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1. Conversation with Chedi Luang monk at Day 22
Day 22 : Today 5 pm, I decide to join the Chat With Monk Program at Wat
Chedi Luang. This is the program for monk to practice English at the same
time to exchange culture and expound Buddha teaching with visitors. I talk
with a monk who has been in temple life for 15 years, 8 years as novice and 7
years as monk. In Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, only with age 20
and above can be ordained as a monk. From the desire of parent and teacher
for him to attend to be a novice at the age of 12 until embracing, prepared and
ordaining to be a monk at age 20, the Buddha teaching has greatly attract him
after knowing more and more.
After be a monk, monks are seldom going back to hometown. Normally monk
will go back home if family members has critical issue like sickness or family
conflict. They will go back to pay visit, taking care, or provide solution. Monks
stay in the temple most of the time. They meditate, chanting, and learning
Buddha teachings from senior monks. Twice a year they will attend to
Buddhist Committee to learn from senior monks. If invited by other temples or
overseas temples, then they will travel out. They also can request for stay at
overseas temple If accepted, they will travel out to oversea. For the meals,
they are eating breakfast at 6.30 am and lunch at 10.30 am. After midday,
meal and non liquid drinks are not allowed.

2. In monastery, there do have rules and precepts need to be followed. There
have different levels of rules for novice, monk and premier monk. Some minor
rules can be break depend of situations. For example, if a monk is fall in great
sick, then the monk is allowed to eat although after midday. In this context, life
is most important. Only with the life maintained and sustained, then the monks
can continue to learn, expound the Buddha teaching and share the
knowledge. After break a rule, monk can ask for forgiveness from senior
monks. By that, then he will feel at ease and wouldn’t keep it in heart, and can
fully concentrate to learn Buddha teaching and meditation. If not ask for
forgiveness, he might keep in mind and will suffering. In real life, most of the
people feel ashamed to admit the mistake and ask for forgiveness.
Buddha teaching emphasize on cause and effect. Everything happen does
have its cause. With the sound understanding of cause and effect and with
mindfulness and calm mind (practice through meditation), one will have the
capacity and capability to analyses and find out the root cause insightfully, by
wisdom and open minded to resolve it or let it go. With tranquil and calm
mind, wisdom will follow and right choice can be made wisely, mindfully,
logically, and insightfully.
In real life, there always exist of conflicts and fights because of individual
benefit. There will always one party greedier and acquire more benefit than
another party. When coming to this situation, we should be generous to give.

3. Chinese do have sayings that giving is a blessing. By giving, we will feel
happier, more content, and less distress. Imagine that if you keep fight for
interest with another party, you will need to keep thinking what they will do in
next steps, and what you need to do to counter attack, at the end you will feel
so tired and distress and lose the quality of life and peace of mind. To some
extend for some circumstance, it might affect life either physically or mentally.
Most of the time we learn Buddha teaching and we talk about it, but we
unable to implement it. Talking is easy but how to implement it in our daily life
is so hard. However, our hand and our actions are controlled by our mind.
With the gradually and continuously learning and understanding of Buddha
teaching, slowly our behaviors and attitude will change accordingly to our
mind. When the time come, we will implement the practice and teaching,
accepting everything that happen with open mind, forgiveness, compassion
and letting go.