Almost the new year....

During the time after the initial 12 days, I was slowly entering into a more functional state of being. With about 20 hours a day in bed or lying on the cool floors, I was able to use the handful of other hours finally doing other things besides sleeping and hallucinating. I was able to leave the house more, and when at the temple, I wasn't just lying down or resting all the time. I was able to check email more frequently and I was also able to start teaching the students in the community more often. I only had the strength to be out for an hour here or there, but it sure was nice! The students were very eager to have me back also as you can see from the photos.





Songkran was rapidly approaching; only a few days away, and I was finally feeling up to participating in all the events and decorating of the temple.

It seemed that it was perfect timing for me when I was able to start helping out for Songkran; the major cleaning and decorating had been mostly finished, and now it was the smaller things that needed to be done…

In this photo Leang, some of the villagers and I are preparing sets of candles and incense and gold foil for worship during Songkran.

One of the early days of my mental return to humanity, I walked to the temple and observed this:



















I was so confused….I had no idea what they were doing bringing all this dirt by the truck load to the temple and dumping it right in the middle of the lawn.

There was no one to ask, Leang and Lout had went with one of the trucks to one of the near by farms and were helping on the other end, digging up the dirt and loading it into the trucks. I sat and watched for awhile. Everyone was so happy and helping out. Old men and teenage boys were unloading the dirt and shoveling it into the pile. The young boys were trying to organize the dirt into a mound, the old women and teenage girls were stringing flowers, and the young girls were bringing the flowers to old women and teenage girls that they then would string together and arrange into decorations. I wasn’t sure what the flowers were for at this point, but frankly, sitting on the nice cold floor and making garland with flowers sounded right up my ally as to something I could do in my condition. Ma showed me what to do, and how to make the decorations, so for awhile I was able to help out.

Never before had I witnessed any religious institution dump dirt on the lawn before a festival. In fact, the only time I had actually seen a business dump dirt like this is during construction or re-modeling, but as I recall during those times, they usually are using trucks to take the dirt away….not bring it. Wat Bonpong is in a state of re-construction and re-modeling but that has been going on for awhile, and I’m pretty sure the Abbot has his hands full enough and wouldn’t decided to start working on the construction of temple during Songkran….unless it was part of Songkran? Basically I had no idea about this dirt and what it was doing here.
This is an amazing little while spider hiding in a Champa flower that I discovered while stringing flowers for the dirt mound.

Late in the afternoon Leang and Lout returned, and with them came understanding as to what all this meant.

People through out their lives come to the temple, some multiple times a day. Perhaps in a city children will walk by the temple and visit the Buddha statue on their way to school, and then again in the evening on their way home. In Chiang Mai, if I was at Wat Phan Aon in the early morning teaching Phra Sanan, often I would see the same men and women come each day to the temple and pay their respects to the Buddha and to the monks. In the evening, some of those same people would attend chanting and meditation with us on their way home from work. Leang and Lout emphasized to me that people are always coming to the temple and then walking away, they said they are always carrying the earth away from the temples on their shoes as they leave.
The Buddhist people come to the temple after walking and working all day and never stand in one place long enough for soil to collect on their shoes, so when they arrive to the temple their shoes are clean. But after arriving and visiting for a bit, their shoes naturally collect soil from the temple, and when they leave, they carry it away with them. It is tradition to build these giant dirt piles in order to give that soil back the temple. I just assumed all temples decorate them like this too, but when driving to the town on the motorbike to get my bandage changed at the local hospital we passed another temple. The people there were building their dirt pile as well, but there were no decorations. When I arrived back at Wat Bonpong, I asked Lout about this. He told me that he has never seen a temple decorate it like Wat Bonpong, and he love it; he said he was astounded by the love and dedication of this community, and it reminded him of his home. He said that in Chiang Mai with all the tourism and the universities located there he felt he lost a sense of community, and this makes him feel really great to be in a place with so much loving kindness. Once again, we are all blown away by these people here and all the unity the Abbot has worked toward among these people and their temple.















The entry for Songkran is next....

Take Root, Stand Tall, and Sway in the Winds.

I would like to start this blog with the explanation of what the title means to me.
‘Take Root, Stand Tall, and Sway in the Winds’ is something my father enclosed at the end of an email he sent me upon the news of what this blog contains. He was very concerned about his daughter; his tree. He was so proud to learn awhile back that the monk's nickname for me in fact means 'tree'. He understands that often in life I am strong as a tree, but under unforeseen circumstances trees break and fall, as do people; he wanted me to ‘Take Root, Stand Tall, and Sway in the Winds’ as to not fall while going through such trying circumstances.

The next morning I woke up for alms, and I felt absolutely miserable. I was exhausted and very very hot. I didn’t really have a way to tell Ma or Pa how I felt, and since it is considered really disrespectful to touch someone’s head, it was difficult to explain why I needed someone to tell me if I felt warmer than normal. I would just have to bear it while we went to the temple as usual for breakfast. Half-way through the ceremony, Ma touched my back and my shirt was fully soaked though, but I barely noticed...actually I was barely aware of anything at that point. She looked worried and began touching my arms and cheeks too. I tried to re-assure her I was okay and kept trying to participate in the breakfast mantras. When it was our turn to eat, I couldn’t bare to eat anything besides watermelon and pineapple because I was so over-heated and frest fruit was nice and cool in my body. Leang came over and brought me water then asked why I wasn’t eating when he noticed the old women were very worried and trying to load up my plate with way too much food saying I need to eat while I kept saying no thank you. I tried to be polite and tell them I just wanted fruit, but with the language barrier and not knowing the word for fever it was impossible. Leang and I spoke, and he became very concerned (as usual) and explained to Ma and the women that I wasn’t feeling well. He was panicked, but the women are mothers and grandmothers, they know about sickness and fevers. They were sure it was no big deal, but sent me back to the house to rest for a bit anyway, and said I would be better soon.

A few hours later Pa came back from the farm to check on me. I was home alone and lying stretched out on the living room tile floor where it was cooler than my bed, and I was in a fevered sleep. He tried to speak to me but then saw I wasn’t doing well and immediately went and retrieved Ma and Nan were they were at the temple helping clean for Songkran. When Ma arrived I still was not coherent and she called Leang over and they checked on me collectively as a group. Later that evening they decided to take me to the hospital since food and water wasn’t helping me. At the hospital my fever was 104.6 F. The small hospital gave me fever reducers, and cold medication. My throat was tight and muscles were hurting. When home, I still wasn’t motivated to eat, but Ma made khao thom (rice soup) for me and I ate a little, then slept a lot. I was still having fevered dreams all day and all night, and when attending the temple the next day the old women of the village decided they would take turns coming to the house to give me ice baths to reduce my temperature as recommended by the hospital. They took blocks of ice and arrange them around my body along my torso, legs and arms, but very quickly the ice became puddles around me as it was melting so quickly.
Day three into the fever I was walking to the temple one evening and surely not feeling well. I approached the common area and a dog ran up to me snarling and growling. He attacked me biting repeatedly on my ankle and legs. I fell to the ground bleeding and the monks rushed over to me when they heard the noise. The dog ran off but was behaving very strangely. I was bleeding pretty badly and so once the monks helped me up, Leang went and gathered Ma and Pa. Ma took me immediately to the hospital on the motorbike. One of the men in the village brought Leang on his motorbike so that Leang could translate for us. I was in poor condition and still not thinking straight due to the fevers. They called an ambulance from the larger hospital to take us there since the small one didn't have the correct medications for a situation like this.


Upon arrival there was a doctor that spoke English enough for me to explain to him what happened. Over the next hour we sat in his office while I explained to him how important it is that I get the immunoglobulin and Rabies vaccine. He had one of the nurses bring the vaccine into the office and I took out the package insert. I began explaining to the doctor how to administer the medicine to me since he clearly hadn’t done this before. He began writing up the slip for the nurses and eexplaind in English what he was writing. I stopped him. He had written down that they were to give the vaccine under the skin. I told him it needs to be given IM (intra-muscular) as instructed on the package insert. I also explained the schedule of the vaccine according to the insert. I had to correct him on how to mix the medicine, as well as how to administer it. We then went into the emergency room to wait for the medicine to be given to me. The nurse approached me and told me they were ready for me. I then went to the bed appointed to me, and waited along with Ma and Leang. The nurse and her assistant began preparing to clean my wounds, but as they neared me with the gauze and antiseptic in hand, I stopped them. They were not wearing gloves. I am now a possible carrier or Rabies. The nurse yelled at me and said 'This is Thailand, no America! Different style! This is Thailand! If you don't like, go away!' Leang tried to calm me down. I told him to tell them that my blood is dangerous to them, and they need to wear gloves. The nurse kept yelling at me in Thai and eventually the doctor arrived. He explained to them the significance of Rabies. They then reluctantly wore gloves but were not happy about dealing with me. They said, 'You not important, just dog bite. People here emergency. You worry no need!!'
When they prepared the immunoglobulin, they incorrectly calculated the dosage. I stopped them before administering it. The doctor came back this time with the hospital director. I was not feeling well still, was very hot, and becoming upset. It was taking all of my energy to stay focused enough to catch their mistakes. Leang was becoming very stressed with me being so worried. He kept telling me that they are doctors and they know what to do. He told me that I should relax and let them do their jobs. Ma tried to also tell me to relax. I was crying and panicking. The doctors were not doing their jobs correctly; the hospital director thought I was over-reacting. I had the package insert for the medications, and it was clearly explained in English on one side and in Thai language on the opposite side. I kept trying to explain how important it was that I correctly receive the medicine, if done wrong, I will 100% die if the dog does have Rabies.

The next 2 hours were even more trying for everyone. Eventually I convinced the hospital director to call the pharmacy to ask for verbal instructions for the medicine according to my body weight. She agreed and they received the dosage. The doctor wrote it down, but after he left, the nurses and I debated again over the correct dosage of the immunoglobulin. The nurse became so mad at me and told Leang if I think I know how to do it, then I should do it myself. So I did. I gave myself 2 of the 6 shots. After I finished the first two, the hospital director and the doctor returned and they spoke with the nurse. The doctor apologized and said he is sorry and needs to help other patients, but the hospital director will remain with me to help until finished. I thanked him and I fell asleep in a fevered state when they left the room to help other patients before finishing my shots. They had to wait to finish the shots as to make sure I didn’t have an allergic reaction to the immunoglobulin. About a half hour later I awoke as they were administering the last of the immunoglobulin. I asked the director once again about the dosage as to confirm it was done correctly. Leang didn’t want to translate and said he is sure they did it correctly. I begged him and said I need to know, and I am very terrified it’s done wrong. He asked. The director, sure enough gave me 4 units too few. More arguing ensued. Eventually they appeased me as to just get me out of there. They gave me the rest of the immunoglobulin saying it was ridiculous and I don’t need it and this is not a big deal, people get bit by dogs a lot. I didn’t care; this isn’t about them it’s about me and my safety. I needed to be sure. I was certain everything that I was awake for was done correctly, but I was still very scared since I was still not thinking clearly from the fever and maybe I missed something. It's not supposed to be my job to treat myself when I go to the hospital full of doctors and staff that are supposed to know how to do this. However, I was very thankful my degree was in Biology/Zoology and I have lots of experience in vaccinations and medicine-including Rabies-thanks to working in veterinary clinics throughout high school and college.
Pa and Nan arrived at the hospital as we were finishing up, and Pa joined in with everyone else trying to help me feel better, clam down, and stop crying. Like I said before with this fever, I was frightened more easily than normal, and this was so incredibly scary to be going through- I was crying hysterically. Pa had borrowed a car and we all went home in it, I immediately went to bed.

I awoke the next day and we went to the temple. I was really scared the dog may come back, but Ma was sure not to let me out of her sight. The villagers had heard of what happened and were very worried about me and everyone was sure to keep all the dogs away from me. Not only now was I dealing with the fever, but now also being attacked by a dog. I love dogs, but after all this, as soon as I would see one, I would become panicky and cry and climb on top of the nearest table or chair because I was afraid. The fever had a lot to do with my sense of proportion to things, so I was more easily frightened than normal. After breakfast, Leang told me that Lout from Chiang Mai would be arriving that afternoon. A few days before Leang had told me that they talked and Leang told him the Abbot here really needed more monks to help out with Songkran since Jerry had to leave early to go home. I had forgotten all about it since other things were now plaguing my awareness, but it was a nice reminder, and I really looked forward to having him here with us very shortly.

Sitting in the breakfast hall resting, Ma and the women in the village returned shortly after cleaning up the food and dishes. Leang came in as well, and Lout was following. I was so happy to see him and have him here during this hard time for me. I greeted him and paid my respects. Leang had mentioned what has been happening and he was very worried about me. As we spoke I explained to him how I was doing. Leang, Lout, the women and children of the village made a ceremony of tying sting to my wrists and blessing me, wishing me luck and good health. In turn we tied a few to the monks as well for good luck and good merit.

They said I have had really bad luck, and I must try to improve my karma when I get better. I guess I should have listened to my fortune back at the temple in Laos...because that's exactly what it said.































The men in the village kept a watch out for the dog that attacked me and after a few days of setting food lures they finally were able to trap it in one of the bathrooms. The government came and took the dog away, and would report back to us and the hospital as to weather the dog was positive for Rabies or not.

The women took turns keeping vigil over me over the next few days because my fever was still very high and I was in dangerous condition. On day 3 after the dog attack (day 6 of since the onset of the fever) the monks, Ma, and Pa's niece took me to the big hospital in Korat to get a follow up vaccine for Rabies. After checking my fever (it was still the same....about 104.6) and having Leang and Lout translate to the staff what happened and as well as how upset I was, they retrieved an English speaking doctor. He informed us all that what I did and how I reacted was absolutely correct. He said that if the doctors at the other hospital did what they had intended to do, then I would be in very bad shape and others would now be at risk as well. He explained to me that the location they gave part of the immunoglobulin was incorrect. In fact, because part of it was given in the same arm as the Rabies shot, they counter-act each other. They said it is considered to not be safe since the immunoglobulin needs to bind to the Rabies virus in my body, not with the Rabies vaccine that was given in the same arm. I gave myself the shots in my leg and butt, they gave the ones in my arm, and they said I would have to get the full set of shots again....all of them. I received 6 more shots, a bandage change, and they checked my fever's progress, and gave me IV fluids for a few hours. It was a very long day. They told us I would need to get bandage changes every day, and could go to the smaller hospital near the village…not the one we went to that did things incorrectly, but the one we went to first that called the ambulance for us. The doctor said we would need to come back here to Korat in 3 days again for the next vaccine.


This is a photo of me resting on the floor of the hall at the temple where we have breakfast every morning. Because Ma was afraid to leave me home alone while the whole village was at the temple preparing for the festival, I spent half the time at the house and half the time at the temple. There are simply more people to look after me if I came to the temple during the days, and it’s only across the street, and Leang needs to translate frequently for us all. Someone always walked with me to and from the temple so I wouldn’t be frightened by the dogs. Now that the dog I was attacked by was gone, I was not so frightened, but I was still leery since before that dog attacked me, he was always nice and playful so it was surprising what had happened. Going to the temple during the days was good for me because when sick I hate to be alone. Fevered dreams are terrifying and lonely, and I wish them on no one. Most of the time I was awake I was hallucinating and disoriented. I had no idea where I was, Leang told me I spent hours of every day crying and saying I want Lucky-my squirrel-apparently saying squirrel in random languages that no one could understand. Leang wrote some of the words down to ask me later what they were, and he eventually realized I was saying ‘squirrel’; I find this to be pretty funny. Some of the time I felt normal, then there were hours of each day I cant even remember where I was or what I was doing. Sometimes I would be sitting talking to someone and then the next minute I was hallucinating, and don’t really recall much. I remember portions of the fevered dreams, but I still to this day can’t make sense of the hallucinations and I don’t remember most of the days that went by.

But so that you can try to fathom just what it was like to have a sustained fever of 104.6 for so long, I will attempt to explain what it feels like mostly being confused and not have any coherency of what is happening to you…
If you were to take 20 books and line them across the floor in front of you, then open them up randomly and highlight a random sentence from that page, and then continue to do that to all of the books, you would then have 20 sentences from 20 different pages of 20 different books. If you were to start at one end of the book line and read that highlighted sentence and then proceed to read all of the highlighted excerpts from each book, back-to-back, and repeat this every minute of every day and every night, and continue to do this for 7 days straight…that is what my hallucinations and fevered dreams felt like. I had absolutely no idea what was going on. The more I tried, the more frightened I became. I don’t remember most of those days….Leang and Lout has since updated me on the events of what happened and things I said or conversations I had with people. They were really freaked out by all this, and were very attentive with my care.
Apparently I even was teaching English to 2 little girls that heard I was sick and wanted check on their teacher. They came with Lout and Leang one afternoon and Leang said I told him I felt bad for lying around lazy like this so I wanted to teach them since they came all the way to America to see me and learn English. I insisted on giving them a lesson. I don’t recall any of this.

Regarding what it felt like to be in such a state, I was scared all the time…about everything, anything…the lights being on, the lights being off….a butterfly going past, a bird making noise….then silence. Once I was convinced I was dead since I was in a room with a blanket over the window to help me sleep. It was so quiet and dark and I was extremely weak so I couldn’t move, and because of this I thought I died. Since I wasn't hungry or thirsty at that moment, I panicked and began yelling that I was dead, Leang, Lout and Ma rushed into the bedroom, and I freaked out thinking I was seeing things since I was dead. They thought it was funny...but frightening at the same time. I was out of it.

Over the next few days, I still didn’t want to eat, I tried to drink, but I was so hot that I felt it was boiling inside me the moment liquid entered my mouth. I cried a lot. I was soaking wet all the time, and I could barely bathe on my own. In these rural villages there aren't western showers...you use a pan to scoop water out of the basin and then pour it over yourself. But while ill like this, I would go into the bathroom with the intent of showering with the bucket of water in the bathroom, but would often be so weak I would end up falling on the floor from over-heating, but then once on the floor, it would be so much more cool I would just lay there for awhile until I had the energy to get up and go back to bed again. Sometimes I would become cold from being wet, and begin to shiver. Bathing became a chore to be endured and try to just get it over with.

We went for the follow-up shots at the hospital in Korat on day 6 of the fever/day3 of the dog attack. It was a faster process getting the vaccine and bandage change this time, but my fever was the same so they gave me more fluids. The next day I began feeling slightly better, and those terrible 7 days were so long and tiring, but it was nice to have Leang and Lout with me helping explain things. Apparently the government reported back that the dog did in fact have a confirmed case of Rabies and it is important that I get the full treatment as to not be a risk to society.

That evening Ma, Leang and I went to the temple to see the Abbot to inform him of how I was doing regarding the dog attack and the fever. He made a ceremony as well to wish me good health, protection and safety.

These are photos of a big cloth with Buddhist drawings on it and mantras in the Pali language.







These are amulets that the Abbot makes at this temple. He takes soil from the temple grounds, herbs, flowers, stones, bones, and other things, grinds them up, mixes it with clay and holy water and then fills them into the molds to make these bird figures and Buddha figures. These things are then given to the people of the community, visitors and given out at ceremonies. He gave me a few of them also to bless me.

The next 5 days held substantially more understanding. I am not sure if I became more accustomed to having such a high fever or if maybe it was a different part of the virus and my body reacted differently or what, but my fever was just as high, but I was able to focus and understand more things at this point. I was able to go to the temple more, walk around a little and get some fresh air. That comprises the first 12 days of the fever where my temperature hovered around such a dangerously high level. On day 13, it dropped to 102.5 and my body was still fighting hard to get back to normal, so everyone was thrilled for this achievement. I stayed at that temperature for another 3 days and then it dropped to 99.9 for another week.

I was still going daily to the local hospital for temperature monitoring and bandage changes, and to Korat for injections. They tested me and it became clear that my fever was not just a regular fever. They determined it was H5N1 avian flu. It took time but eventually I pulled though. This is the basic story of what happened to me so that way later while I am explaining more events you will be able to grasp some sort of comprehension of just how terrible of condition was that I was in, and how close I was to death.

I have learned so much more about life, Buddhism, peace, loving kindness, and what it means to be a part of a community by being in this small village where no one speaks English besides Leang. You have to walk the walk to know what each step entails, and I am thankful for every step that has brought me to these people and to this village.

Wat Bonpong, Thailand

Zipping to and from Bonpong on the motorbike whether going to the markets or just for a ride, I always would stare in amazement at how stunning this place is.


This is a rice field near Bonpong, there are miles and miles of rice crops covering the countryside of northeastern Thailand. The vibrant green is such a breath taking view.

Bonpong is such a small village that there isn't a local market. The market is in a near by town about 20 minutes away. One afternoon Pa's niece took me there to pick up a few fruits and vegetables that we would bring to the temple the next day.



In preparation for Songkran, the entire community had been coming to the temple though out the week to help clean and assist the monks with all the tasks at hand.
Leang and the other monks really worked hard all day and into the evenings. I helped as much as they all would let me, but often I was commandeered to teach English to the children instead which as you can see was always a lot of fun.

There was much to do to prepare the temple for the festival. To start, we decided to clean the floor of the common area. This sounds easy, but there are no mops in SE Asia. We use booms that look similar to the kind you would see witches riding on during Halloween. They're made of a gathered group of sticks with a long handle like regular brooms have. We used them to scrub the cement and all the grooves since this floor is not finished, and the cement is uneven. So we used these brooms, with water and soap...and scrubbed, scrubbed, scrubbed!

Nongkim was always my shadow with whatever I do, and this cleaning day was no exception. She began running and playing while we all cleaned the floor. I didn't want to get my scarf dirty so I laid it on a chair, and since we were scrubbing the floor, I rolled up my pants and set my shoes aside also. The monks and I became very focused on the cleaning, this place was a mess! After a little while, I realized I didn't hear Nongkim any longer. There are only a few reasons when a child becomes quiet: they are content playing with something, doing something naughty, eating, sleeping, or they left. I turned around to look for her and she was sitting in the chair by the computer with my scarf wrapped around her and my shoes on. I laughed and she looked up at us all and smiled. I hurried and grabbed my camera to take her photo. She is so adorable!

The resident monk living here takes care of all the electrical, computer and production equipment for the temple and festivals. Here he is in this photo at the top of one of the power poles wiring speakers to broadcast the announcements to the community during Songkran.


These are decorative ribbons that the resident monk made around each support beam in the common building where the main ceremonies during Songkran are to be held.



This is a photo of the upstairs of the common area where the children of the community came to help sweep and organize everything. We all had a blast together, and although it is a large area and was very dusty from the construction, it was completed relatively quickly because there were so many of us working together.

There were many things to move and reorganize because of the construction at the temple. Some areas of Wat Bonpong are still unfinished, and is a work in progress, but oh, the progress that has been made so far!!!

The Abbot has done so much with this temple it really is incredible. He has reconstructed the entire place. The common area used to be much smaller, and on the other side of the property. He had it moved it to its current location in October this past fall because he felt it would open up the parking lot for festivals and events. In this photo Leang is moving a huge pile of wood beams and boards which are still being used for the construction of the floor and ceiling of the common area, to the other side of the property so they won’t be in the way during the festival.

By having the main building located where it is now, it allows for there to be more landscaping, and so Achan decided to landscape the entire temple grounds. Many people, most of which were the teenagers, came and helped out by volunteering and planting trees around the property to provide shade for sitting areas. People have also built or donated benches that are now scattered throughout the gardens.

One really remarkable thing that the Abbot has also done, was he led the construction of the ‘bot’.

The bot is a building at temples that serves as the prayer hall, where chanting and meditation take place, where ceremonies are held-such as when a monk is ordained, and most importantly, where the main Buddha statue is located and available for people to come and visit.

When the Abbot first came to this temple there were not many people from the village that would frequent the temple. It’s not that they weren’t devout; they most certainly were however over the years the people became more and more withdrawn from the unity of the temple in this village. Children growing up didn’t realize that they belong here to, and were often shy to come alone. Their parents were busy and didn’t have a lot of time to come to a place where they couldn’t simply relax with family and enjoy themselves among friends. It was a place where Achan mentioned that the Abbot before him was a very old man, and my guess is that things sort of drifted into a state that was not so beneficial for the Buddhist community. It was not anything he did wrong, it’s simply he was only one monk living here back then, and to run a temple alone with a village of followers is a huge undertaking. Upon his death, Achan took over this temple and moved to Bonpong. Not surprisingly, the temple didn’t have a lot of financial support, but he did the best he could in making this place welcome to all people.
At this particular temple, the bot that they built is not all that large; during Songkran the events are held in the common area where there is more room for the entire village to come. Leang told me they built the bot in 1995. Although it was constructed, it is still being worked on and is not yet completed.

After it was built, they needed a Buddha statue for inside, since they had none. The Abbot raised money within the community, and people donated their gold from jewelry and they melted it all down and mixed it in the gold the Abbot purchased with the money from the community. A ceramic structure was created by pouring it over a wax mold that was designed by a man that the Abbot hired. This ceramic form was then covered with the molten gold mixture. When heated once again, the ceramic was solid and the wax within was melted down and removed.
Thus a huge, one-of-a-kind statue of Buddha was created especially for this particular bot, at this particular temple, in this particular village. Leang told me that the investment made by the individuals in the community is really special to them because it shows that the temple doesn't belong only to the Abbot, or the monks that live there, but that each and every person owns it.
The construction of this bot and the Buddha within was one of the most important moments in many of these Buddhist people’s lives since both of these creations may last hundreds of years upon completion. This is not an event that happens every year, let alone every lifetime. This was special, and the people knew it. They felt important, and they felt they really belong at this temple. They are a part of it. After Leang told me this story about how it was built, all the time and effort that was put into it, I felt really happy to have met such amazing people. I was so proud of these monks. I asked Achan about it, and Leang translated for him and I. Achan smiled and explained the basics of the events, but told me to come back that evening to the common area.
Through out the day I began to feel as if I was perhaps coming down with something. I decided it was probably nothing, and later that evening after dinner I returned to the temple. Some community members were gathered there with the Abbot paying their respects and visiting with him. They had a TV set up, and they welcomed me as I settled into a place on one of the straw mats on the floor and paid my respects to Achan. For the next 2 hours we watched a video of the entire ceremony. Edited of course, but stunning. The elation all the people must have felt was truly visible in their attitudes, laughter, and smiles. The music, the parade, everything looked so utterly joyful. I really wish I could have witnessed an event like this. On the video it showed one of the elderly women who was there sitting with us. She donated her gold jewelry in the video for the creation of the Buddha statue. She told me that even long after she is gone, her grandchildren will be able to look at that statue and know that when they see Buddha, they will remember that she was a part of that community; it was her home, and all her life she tried to be as the Buddha was, and they should too.

Hopefully you now understand why a bot is such a pinnacle place in the temple.


In a small village like Bonpong the people now use their temple as a community place. It is where celebrations for births are held, it is where funerals are held, it is where Songkran is held, it is where the children come to learn the Dharma and Pali language from the Abbot and monks. The people come to seek education here aside from what is taught in school. This is a place where every single person belongs. This is a place that during the day you will find groups of children playing around the gardens, you will see in the evening the old men reading the paper or watching the news in the common area. You will see the young men and women sitting at the temple speaking quietly with elders hoping to gain wisdom from someone who has lived life and knows more than we do. The temple is the center of the community in villages. And it was a blessing to witness the care and investment everyone contributes here.