The ordination of a Monk in Thailand

Table of Contents

The surprise #

Having spent the long weekend living in a temple, I was in for a surprise on my final day. It wasn’t an intentional surprise, but rather a perfect example of the communication limitations we faced during my stay.

In the morning, I helped set up a small space just outside the temple, bringing over food and ceremonial items. Soon, more family members arrived, and everything was about to change.

To my astonishment, my host family informed me that their son was going to be ordained as a Monk and would remain at the temple. Since nothing had been mentioned this earlier, I was thoroughly confused. Nevertheless, I continued assisting in setting up the area.

A portable table was soon placed, adorned with offerings and gifts. Chairs were arranged in front, and the immediate family members took their seats. The son asked me to capture photos, and that’s precisely what I did over the next few hours, documenting the various stages of the ceremony.

The haircut #

Without any grand announcement, the son knelt before the seated family members to start the process. He chanted a prayer while bowing deeply to the ground, paying particular respect to his mother, who sat in the middle. In that poignant moment, I heard the son’s voice crack, and I noticed a tear rolling down the mother’s cheek. The emotions overwhelmed me, and I fought back tears while increasing the pace of my photography. I wanted to capture as much of this poignant occasion as possible for the family.

After the initial welcoming was complete, all but one chair was removed, and the son stood alone in front of the table. More prayers were offered, and then his mother stepped forward with a pair of ordinary scissors to cut her son’s hair. The cuttings were carefully placed on a large lotus leaf in the son’s lap, and then another family member took turns cutting his hair, whispering well wishes into his ear.

The entire family, one by one, participated in cutting his hair, offering their blessings, and adding the cut strands to the leaf. Finally, they looked at me and invited me to join this significant act. Nervously, I accepted the scissors and began cutting his hair, placing it on the leaf. Though my vocabulary lacked the eloquence of the family, I expressed a simple sentiment: ‘you are a good man’. I handed the scissors to the next person, and the activity continued.

The son then moved away, and the family congregated around the table to take photos of the gifts. I joined in, attempting to document the offerings. Shortly after, the son returned with wet hair, bubbles of shampoo still visible. He took his seat in front of the table again, and a senior monk approached, carrying a large golden bowl of water. Without much ceremony, the monk placed the bowl on the son’s lap and, using a double-edged razor, began shaving off the remaining hair from his head.

The monk’s skilled hands moved swiftly, efficiently removing all the hair from the top of the son’s head. But the monk didn’t stop there. With a couple of strokes, he removed the eyebrows, and gently shaved the chin and lip area (which I thought were already clean-shaven!).

The ceremonial march #

Now completely devoid of hair above his neck, the son was presented with a ceremonial robe and quickly changed out of his white suit. I learned that we would embark on a ceremonial march to the temple. Once there, we would circumnavigate the temple three times before entering to commence the ordination ceremony.

As the family members collected the gifts from the table, they arranged themselves in a precise formation around the son. He was completely surrounded by family—front, behind, and flanked on the left and right. It resembled a military formation, each member positioned with purpose. I attempted to scout out locations to capture the procession but was promptly called back. Instead, I was invited to carry a large 3-meter ceremonial umbrella to provide shade for the soon-to-be monk. While there may have been practical considerations in entrusting the heavy umbrella to the farang (foreigner), I preferred to think that this was their way of ensuring my inclusion in the activities.

With the temple staff positioning everyone, I fell in line directly behind the son. As we began the procession, I adopted my old drill mindset, keeping a close distance as we walked. Balancing the large umbrella, I stepped carefully over minor obstacles and did my best not to trip the monk-to-be in front of me. We made our way to the temple, circling it three times as instructed, with a cheer ringing out after each lap. Finally, I set the umbrella down and caught up with the group as the soon-to-be monk took his place at the top of the temple stairs. From there, he tossed sweets and small wrapped-coin gifts to the crowd, bringing a moment of unexpected joy and respite from the emotional and solemn ceremony thus far.

After everyone had collected their offerings, they joined the son at the top of the stairs and symbolically “threw” him through the threshold of the temple doors. Stepping inside, I saw about 20 monks seated on a low carpeted stage in the centre of the room, which occupied most of the space. With only two narrow walkways on the long sides of the room, the family members and I took seats on the floor to observe the ceremony.

The ordination ceremony #

The ordination ceremony continued with several more ceremonial procedures that were rigidly followed. The monk-to-be knelt and received a small bouquet of lotus flower buds from a monk at the front of the room, accompanied by a prayer. Afterwards, he received gifts and offerings from his family, which had been placed on the table outside. Finally, he was presented with neatly folded orange monk robes, which he carried onto the carpeted stage, surrounded by all the monks. His ceremonial shirt was briefly removed before he stood and left the room to change into his new robes.

When the new monk returned to the room, he sat at the base of the stage and presented gifts to the head monk. A brief prayer followed, and the new monk received a silk scarf-like piece of material. He turned around towards his family, who were kneeling at the front of the room, and more prayers were offered. They presented him with an alms bowl filled with items. This small wooden bowl would be used by the monk during his morning walk to collect food and gifts from townsmen.

With his alms bowl in hand, he returned to stand at the front of the room and took part in a swearing-in ceremony or additional prayers with two older monks. Once this was completed, the new monk joined the other monks on the low stage and was encircled, with additional chants performed within this closed-in circle. At this point, we were asked to put our cameras away temporarily. After the enclosed ceremony, the family presented lunch and gifts to the existing monks, and the ceremony seemed to be coming to a close. Thailand’s newest monk sat at the base of the stage as the family lined up for photos.

Lunch and the wrap up #

With the ceremony completed, we returned to where we had started and were provided with meal boxes for lunch. I sat with the family and observed the new monk sharing his first meal with his monk peers. Family members said their goodbyes and slowly dispersed from the temple. As we finished our meals, I was invited to another ceremony, albeit a much smaller, intimate, and unusual one.

In the presence of a small group of family members, the new monk was presented with his coffin. I believe this was a required gift by the family. A few more prayers were offered, followed by surprisingly joyful chatter among all who remained. There was a healthy acceptance of his inevitable death and a practical approach to ensure that he and the temple were prepared for it.

This phase of the event felt less formal and more candid compared to the earlier precision of the ceremony. The head monk was joyous and playful, joking with the new monk and family members. It provided a small glimpse into the personality behind the robe and served as a reminder of the human side of what is often seen as a rigid position.

Final thoughts #

In this blog, I have spent 4,000 words describing my experience at the temple and the ordination event I was privileged enough to be included in. Yet, no words can come close to expressing my thankfulness and gratitude to this family for including me in such a significant event. Throughout the entire weekend, I was treated like family and included in every part of the experience. Even the indescribable experience of simply cohabitating with an incredible Thai family under these circumstances is something I will never forget.

In my later discussions with the new monk, he emphasised that this was something he had desired for more than five years. He had planned and taken appropriate steps to reach this point, and although there may have been a few bittersweet moments for him on this day, I know he is very proud of what he has achieved.