Monk Chat

After lunch, we headed to a beautiful temple, Wat Suan Dok, in Chiang Mai for a monk chat.  We wandered around the grounds first, taking in the stunningly beautiful white stupas in the cemetery on the temple grounds.  It is a Royal Temple, Third Class, which means, well, I don't have the foggiest idea what that means.

We wandered around the outside of the temple (started in 1370, just over four hundred years before the American Revolution), taking in the sights.  My favorite was the five-headed Naga guarding the temple entrance.  

I will let Wikipedia fill in some details about Naga.  The paragraphs below have been lightly edited for brevity:

In various Asian religious traditions, the Nagas are a divine, or semi-divine, race of half-human, half-serpent beings that reside in the netherworld (Patala), and can occasionally take human or part-human form, or are so depicted in art.  According to legend, they are the children of the sage Kashyapa and Kadru. Rituals devoted to these supernatural beings have been taking place throughout South Asia for at least 2,000 years.They are principally depicted in three forms: as entirely human with snakes on the heads and necks, as common serpents, or as half-human, half-snake beings in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.

In November 2022, the Thai government declared the Naga as the national symbol of Thailand, with the aim of promoting Thai culture and traditions and increasing the country's cultural capital to drive the creative economy. The Naga is a mythical creature with long-standing beliefs and connections to the Thai people, and its designation as a national symbol is a significant step towards preserving and promoting Thai culture.

Google "naga" for more detail.

Temple cemetery.  The bright 

white is stunning and beautiful.

Bells are an important of Thai culture.

Every so often, I take a pretty cool photo.

The intricate temple wall.

Three of the five-headed Naga statue.  

I got some pics of all five heads, but

thought this photo looked best.

We then headed inside to a classroom building to have a "Monk Chat" -- where you chat with a monk.  Our monk (I didn't take pictures) did not live at that temple.  Instead he lived at a temple far enough away he had to take a cab.  The reason he was the designated chatter among monks is that his English is impeccable.  It might not be the Queen's English, but it's the Monk's English.

It was interesting listening to him; he's a good salesman for Buddhism (don't worry mom, I NOT going down that route).  One aspect I'm not sure I remembered from learning about Buddhism in Myanmar is that they say it is not a religion, but more of a philosophy of living.  I won't bore you with my thoughts on the pros and cons of Buddhism, but will be happy to do so if you buy me a beer sometime.

He certainly did not want to admit to any problems or weaknesses in Buddhism or the temple/monk life.  Becky asked the same question three different ways, and each time he demurred to directly answer the question.  I asked a question that he danced and dodged around.  There was a question about female monks, but he never really answered it.  It wasn't exactly enlightening to have him not answer questions, but at least on my deathbed I'll receive total consciousness.  (For you youngsters, that's a classic Bill Murray/Caddyshack reference).