“The inward journey is a spiritual pilgrimage to the divine centre of one’s being.”
ref. book: Spiritual Co-Pilgrims Towards a Christian Spirituality in Dialogue with Asian Religions.
“There is unity in all religions on the spiritual journey.”
Julie Walker
Thai Monks
I was honored to be invited to one of my student Monk’s ordination. Phra (Monk) Den, who is from Cambodia and his parents could not attend so several of the Maryknoll s attended the ceremony. Now that he is 20 years old, the ordination ceremony consecrates him to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. I also have a monk in my English class who is 15 years old. He is a “novice” monk until he reaches age 20 and chooses to be ordained. There are precepts or guidelines that monks strive to adhere to. Among others, a woman must never touch a monk or his robe. To give a gift at the ordination, Phra Den extended a pink cloth on the table for me to place the flowers and money. At the beginning of the ordination ceremony, there was a procession around the temple three times while different chants and yells occurred. At the reception, we were fed an amazing Thai food feast. The Monks ate first and usually eat by themselves. Another precept is to refrain from taking substantial food after noon until dawn. Since the English school is within the temple, there is no school on Buddhist Prayer days. These occur on the day of the full moon, half moon and new moon. In Buddhist symbolism, the lotus is symbolic of purity of the body, speech, and mind as while rooted in the mud, its flowers blossom on long stalks as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire.
Thai People
My students and Thai people in general continue to overwhelm me with their kindness and respect. Everyday at class, students bring me snacks, desserts or homemade gifts! A popular form of greeting is the “wai”, where the hands are held together with the fingers pointing upward (like in prayer). It is not only a greeting, but is also used as a sign of respect for an elder person, someone of higher status and Buddha. At mass today in the Catholic Church, we “wai-ed” each other at the hand-shake of peace. There is an obvious high respect for others, the government and The Kingdom of Thailand Monarchy. I must say that I cannot help but feel a certain warmness for the person ‘wai-ing’. I rode on the back of a motorcycle taxi for the first time this week and it was quite fun! You see families on motorcycles with a parent riding with a child in back and one in front. Some people say that the popularity of motorbikes in the city have contributed to the air pollution. Schools were closed half this week and all next week due to the poor air quality. I have not felt too affected but did recently invest in a couple masks to wear while outside. One of my students told me that there are three seasons in Thailand; Hot, Very Hot and Rainy Hot! I just feel like I’m having one BIG hot flash!!!
Longan Fruit 
Sightseeing
I feel so blessed to be here and the Maryknoll staff; Bro. John and Bro. Tim have been so hospitable with their time and knowledge of the city of Bangkok. Also, Phra Suraphet, the Monk who manages the English program at the Wat I teach, has been wonderful taking us on tours. Bro. John has been in Bangkok for 30 years and currently lives in Chinatown. He took me and two other Maryknoll teachers on a tour of Chinatown navigating through back alley’s, beautiful temples, and amazing marketplaces. Evidence of the Chinese New Year approaching was evident everywhere – “The Year of the Pig”.
Un-cut noodles 
Traditional machine to make noodles 
Phra Suraphet received an award for his teaching outreach efforts. He invited us to join him at Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University located about one hour outside of Bangkok to accept the award. The Ministry of Culture of Thailand ASEAN Cultural Center at the University also showcased the ASEAN community’s histories cultures, arts, traditions and values to deliver the message to the pubic on the shared cultural heritages and values within the Southeast Asian region and its people. Next, we visited a temple near by the University. I was most impressed with the beautiful paintings on the walls inside the Temple that used gold filigree paint and the impressive dragons protecting the Temple. Next, we visited the King Naresuan Great Palace, Wat Yai Chaimongkhon, Wat Panan Choeng, and Ayutthaya – the Thai Ancient City of Thailand 1350 – 1767 and former Capital. I googled the legend of the roosters seen at the King Naresuan site and all around Thailand: When King Naresuam was a Prince, he wagered a bet with a Burmese prince that Ayutthaya would be freed from Burmese rule if Naresuan’s rooster emerged victorious in the cock fight. Prince Naresuan’s rooster won the bet, humiliating the Burmese prince in the process. Phra Suraphet was a wonderful teacher, telling us what the different Buddha hand positions mean and explaining that people cover the Buddha statue with a thin golden leaf to honor Buddha teachings.
Vietnamese Calligraphy 
Bro. John and Bro. Tim took us to the Jim Thompson House & Museum in downtown Bangkok. The hand weaving of silk, a long-neglected cottage industry, captured Jim Thompson’s (an American born in Greenville, Delaware in 1906) attention. He devoted himself to reviving the craft and contributed substantially to the industry’s growth and worldwide recognition of Thai silk. We toured his house which combined six teak buildings representing the best in traditional Thai architecture.
Embracing Gray 
Love the stories and all of the beautiful vibrant pictures!
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Love your pictures and comments, almost like being with you. Sylvia
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Loving the pictures and your detail about everything, thanks for the private tour 🥰
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