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Suggestions for Visitors
The gate may be closed
when you arrive.
Please call the Wat
phone number (posted on the gate) or honk your horn to gain admittance
You
will be visiting a "church" so dress accordingly. You do not need to be
in a suit. Buddhists dress comfortably but modestly. The women should
have the shoulders covered and have modest dress. Long pants are
preferred but in hot times shorts are acceptable as long as they
are respectful. No sagging shorts or exposed underwear please. You
will
need to wear shoes that can be taken off easily.
The
people are very friendly, however most are not proficient in English.
The traditional greeting is "Sa Wat Dee" with a Wai (hands together at
chin level). The lay people will return your Wai, a monk will not.
The
Thai people do not shake hands but if a monk offers his hand you may
take it. Never touch anyone on the head on purpose.
A polite
addition to every interaction is to add "khrap" if you are male and
"ka" if you are female. This is similar to spoken punctuation.
Women
cannot touch a monk or give him anything directly. If you
wish to give
something, the monk will place a cloth for you to put the item on.
Another solution is to give it to a man.
The
monks get up early for Morning Chanting at 5:15 AM. In Thailand, they
would walk out with their bowl to accept food from people wishing to
"make merit". This is NOT begging. It is a duty of a monk to allow
people to make such merit. In the USA, this cannot be done for several
reasons. People bring food to the monks at the temple. A monk cannot
store food for his use. He has to renounce it every night. Someone has
to offer it to him every day. There is an American monk in Thailand
that has to drink hot water until someone comes to his room to offer
him the coffee he left outside that night.
The
monks eat breakfast very early. They have their last meal of the day at
11 am since they are not supposed to eat after the noon hour. If you
visit during this time, the monks will be busy. If you see any one
dressed in all white, they are those that have taken the Eight
Precepts, they also will not eat after noon. You may sit and observe
respectfully during this time.
You will probably be offered a bottle
of water. This is an expression of hospitality.
If you enter any building, please slip
off your shoes. Sandals are very practical.
Contrary to common beliefs all Buddhist monks are not vegetarian.
Theravadan monks do have restrictions on certain meats such as elephant
or tiger. They do like "American" foods like hamburgers or pizza. If
you wish to bring food you can bring these things or buy at
restaurants. The food does not have to be "Asian".
Non-perishable gifts of bottled water, toiletries, paper supplies
(paper towels or toilet paper) are also appropriate.
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