dog):

Also, the temple’s tunnels are quite old, but the temple was abandoned for many years then was re-established as a temple in the 1940’s, when a guru monk of Thailand sent monks to restore the temple. The temple grounds have a great stone-paved square, with hundreds of Buddhist proverbs (in Thai and English!) nailed to all the trees. It also had great informational plaques in Thai and English (as seen above). The mood of the tunnels was enchanting and we decided to use the unique lighting and strange surroundings to take some quasi-artistic photography. Here I am outside the tunnel entrance: Note that I’m not cut-and-pasted into the picture, but rather, the only colour captured by the camera is green, so that, because of my lack of green, I look out of place. That shows you how lushly green the walls outside the tunnels were.

Here’s one of me, backlit by the natural light filtering in through the end of the tunnel:

Here’s one of me in a tunnel that was completely dark until Vanessa’s camera flash illuminated it forest (luckily I had a flashlight, too).

Lastly, here’s my ghost picture. We took it by leaving the camera shutter open, turning on the flashlight for a moment, then me moving positions, and turning on the flashlight again. Fun stuff.

Well, that’s it for part v of the saga of the north. I think there will be another with some more miscellaneous things.

Until next time!