| It was your average day in Asia. I was in Eastern Tibet, in the town of Litang, and the bright sun was beating strongly on the many layers of clothing that had become my daily uniform. Like much of Tibet, Litang is located at an astoundingly high altitude and my lungs protested the 4,180 metres even as I explored the town’s charms. Earlier in the day, I had spotted a magnificent monastery tucked in the surrounding hills. I was on a mission to find it and had an equally motivated Austrian tourist along for the ride.
We headed up the hills, passing numerous Tibetans whose kind greeting of "tashi deleg" ("good day") belied their amusement in watching us contend with the altitude. Our journey was eased by the gorgeous surroundings – row after row of large, stately Tibetan brick houses that speak to the dignity and pride of the Tibetan people.
Just minutes into our mission, we were accosted by an excited child. He was adorned in beautiful maroon robes that signalled his status as a novice monk. He escorted us all the way to the monastery, pronouncing carefully the few words he knew in English: "Hello, how are you? Where are you from?" Our answers were lost to him in the land of unknown English words.
As tourists are rare in these parts, our new friend left us on the steps of the monastery and ran off to relay his exciting find to his friends. One by one, the monks from inside the monastery came to join us, until we were engulfed by a sea of maroon. The novice monk was the most capable English speaker in the group, meaning that our conversation consisted mostly of giggles, hand gestures and the few words of Tibetan that we could muster. Sitting there, surrounded by dozens of monks, the only thing novel about my situation was the altitude of Litang – I had already been frolicking with the monks for months now.
Indeed, monks are a ubiquitous presence across Asia. Throughout my travels on this continent, they continue to shatter every stereotype I have ever held about them. They loiter in front of the 7-Eleven convenience stores in Thailand; they ride on the back of motorcycles in Cambodia; they accosted me as I dined alone one morning in India, with the intent of practising their English; a monk called a cab for me on his cellphone when I was stranded in Eastern China and I once lazed away an entire Sunday with a group of monks from North India. Across Asia, monks can be found in Internet cafés and using their cellphones to text-message their friends.
The term "monk" refers to a person who practises monasticism, or the religious renunciation of all material pursuits in an effort to attain spiritual enlightenment. While monasticism is common across world religions, Buddhism, one of Asia’s dominant religions, wins the award for the greatest number of monks. Ordainment varies among the different sects of Buddhism – from a lifetime of service offered by monks across China, Tibet, Korea, India and Japan, to an often short ordination served by monks across Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma, Sri Lanka and Laos. In countries where lifetime ordination is common, families often send their oldest or youngest son to become a monk, while in places of short ordination almost every male will become a monk at some point in their lives. Regardless of the duration, all monks are expected to adhere to 227 monastic rules, which include celibacy, scripture study, chanting and meditation. Eating after midday is forbidden, as are singing and dancing, using luxurious seats and beds, drinking alcohol and handling money and valuables. Women are also permitted to become monks (known as nuns), but cultural factors often discourage them from doing so. Still, nuns, who are expected to adhere to 311 monastic rules similar to those of monks, are sometimes spotted across Asia.
The omnipresent monks offer travellers to Asia an in-depth course in Buddhism. But they can make things tricky – there is a certain "Asian monk culture" that all tourists to Asia need to abide by. The monastic rules exist to ensure that the rules of interaction between monks and lay people are clearly defined and observed. Monks can’t touch or be touched by women. The same goes for a monk’s robes. If a female wishes to give something to a monk, it must be passed through a man or placed on the ground at the monk’s feet. The rear seats on buses are reserved for monks and must be vacated as soon as they get on board. Tourists learn quickly to never stand over a seated monk, as monks should always remain at a higher elevation than lay people.
Despite all these strict rules, deviances do occur. In the Indian town of Dharamsala, more than one tourist has enticed a monk into breaking his vow of celibacy – a tragedy for the entire religious community, as the monk must then step down from his duties. A Canadian tourist once told me of a monk who had followed her around the awe-inspiring ruins of Cambodia’s Ankor Wat, whispering to her that his ordination was done in a short few weeks and that they could date thereafter. A former monk in Ladakh, India explained to me that he decided to leave the monastery after nine years of service when he realized that his routine breaking of a few of the monastic rules was rendering him incapable of reaching spiritual enlightenment.
But these stories are few and far between, and of small proportion given the thousands of monks that live across Asia. These monks and the culture surrounding them are part of the charm of Asia, offering tourists living lessons in Buddhism, providing great company and serving as a constant reminder of the spirituality inherent to this unique continent. |
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