Every year Don Chao Poo forest in Phana is taken over by hundreds of monks, novices and men and women in white who have undertaken to join them for 10 days of meditation and Buddhist teachings. The people of Phana undertake to feed them every day from 21st December to 30th December. Different villages take it in turns to do this, though other people are welcome to join them on any day. Some people go to the forest every day to offer food as the long line of monks go on the morning bindabat, or alms round.
The opening ceremony, which is not attended by the monks, will take place in the forest tomorrow morning. But for the last few days people have been preparing the forest.
Boys and girls from Udomwitayakorn Primary School near the forest have been working hard.
A lot of their work has been sweeping leaves from the main entrance to the forest and collecting some of the rubbish that litters the area.
The big problem is plastic bags. People bring food for the monkeys in plastic bags and although some of the bags get put into rubbish bins, the wind and the monkeys often take them out again. Some of the monkeys also have the habit of snatching bags of food and making off into the forest with it, so bags can be found all over the place. The problem of plastic bags here needs to be looked at and something done about it. Not that there is an easy solution but I'm sure it could be alleviated.
Anyway, at least once a year something gets done and this young lad seems to be enjoying himself even if he isn't working as hard as the other boys. I wonder how he got into this priviliged position. My guess is he knows somebody.
Outside the forest, this tetsaban employee is delivering flags to line the front wall of the forest.
Leaving my car inside the forest while I went off to take photos was a big mistake.
If the schoolboys were working hard, this was playtime for the forest residents.
I went back to the forest today, Sunday. The monks arrive today and the tetsaban had arranged a reception counter for them.
Most of the monks have attended this annual retreat before and they knew their way around the forest. All the same, someone was on hand to greet them and help them with their camping equipment. Some of them came with a glot, the tent which looks like an umbrella when it is rolled up. This is the one which tudong monks use when they are on their travels. I couldn't get a photo of one today because monks were changing their robes at each of the ones I found.
Many monks are into camping equipment of a more recognisable form.
A kitchen was set up near the reception area.
It looks as if a cup of tea will soon be served. These monks will only eat once a day during the 10-day retreat but tea without milk is allowable at any time, as is water, of course.
There are several of these water tanks in the forest and part of the preparations has been to clean them out.
The most important area is this one where the monks and other meditators will sit. Straw has been laid on the ground beneath the trees and there are piles of straw in several places so that it can be renewed when necessary.
The monks also practise walking meditation along the shady paths of the forest.
I will be returning to the forest tomorrow morning because Moo 1 where I live is the main sponsor for offering food on the first day. Because it is the first day, though, there will be hundreds of people waiting to offer food to the monks. Then I will go back on other days to see how things are going. So I hope to post again about this meditation retreat later in the week.
Lawrence, guess I know what you will be doing over Christmas.
I do enjoy these posts, very informative and showing a part of Thai lifestyle that even those of us who live here, don't always get to experience.
Posted by: Mike | 21 December 2009 at 12:37 PM
Not all the time, Mike. I'm glad you enjoy them. I think I'm very lucky to be here -- as I can see you think you are too. It's a kind of reincarnation, it's so different from my original life -- the one I go back to for half the year. Leading a sort of double life, I suppose.
Posted by: Lawrence | 21 December 2009 at 11:32 PM