Krista meets Buddha

Elizabeth’s primary means of support in Chiang Mai is teaching English. So I have had the opportunity to assist with several classes and meet many of her students.

On my first day of assisting I joined the class at the local Buddhist university – Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya. (Uh huh. Try saying that three times fast!) I’m not sure if it’s widely known by my friends reading this blog, but Thailand is a Buddhist country. I knew this because I’d read up on the culture, but for me it’s still a little surprising to see Buddhist monks in saffron robes in the airport, walking through town or taking a songtaew. (A songtaew is another form of “public” transportation here. They are red pick up trucks outfitted with covers and benches in the bed. They function like a group taxi or shuttle.)

At any rate, before the class, Elizabeth prepped me:

- Don’t touch the monks. Women are not allowed to touch monks (who are all male).

- Don’t cross your legs in front of monks and whatever you do…

- Don’t point your feet at any of the monks or put them anywhere but on the floor. (Feet are considered unclean.)

I figured I wouldn’t have much problem with the first rule, but as most of you know, I’m not particularly dainty in the way that I sit and as an unconscious habit I tend to cross my legs and prop myself up with my feet. Hrmmm….I’d definitely have to concentrate.

The class was a prep for the final exam which would be oral interpretation of passage in English read out loud. We sat in groups of three: the native English speaker reading the passage, one of the monks listening and interpreting in Thai and one of the monks “scoring” the interpretation. I can tell you that reading through paragraphs multiple times that start with, “On an island off the coast of Tasmania,” and end with, “eagles and penguins” in a room in the heat of the afternoon, cooled only by ceiling fans, really put my resistance to jet lag to the test.

However, I found the mix of monks fascinating and the “rules” a little amusing considering that these were a group of early twenty-something boys. Elizabeth explained that for many, young, rural Thai boys, joining the monkhood may be their only option for gaining an education. It was clear that many of the monks were devout, but some of them also had more than a hint of naughty-parochial-school student air to them. Except, of course, that they were in no way aggressive. It was more that they choose to distinguish themselves in the way that they wear their robes.

I also noticed the requisite cross-section of queer folks. For that segment the naughty catholic school girl image was really apropos. It was an interesting and very complicated bit of culture shock (although shock is too strong a word) for me in that it mixed Thai/American, Judeo-Christian/Buddhist, and gender identification all in one. Fascinating.

Without exception, however, every monk behaved with respect and sincere graciousness when interacting with either Elizabeth or me. I am relieved to report that I managed to avoid inadvertently insulting them. (I did unconsciously cross my legs. Luckily I was sitting behind a desk ;-)