Becoming A Monk

[Mosha]

I have been to many of these over the past 6 years or so, and yeaterday we got back home from a family celebration. However parts of the events got me wondering as events did not follow what I have seen in the past.

1. The head shaving, every other occaission the young man having his head shaved had his hands in the prayer mode while holding a "lotus?" stem with the bud unopened. On Saturday he was just sat in a chair while the trimmin/shaving went on.

2. At the Wat. The Naga goes to a shrine and prays, then he is carried around the wat 3 times. A mat is then placed on the ground, and the Naga is allowed to place his feet on the mat, and he prays. He is carried to the Wat's entrance, where again he is set down, and he distributes coins and sweets by throwing them in the air. Yesterday, he walked around the wat 3 times, and was only carried up a small flight of steps to the Wat entrance, before the wealth distribution.

Admittedly I didn't go inside the Wat to witness the transformation from Naga to Monk. However has anyone an explanation why things did not proceed as I have seen before?

[PoorSucker]

I find this site useful.

thaiworldview

[fabianfred]

Impermanence...

The rites and rituals change from temple to temple......

[Brucenkhamen]

2. At the Wat. The Naga goes to a shrine and prays, then he is carried around the wat 3 times. A mat is then placed on the ground, and the Naga is allowed to place his feet on the mat, and he prays. He is carried to the Wat's entrance, where again he is set down, and he distributes coins and sweets by throwing them in the air. Yesterday, he walked around the wat 3 times, and was only carried up a small flight of steps to the Wat entrance, before the wealth distribution.

Admittedly I didn't go inside the Wat to witness the transformation from Naga to Monk. However has anyone an explanation why things did not proceed as I have seen before?

Naga? You're saying the monk to be dressed up as a Naga? this is a new one on me.

Rituals will vary between cultures, wats, and abbots. I wouldn't read anything into it.

The main things are the chanting and having a preceptor and a quorum of monks present as far as I know.

[Mosha]

Naga? You're saying the monk to be dressed up as a Naga? this is a new one on me.

I was watching a Discover programme about King Cobras. It mentioned the limk between these snakes and Thai Bhuddism.

Before final initiation, the Abbot will ask the initiate "Are you a man or Naga." This refers to when a snake tried to impersonate a novice to become a monk, but while wearing the white robes, the narrative on Discovery said that the initiates are know as Naga.

[sabaijai]

Naga? You're saying the monk to be dressed up as a Naga? this is a new one on me.

I was watching a Discover programme about King Cobras. It mentioned the limk between these snakes and Thai Bhuddism.

Before final initiation, the Abbot will ask the initiate "Are you a man or Naga." This refers to when a snake tried to impersonate a novice to become a monk, but while wearing the white robes, the narrative on Discovery said that the initiates are know as Naga.

Correct.

[bankei]

These are all cultural parts of the ceremony. The only important part is the actual ordination proceedure which occurs within the siima boundary with the monks.

[thailandfaq]

These are all cultural parts of the ceremony. The only important part is the actual ordination proceedure which occurs within the siima boundary with the monks.

The legend states that in the time of the Buddha, thet Nagaraja the King of the Nagas, came and asked the Buddha to be ordained as a Bhikkhu.

The Buddha then told him that this was not possible, due to the fact that he was a Naga and not a Human.

The Naga King then thought for a moment and replied "Well then if i cannnot become a Bhikkhu, then can it be so that all Bhikkhus have to be ordained as a Naga first before they can ordain as a Bhikkhu?

The Buddha agreed to this request, and this is the reason why all ordination ceremonies in Thailand are preceded by ordination as a Naga, the Naga wearing white. This is to honor the Nagaraja, who is a protector of the Dhamma

The variations are different though - for example, at my ordination ceremony, i did not wish to have loads of laypeoplegetting drunk with music and partying dancing around the Bote (shrine), which for me was rather inappropriate to an ordination representing the leaavinf behind of worldly matters - Thai culture likes to have a party at any excuse and just as in any religion, the common folk have not always a deep understanding of the meaning of ceremonies, and use them just to have a party with.

I wished for a solemn and reverent ordination, so we did not invite a lot of people, simply the closest family members and a congregation of 20 Bhikkhus to do the chanting.

I wallked arond the Bote with my preceptor 3 times chanting itipiso and then asked for ordination at the steps to the bote.Then entered and knelt before the dais and asked for the second time

Then climbed up onto the dais, approached the upachaya and asked for the third time after having recieved the precepts of a Smanera. I was converted from samaneri to full Bhikkhu in the space of 15 minutes. The whole ceremony took about one and a half hours, 45 minutes of which was me chanting the Ugasa chanting alone in Pali (wow was that difficult to remember, with only a little help from the คู่สวด).

Edited February 2, 2010 by thailandfaq