Monastery Wat Tham Khao Mai Ruak
Thap Sakae, Thailand
With Phra Will on His Morning Alms Rounds
December 2015
This 14-minute video documents the route Phra Will takes each morning along the roads, fields and through the countryside nearby the Monastery. Out of respect, it does not show any villagers making merit nor Phra Will actually chanting blessings. The last 2 1/2 minutes show the monks and Temple crew bringing the offerings back to the temple and setting up for the morning meal.
Burt Woolf writes....
"DECEMBER 2015: The 5-hour bus ride south from Bangkok was smooth and uneventful. Then 7 wonderful days at Temple "Wat Tham Khao Mai Ruak" on the shores of the Gulf of Thailand. Ajahn Den, the Abbott of the Monastery, welcomed me as a brother (a hug) and I was introduced to Phra Will (Australia-born monk) who became my close friend during the week I was there.
I visited this Temple as a "lay follower", each day assigned a structured schedule of work and service activities that started before sunrise helping Phra Will on his daily alms rounds, followed by breakfast and morning activities (mostly sweeping the grounds -- more mindful than I had ever thought), then lunch (more food from morning alms rounds) followed by afternoon activities (nap and more sweeping), then dinner (for me only, since the monks do not eat after Noon time) -- usually something light, microwaved from the freezer. At 6:00 PM, Phra Will led chanting and meditation in the temple sanctuary. We were joined by Phra Gai, a young monk living on the site, and three or four nuns. Then quiet evening activities before bedtime by 10 PM or so.
By Day 3 at the Monastery I was as mellow as can be... I wish I could stay for a month. Oh well... next time!
Assisting Phra Will on alms rounds each morning was the highlight of my stay -- an incredible, unique and special privilege. The monks can eat food only that is given and prepared for them by others in the community (thus the tradition of going out into the community each morning to receive the offering of food prepared by the nearby villagers). For the villagers this is an act of "making merit" (for good karma).
I looked forward to waking up at 5:10 AM, taking a cold "shower" with buckets of cold water, dressing in my "Temple Whites," and meeting Phra Will before sunrise by the railroad tracks at the edge of the monastery grounds. Before starting out, we would pause for a mindful moment to watch for the very first rays of sun lighting the eastern sky over the trees by the shores of the Gulf of Thailand. We walked together, mostly in silence (with me behind), on paths and dirt roads through back yards and fields, as well as on paved roads; in total, we covered about 2 kilometres in about an hour's time.
Phra Will vists a set group of homes in the village each day. The householders are ready for him when he shows up. They lovingly scoop cooked rice into his bowl and hand him a hot dish of some kind (presented Thai-style in a small plastic bag tied off with a rubber band). I stand behind Phra Will, head bowed, and fill my shoulder bag with the hot meal offerings he has been given to take back to the Temple. After the offering, Phra Will gives a brief blessing chant while the householder sits or kneels before him. Such a loving and mindful process.
The villagers noticed me in the background, and honored me with their occasional smiles and quips: More than once, a householder would ask Phra Will: "Who is the Westerner with you today?" "An American?" "When is he going to be ordained as a monk?" I was honored to be part of this unforgettable process.
For more information Contact Burt Woolf Tel: 413.244.4418. Email: burtwoolf@gmail.com