Do all that you do well

I helped with bin ta bhaat again this morning. I left my apartment at 5:20 to make it to Wat Mahathat by 5:40, and it was a lovely peaceful walk across the bridge and through Thammasat to get there. There were three of us students helping, and we were overloaded with donations within the first half hour. Each of us farang carrying 5 or 6 meals in plastic bags and following the monk is something you don't see every day! At some point, the monk's nephew came by with a cart to take some of the offerings off our hands so we could continue on our journey. I love starting my mornings this way. Seeing people selfless and thoughtful helps me to be peaceful throughout the rest of the day. When we got back to the wat, I helped separate the food into three categories: rice, meal, dessert. I watched as the monks washed their feet and sat ready to eat their first of two meals for the day.

As a symbolic gesture of offering, the monks nephew removed his shoes and lifted each of the three food trays before the monks began to eat. They recited a chant before starting as part of their morning ritual, and they also ended the meal with a chant. I don't quite know what to do with myself during this time, so I watched observantly and responded to their questions and comments to the best of my ability, since women are only to speak to monks when they are spoken to. They are both very friendly, but only one can speak English. After they finished their meal, I ate with my friend and we continued to talk with the monk.

My friend, who is somewhat of an intern to the monk, was rolling up an umbrella that was used to block sun from this face as he ate. As he rolled it up and was ready to buckle the strap around to keep it in place, the monk assured him that his job was too sloppy. He then showed him how to properly roll it up by starting from the top and carefully folding the umbrella around the supporting stick all the way until the bottom. It sure looked a lot nicer, but I giggled because the situation seemed overly complicated. After all, it was just an umbrella. The monk then proceeded to explain that people are like water. It is natural for water to move downhill due to gravity, and water can only move uphill with a conscious effort. He said that in life, we must strive to move uphill always, in everything that we do.