Saturday, February 10th, was a pleasant, sunny day and we were headed to the Udon Monastery for a glimpse at monastic life. The monastery is home to both men and women who want to devote themselves to Buddha. Let’s start with a photo of a large Buddha which welcomed us.
The monastery’s temple towered over the surroundings . . .
. . . as a lion and Naga, the seven headed king cobra deity, guarded the entrance.
Monks were all around. I captured this photo of one in deep concentration.
These three monks going somewhere, wherever.
And these.
Those in white are women who live in separate residences.
Then we were on our way into the temple to receive a blessing from two young monks.
The temple, with its giant Buddha and painted walls was lovely. What follows are a few photos inside the temple.
Then the blessing started as we, and all our friends, sat in front of the young monks as they began to chant.
I found the chanting relaxing and comfortable; slightly mesmerizing. Notice the bowls of lotus petals in front of them. As the chanting ended and the blessing began they tossed the petals in our direction. In Buddhism the lotus is associated with purity, spiritual awakening and faithfulness. In the following photo, you can see the petals flying through the air in our direction.
After our blessing we made our way to a pavilion where the main meal of the day was being prepared. People from the local community were fast at work putting the finishing touches to that day’s dinner. Here are a couple of photos of what was happening.
I liked the cat; just taking it easy.
The ladies waiting to proceed. But, first come the monks.
The monastery was very interesting. What follows are a few photos taken during our time there and as we were on our way out.
These tiny buildings are where some of the ladies live; two, three or four to a house.
As we were departing, we came upon this lovely basin.
Good bye Udon Monastery.
Enjoyed this blog….the pictures and commentary are wonderful.
Thanks Barbara. I always appreciate your kind comments.