One of the more randomly awesome highlights of my trip was going to Buddhist Temple with Adam in Prague. I’ve always been interested in Buddhism, and Adam was kind enough to invite me to a “service”(I can’t remember what it’s actually called). Either way, Adam did his best to bring me up to speed on Buddhism on our walk to the service, but I still felt like I had no idea what to do once I got there, how it was going to work, or what to say (if anything) to the monk who was going to be there. Haha
I was definitely lost/confused when I walked in (for a variety of reasons), and was even more confused/perplexed when I saw the monk sitting legs crossed, in his orange “toga,” talking on his cell phone before the service started. Haha Not what I expected, but I guess even monks can have cell phones. Everyone was super nice to me when I walked in and greeted me with a smile (very few could speak English), but I could tell they were all wondering if I was Adam’s new boyfriend. Haha Adam is gay for those of you who missed the last post. After clearing a few things up tho, we were all on the same page and they were just looking at me as if I was the only tall, white, non-Buddhist in the room… Which I was. Haha Everyone other than the me, the Monk, and Adam were all short Taiwanese ladies.
The “service” itself was held in an apartment on the 3rd floor in a random neighborhood on the edge of the city. They’re still working on raising enough funds to build/buy a new home for their service. For its purposes tho, and the number of people who attended on a Tuesday (I think that’s the right day), it works very well. The main room for the service was decked out with Buddhist statues of all shapes, colors and sizes, and had all sorts of things on the walls and ceremonial area that I had no idea what they were. It was all very nice tho, and I could definitely sense the serenity that could be achieved by sitting in this room.
As for the monk, he sat on a raised platform in the front/back of the room so everyone could see him easily, or for some other reason I don’t know. The rest of us sat legs crossed on the floor in front of him. A Quick Confession: I can’t sit legs crossed. My legs are too long and more importantly, I’m helllllllla inflexible. Haha Everyone was looking at me weird throughout my time there as I sat down with my legs sprawling every which direction so I could get comfortable. I’m gonna start doing more stretching/yoga when I get back to the states with Jenny.
The service itself was short and followed the ritual Adam briefly described to while walking there. I tried to follow along, but, as I’m not Buddhist and can’t speak Thai, it was pretty tough. Haha From my perspective, there were lots of “prayers” and “repeat after mes,” as well as lots of bowing down on your knees with your hands together, so your head almost touches the ground (sorry I’m doing a horrible job describing everything Adam). I’ve never seen anything like it, and was glad to be there to observe their ceremony and rituals. While confused pretty much the entire time, I was still able to enjoy the service as well as listen to/reflect on my thoughts which was nice and very much needed at the time.
After the short service, things proceeded with a food offering to the monk. There was also a food and water offering to the Buddha I believe. Apparently this is the only meal the monk eats all day, and has to take place before ~12:30pm I think. Everyone who attended (~8 Thai women & Adam and I) brought a homemade Thai/Asian dish. After the Monk gets his filling, everyone else eats the food together in a sort of potluck/Asian food buffet. Haha Oh man, it was great!!! I haven’t had Thai or Asian food at ALL on my trip, and boy do these women know how to cook!
I was definitely spoiled, but was eventually punished by the shear spiciness of some of the food. My mouth burned for 20 minutes after we left. Haha The meal itself was a ton of fun, and I had a great time just BEING THERE if that makes sense. My first (and hopefully not the last) experience at Buddhist Temple was a great one, and I’m excited to learn more about Buddhism when I get back home. I highly recommend going if you ever get the chance.
The Rest of My Day
- I pretty much just hung out in Adam’s apartment all day which was fine. Sometimes I need a day like that to recoup and just be lazy
- I Skyped with Jenny for ~2 hours in the morning, and sent her a loooooong message in the afternoon. I think we talked at night too. Haha Sometimes we go a couple days without skyping, other days we talk 2-3 times during the day. It all depends. Either way, I LOVE my girlfriend SO much! Long distance just sucks tho and requires a lot of effort. Especially in our situation, where I’m always on the move and never know what my schedule is like or when I can chat, the 9 hour time difference complicates everything, and Jenny has a crazy busy semester with a full load of classes and 2 jobs where she works 30+ hours a week. We’re making it happen tho, and as I’m writing this, there are only 3 weeks left til I get to see her. J
- Adam and I hit up another Thrift store after Buddhist Temple and I scored a sweet pair of brown pants that fit perfectly. I think I forgot to mention this in my last blog, but the day before, Adam and I hit up a different thrift store where I scored a super nice lightweight down jacket (navy blue) for ~7 euro, and badass pair of thick wool socks that I now use as slippers. haha
- At night Adam and I walked to a cool park/scenic view overlooking the city (would have been cool w/ less fog). We then hit up a unique bar nearby with great beer and cool “stuff” all over the ceiling and walls. I love how each bar in Prague usually supports just one local brewery and only has THEIR BEER on tap. You can get other beers in bottles too, but I think it’s cool that the bar you choose to hang out in is not only influenced by the atmosphere, but by the beer on tap. Haha Love it!
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