Thailand,
page 3
I
made an unusual connection with a group of Buddhist Thais
the other day. I had hiked up a very long staircase I
discovered while wondering around a central market area in
Mae Sai. At the top I found a charming Buddhist temple
compound where they're building the large hilltop pagoda
visible from my guesthouse.
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They
finally got the statue inside and up onto the
raised platform that was to be its permanent home,
centered squarely in front of a higher, more
ornate, crowned golden Buddha. I figured the show
was about over (how wrong I was!), so I left to
wander around the grounds some more.
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After
a while I returned to the pavilion with the idea of taking
one last photo of the statue in it's final position,
expecting everyone to be gone. Instead, I found the entire
group plus several new arrivals in the midst of what I
supposed was a dedication ceremony. They were all kneeling
in an elongated semi-circle facing the old monk, who sat on
a raised dais and was now clearly in charge and commanding
the utmost respect. In front of him was a very large ball of
white string. The string was led past everyone present and
the far end was tied to the raised hand of the new Buddha
statue. Each person held the string in front of him, beneath
their thumbs over hands pressed together and raised in a
prayer-like gesture.
When
they saw that I'd come back, a few happily signaled that I
should join them in their circle, moving over to make room
for me. In a moment I was kneeling with these pleasant
people as the monk chanted incantations, incense scenting
the air, in a ritual that was probably a thousand years old.
Occasionally the group would respond in unison to something
the monk said, much as I have seen Catholics do in
priest-led services.
This
went on for about half an hour and my legs were just
beginning to cramp underneath me when the ceremony drew to a
close. Then each person in turn shuffled, on their knees or
on all fours, to the old monk, bowing before him with that
prayerful hand gesture, and he handed each a small amulet or
charm, no doubt personally blessed by himself. My companions
urged me forward and when he handed me my trophy, a tiny
stone Buddha that I later learned provides luck to survive
serious accidents, I said, "kapoon kop,"
which is Thai for thank you. He replied saying, "thank
you" to me in English, whereupon I believe we had
pretty much exhausted our vocabulary in each other's
language.
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Someone
produced a camera and the jovial crowd assembled
on the floor in front of the new statue for a
group photo. I stood aside, not wanting to
intrude, but again they insisted I join them,
offering me a place of honor in the middle next to
the monk. They were really pleased that I was
there sharing this with them. I gave my camera to
the elected photographer and was rewarded with
this remembrance.
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As
people were leaving, a few stopped to chat with me. One
small man asked for my hand and as he held it he began to
"read" me. Someone said he's "a powerful
man" and I should pay attention. He said I had great
power, so much so that it raised visible goose bumps on his
forearm as he continued to hold my hand for the impromptu
reading. He then asked (through someone else interpreting)
whether I had nearly been killed as a child, and I said,
well, I was once run down by a taxi cab in New York City
when I was around 5 years old. Everyone was impressed with
his insight. Clearly he was held in high regard in the
community as some kind of mystic.
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A
little later I went back for one last peek at the
statue and found the old monk sitting alone with
it, continuing the consecration. I noted that the
symbolic ball of string that had bound us all
together in the earlier ceremony had now been
placed in the Buddha's palm.
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Back
in the town of Mae Sai, I photographed the busy
border crossing into Mynamar (Burma)...
and,
later, an enormous old guesthouse that dominates
an entire hillside on the edge of town.
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Next
Entry: 02/22/05
