Today was the first time going on an alms round with Ajahn K. As expected, he’s a pro. He kindly asked that I should tell him to speed up or slow down as required. The problem was that he was able to maintain a consistent speed throughout. What may seem slow during the easier surfaces was fast on the tough parts. My feet ended up even more battered than usual. He’s a very nice guy though and more talkative than the other monks.

He suggested the idea of ordaining more seriously and we had a good chat. I mainly said that I had other priorities for now but honestly it was difficult to think straight as I was in pain from the walk. As peaceful and content as I’ve become, I feel that I already have a good lay life for now. There’s suffering definitely but I’m not sure I’m willing to give it all up quite yet. At this rate my knees will give out before I make it even 2 months.

Since I was so exhausted I fell asleep after breakfast. The weather was accommodating so I slept for almost 2 hours. I was better prepared last night from the cold and closing the windows definitely helped, but I still woke up at times.

Last night I was so exhausted by the time I got back that I didn’t have time to do any of the chants. The sleep was awful as well. Maybe I should’ve cleaned my room or not drank so much fluids during Nam Pana. It did get a lot colder again so I might try closing all the windows tonight.

I decided to attend evening chanting early so I could get some extra time to meditate. It worked out really well I think as I felt more energised straight after Nam Pana and showering so the freshness certainly helped with concentration. Plus I’m finding it difficult to meditate at any other time anyway.

The weather has gotten cold again which was great. Not as great though was a wooden hut with little insulation. It’s not easy to prepare for since by the time I’ve fallen asleep at 9pm it’s still relatively warm, but then the temperature plummets at around midnight. I’ve found that there’s a weather app on the common Sangha phone so I can prepare better for the future. At least I should keep a blanket within reach so I can feel for it in the dark of night.

Morning after Wan Phra is still Pali-Thai chanting and the morning chanting is definitely better than the evening. That or my toes are getting used to it. Seeing that the temperature had cooled I also decided to brave it with the 2 outer robes once more on the alms round and it was surprisingly fine. I think it’s better now that I’ve gotten used to all the other aspects of the alms round but the robes did still drop pretty low over time.

Many monks followed the abbot to another monastery this morning so there were only a few monks sitting at the meal. It was then Ajahn R.’s job as the deputy abbot to give the morning talk. It was hilarious how relaxed he was, a counterpart to the abbot. Loosely translated from Thai he said, “nothing much really, the abbot is away, yesterday was hot, today is cold, nothing else, let’s receive the blessing.” I’ve been charmed by his laid-back nature on multiple occasions but this one takes it.

I ate a bit less to see if it would help with my lathargy since I thought I was perhaps consuming too many carbs. Not at all. I went back to my kuti and slept for almost 2 hours. It could’ve had something to do with the night before though. I also didn’t get to sweep the kuti today which was a shame.

Sangha Tea was interesting as Ajahn K. talked at length about his adventures in the north of Thailand near Chiang Mai. He told us of the different tribes that live close but with vastly different customs and accents, so different that they didn’t even understand one another. One tribe would begin their day in the fields by 6am whereas another wouldn’t be awake at 8am so he’d have to adjust his alms round accordingly.

Also fascinating was Nen G. (a Tibetan novice on a temporary visit like me) explaining the differences in the ways of the Tibetan monks compared to Thai Theravada monks. The abbot was quick to point out that all the Buddhist lineages and sects share the same core and we should all do as much as we can to support one another. Apparently the monks even dance and sing there, but no alms round as it’s too cold.

I had a quick chat with the abbot this morning and he said that it was absolutely fine for me to stay until the end of March and also disrobe at WPN. I could not be more thankful for the opportunity and had tears in my eyes the whole time. He encouraged me to stay for as long as I needed and I really have to make the next few weeks count now.

Since today is Wan Phra we have less chores to do than usual but there were more sitting meditation sessions. My left knee is still struggling. This was a painful reminder as to how slow Pali-Thai chanting was. I decided to stay a little later to listen to the abbot’s Dhamma talk in the evening which he gives to the laypeople every Wan Phra and he was wise and insightful as usual.

I did feel sympathy towards the other monks who also stayed behind. Towards the end I was struggling to stay awake not because the talk was dull in any way, but because I was so tired. Most of the other monks didn’t even understand Thai but remained steadfast in their meditation posture. The talk lasted for an hour and finished at 10:30pm. Some stayed for the Nessajik (all-nighter that happens every Wan Phra) but I won’t have the endurance for that any time soon. Seeing that I needed to be up at 2:45am, I went back and crashed. It’s no surprise then that monks don’t care much for bedding. When you’re so tired, you can sleep anywhere.

I went on an outing today to a monastery in Sakon Nakhon to enshrine a chedi. This involved a lot of monks getting together to pass baskets filled with small Buddha relics along a line spiralling to the top of the chedi. Tan Ajahn Kevali had asked for volunteers and I thought that it would be a good idea to go since I’d probably never get this opportunity again. Our team consisted of the abbot, 5 monks including myself and a couple of samaneras.

Monks are expected to be self-sufficient inside and outside their resident monastery and this outing was no different. In fact it was very challenging. Since our abbot was a relative junior (even though he’s been a monk for over 20 years) he would seek out and pay respects to more senior monks throughout the monastery. This happened to be a gathering of 123 monks from 73 monasteries.

It was tough from the get go when we got out of the van. When travelling between monasteries monks would have to wear the outer robes over the shoulder, just like on the alms round. As soon as we left the transport and inside the monastery area, the other monks switched their robes to expose their right shoulder with expert proficiency. As I was still strugging to shift my robes about, I could see that our abbot had identified and moved towards his first target and the other WPN monks followed to his exact beat. There was a moment of panic as I tried my hardest to secure my robes as the abbot along with the other 4 monks went to their knees before a senior monk and prostrated three times in unison.

It was truly a sight to behold, that this was the Western Sangha on display showing the result of their practice and discipline. I could feel nothing but shame as I was always half a step behind, struggling with the pain as I got on my knees each time. We would’ve been great without me but instead ended up looking average. I felt very sorry for the abbot for failing to represent WPN properly even when he told me not to worry. It appeared that WPN and the abbot himself were held in very high regard and he was asked to give a Dhamma talk that morning even though there were so many more senior monks about.

We also had our meal there and what I’ve come to know with monks at events like these is that no one gave out instructions on what to do or where to go. You have to rely on your common sense but luckily as a junior monk, you’d be expected to simply follow your seniors. “Be like a mirror” was what Tan S. told me on the first day. This was made somewhat more difficult as there were over a hundred monks swarming everywhere and I learnt how easy it was to lose someone when everyone wore similar coloured robes and had no hair.

Eventually I did find them and we had our meal. There was no one to set the eating pace this time as our abbot sat in a different area for senior monks, so I simply kept glancing at our most senior monk. The food turned out to be very good and it was the first time in a long time that I had ice-cream. I was a little surprised at how many other monks outside of WPN had smartphones. Throughout the event the senior monks would often take videos and selfies. It just wasn’t a good look for monks I thought.

The other surprising thing was how no one lost their flip-flops. We took them off when entering a building and I completely forgot where I left mine as soon as we exited the fourth or so building in close succession. When I turned to check, I was met with a sea of yellow/brown flip-flops that all looked exactly the same. Luckily mine were slightly different and I eventually found them but the other monks seemed to have found theirs too somehow. The trip would begin and end in the back seat of the 8-person van. I never appreciated the luxurious comfort of an air-conditioned van this much before.

We came back just in time for robe washing and I got to see Tan S. dye his lower robe for the first time. I had seen him sew the robe himself in the past few days but he must have begun a while back. Starting with the plain white cloth he immersed it in a dye made from jackfruit heartwood and squeezed the cloth with his hands. This also explained why all the monk’s hands at WPN were stained every few days as they also used some of the dye to wash their clothes.

The process of making the dye itself was very labour intensive. It took 3 days and many monks taking turns to watch the fire as it boiled the water but not burning the concentrate. Once the cloth was dyed evenly, it had to be hung rolled up on the clothing line the first few times to ensure that the dye didn’t drip out.