A Buddhist Monk

How can participating in Rituals bring meaning to a person’s life?

Buddhist Initiation Ritual: Alan's Ordination at Wat Luang Phor Sodh, December 10, 2000

“When the clock struck midnight on January 1st, 2000, I was already thinking about how I might

celebrate the next New Year—the beginning of the third millennium. After some thought I decided

to fulfill my mother’s long-standing dream by ordaining as a monk in her homeland. My New Year

would be spent in Thailand, where, by the Buddhist calendar, they’ve been in the third millennium

for 543 years already.

There was no question about where I would ordain. The Venerable Abbot Phra Bhavana

Visutthikhun at Wat Luang Phor Sodh has been a close family friend since I was very young—I have

always fondly referred to him as "uncle" and he warmly welcomed me to ordain there. The dates

were chosen by some sort of cosmic calculation that was beyond me (because I was born on a

Saturday came into the equation at some point). I would ordain the day before the last full moon of

2000, and disrobe the day before the first full moon of the New Year, which coincided with my late

grandfather’s birthday. What a neat calculation that was!

I wanted to brush up on my Thai, which was a bit rusty (foreigners who ordain should speak, read,

and write Thai fluently), and learn some chanting. I received a script and recording of the Pali

chanting I’d need to recite in the ordination ceremony, but one minute into the first listening I

thought to myself, "this is impossible"! How my American father once did this, I had no idea. But as

December approached, I found myself chanting in the car, chanting in the shower, even chanting in

my sleep. I just wondered if I would actually get the whole thing memorized by "the big day" or not.

The most common question my friends had for me was why I was going to become a monk, which

was hard to answer in a way they would understand. The biggest reason was to gain merit for my

family, and especially for my mother, as women have no chance to ordain for themselves. My

friends also asked me if I would really have to shave my head (yes), would I have to be a vegetarian

(no), would I beg for my meals (not exactly alms food is a bit different from begging), and a host of

other questions I couldn’t answer yet.

Since I live in Japan and the rest of my family live far apart, my ordination would be a much

anticipated family reunion. For this joyous occasion, not only my parents but also my three siblings,

brother in-law, and 9-month old nephew would be there. (My 97-year old grandmother lives only 20

minutes from the Wat, so she had the shortest distance to travel!) The last time I saw my older sister

she was 7-months pregnant. Now she had an adorable baby boy. All our

friends and relatives in Thailand were thrilled to see him, not least of all

our uncle, the Venerable Abbot at Luang Phor Sodh. My sister hoped to

have her son’s hair cut in a Buddhist ceremony meant to cleanse and

purify a newborn baby. In Thai Buddhist tradition, this meant shaving the

baby’s head. In the case of babies who appeared weak or ailing, a tuft of

hair on the top of the head would be left to grow while the rest of the

head would continue to be shaved.

This would become a sort of top-knot to be cut off when the child had become strong and healthy.

But for my vibrant and charming nephew, the Venerable Abbot just cut a little hair off the top, and

blessed him with holy water sprinkled on his head. My nephew was very well behaved throughout.

He really seemed content and happy (I think he was also fascinated by the orange robes, as he never

took his eyes of the Venerable Abbot)! The following day was set to be my turn for a

haircut, but much more than just a bit off the top.

I woke up early on ordination day and my jet-lagged brother graciously ran through

my lines for the ordination with me. It looked good. The head shaving was quite fun

for everyone, as family members and friends took turns cutting off locks of my hair.

My brother in-law took the biggest chop right off the top, but everyone enjoyed

having a go at being barber-for-a-day. Then one of the resident monks shaved off my

hair, which neither hurt nor tickled, even when he shaved off my eyebrows (a

tradition for monks in Thailand). The breeze was cool over the top of my head and everyone had a

smile on their face, so I was very interested to see for myself what I looked like. When I finally

caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror with my shaved white head without eyebrows, my upper body

covered with a white cloth, all I could think was "who is that alien?"

Before the ordination ceremony began, I went down to the stream with my hair gathered on a lotus

leaf and floated it away on the gentle current. I knew I should make a wish or a resolution at this

point, but I didn’t know what to think, what I would learn, or what was in store for me over this next

month. All I could hope for was that I would go along smoothly, peacefully, and detached like my old

hair floating down the stream.

Although I’d hoped to relax a bit and go over my lines again, the time had been flying by, and it was

already time to start the ordination ceremony. We all made our way to the Bot, which I have always

found very beautiful. The design is classical Ayutthaya architecture, but done all in white. The

atmosphere there is one of absolute purity and goodness. Before entering the Bot, my family,

relatives, and entire entourage assembled and walked around the Bot three times. Many Pali chants

have sections that are also repeated three times, always to pay homage to the Buddha, to the

Dhamma teachings, and to the Sangha community of monks. The resident farang monk and my

mentor at Wat Luang Phor Sodh, Phra Walter, told me that I should be mindful during this walk, but I

was already excited and nervous about the ceremony which was about to start.

The previous day Phra Walter had run through a "dress rehearsal" of the ceremony with me, but it

all seemed a little bit different when people were actually there. I lit my joss sticks in front of the Bot

and happily chanted my lines. Things were going smoothly as I entered the Bot and continued with

the "going forth". By this time, the Venerable Abbot and 12 monks were in their places in front of

the Buddha images, and my family and friends were seated on the floor, men on the left and women

on the right.

The next part of the ordination was acquiring a full set of robes, which

were presented directly by my parents, with all others present touching

them, like a human chain, so that everyone was involved. When I took

the robes to the Venerable Abbot I realized that there is quite a bit of

walking on one’s knees in this ceremony! That’s something I had skipped

over in the dress rehearsal. And in case I should happen to forget my

lines, I was assured that my "helper" would whisper me a prompt (much like the person under the

stage in a play). This was reassuring in theory, but it turned into a distraction for me. I had

memorized some of my lines with a pause between lines, which always brought a prompt from my

helper, which in turn threw me off my "rhythm". At some points, other helpful monks would chime

in as well! I guess they have been to so many ordinations that they could prompt me in their sleep. I

wonder if any of them were sleeping…

Although all but a few people present were either Thai or fluent in speaking it, my ordination was

unique in that the Venerable Abbot explained everything in English. This was very helpful for me (but

perhaps not as helpful for my grandmother and other Thai relatives). Then taking my robes and

walking on my knees again, I was reminded by Phra Walter to turn left and go out

the back of the Bot. Three seconds later, I was turning right and going out the front

of the Bot. I guess I did have a bit of stage fright after all! Outside the Bot, several

monks had me out of my white robes and securely tied in my orange monk’s robes

faster than I could say "I’m never going to learn how to tie this thing". And now,

standing in my monk’s robes, I realized for the first time that this moment I’d been

thinking about for the past year had really come. As I walked back up the steps into

the Bot I also realized that I had no idea what came next in the ceremony. My mind

was a complete blank!

What actually did come next was taking refuge in the "Triple Gem" (the Buddha, the Dhamma, and

the Sangha) and taking the 10 precepts which would initially ordain me as a novice. Since this part

was simply repeating what was said to me, I only practiced the pronunciation of these lines. I hadn’t

actually memorized them—and repeating the lines was more difficult than I had anticipated.

Especially the 8th precept (abstaining from the use of garlands, perfumes, unguents, and

adornments), which starts with "MALA-GANDHA-VILEPANA-DHARANA-MANDANA-

VIBHUSANATTHANA-VERAMANI" all in one breath. My helper had turned into a small cheering

squad of helpers who broke this tongue-twister down into smaller parts for me. My mother felt sorry

seeing me struggle and discreetly placed a copy of the script in front of me. I really appreciated her

help, but I’d had my glasses off since the head shaving and I couldn’t see a word on the page! Also,

my pronunciation wasn’t quite up to par, and I had to repeat a few lines until I got it right but I did

make it through. Officially I was ordained as a novice at this point.

The rest of the ceremony went smoothly and consisted of higher ordination, or acceptance as a full-

fledged monk. This included asking the Venerable Abbot to be my preceptor, making sure I had a full

set of robes and alms-bowl, receiving a new name in Pali, and answering

the interrogation of the Sangha. This set of 13 questions are mostly yes / no

questions in Pali asked in a pre-determined order. Some of the questions

might seem a bit strange to a modern day ordainee "do you suffer from

leprosy?" and, "are you a human being?" were two that made me snicker.

But these questions are not only simple tradition; my further study of the

ceremony showed a deeper meaning in many of the inquiries. (You

shouldn’t laugh at the Vinaya, I suppose.)

Following my formal request to the Sangha and their acceptance, the Venerable Abbot officially

welcomed me as a monk at Wat Luang Phor Sodh. But before breaking for many photo opportunities

in and around the Bot, the Venerable Abbot spoke seriously and meaningfully to me about the role

and responsibility of being a monk. I would gain merit for myself and my family, but I would also

learn the Dhamma, and I would try to live my life mindfully, following the 227 precepts of the

Vinaya, and paying homage daily to the Triple Gem.

Following the ceremony, when I first greeted my family as a monk, I had to keep firmly in mind that I

should not return their waves. That was a hard thing to do, especially to my own parents and

grandmother! Instinctively I wanted to hug my younger sister, but one rule of the Vinaya prohibits

any physical contact with females. Instead, feeling a little bit sad but mostly happy, I smiled at my

sister and reminded myself not to wave back to her.”

http://www.world-faiths.com/Buddhism/becoming_a_monk.htm

Key Terms:

Wat: Temple of a Buddhist Monastery

Abbot: The head of a Monastery (this term is used in many faiths, including Buddhism and

Christianity)

Vinaya: The rules and teachings of the Buddha which Buddhist Monks live by.

Sangha: The Community of Buddhist Monks and/or Nuns.

Bot: The most sacred part of a Buddhist temple, called the Sanctuary.

Farang monk: A Buddhist Monkl who comes from a Western Country.

Phra: Means “Monk”; a title a bit like “brother”.

Pali: A classical form of Thai which the Buddhist Scriptures are written in.

After reading the source respond to the following questions in your exercise books:

1. Summarise the order of events in this ritual

2. List three symbolic objects or actions described in this ritual, and explain what you think

they symbolise

3. What roles do the Family of the Ordainee have in the ritual?

4. What are the reasons that Alan gives for deciding to become a Monk?

5. Describe any other benefits you think he might get from going through this ritual?

6. Which reason do you think has the most importance for Alan?

7. What are some of the challenges he faces in this ritual and in his life after going through the

ritual?

8. Does this ritual have many aspects in common with other rituals you know about? Describe

these and which rituals it reminds you of, including Secular rituals.

9. How will participating in this ritual change Alan’s life? How will it give meaning to his life?

What does this account of a ritual suggest about the meaning or purpose of life?