Monk Chat

I have a list of things that I meant to write about but never got the chance, or was just too lazy to.  So this was actually from my last day in Chiang Mai...

I had heard about Monk Chat and wanted to go before I left so my friend and I went on my last night in Chiang Mai.  Monk Chat is a program in several of the temples in Chiang Mai where they have monks there who will answer any questions people have, about Buddhism or anything else.

It was really interesting.  We were sitting with two younger monks.  Sadhasan was from Burma and the other was from Bhutan.  They both had joined the temple to get an education because they couldn't afford it otherwise.  I thought it was interesting how they admitted it so readily, and it didn't seem to be an issue.  They weren't planning to devote their entire lives to the temple, just get through school and then find a job.

We talked about their daily lives and the differences between city monks and country monks as well as how to gain merit and the precepts that Buddhists follow.  There are different ones for the layperson, novices, monks, and female monks.

It was a great experience and really interesting to talk to them.  The program is meant to teach people about Buddhism but also help the monks practice using English.