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.
