Upholding Thai Appropriateness and Respect for Monks

This morning I woke up at 5:45a.m. and began my daily run, which typically takes me on a winding dirt road, out of the village I live in, around a mountain, through a rubber tree plantation, and into the next village. The switch from dirt road to pavement signals my proximity to the village. Typically when I get into the village the streets are empty aside from a few grandmothers going about their morning chores and the stray dogs that terrorize me as I run past their property.

However, this morning I felt like Pheidippides running into Athens because as soon as I entered the village there were people lining the street and as I passed them they all smiled and loudly talked at me in Thai. This reception confused me until a burnt orange flash caught my eye at the top of the street.

Realization dawned, as I understood that the village was giving merit to monks and in tandem with this understanding came apprehension because I was violating multiple cultural norms in regards to interacting with the monks. I had to decide how to respond to the approaching monks. This incident challenged me to reflect on what extent I was willing to participate in acts that I am morally opposed to.

In Thailand, Theravada Buddhism is an integral component of religious, social, and political interactions. At the center of this faith sits the monastic holders of spiritual purity: monks. In addition to being examples of purity of purpose to Thai people, monks are at the apex of the social pyramid that dictates much of Thai beliefs and daily interactions.

Incorporated in religious observance is a belief that respect is an essential pillar of living in a harmonious society. Respect is a value that I have no qualms about upholding; therefore, it is essential that I understand the Thai hierarchy of social importance.

The King is second only to the Buddha in importance and as such he is the apex of the pyramid of social order; directly below the King follows the monastic order. After this comes a ranking of gender, age, race, social status, and body parts. This social order manifests itself in daily life through the Thai language, which allocates different titles to individuals based on age and position, and through the action of the wai, a physical acknowledgment of your inferiority to another.

As a twenty year old, white, American, female I often find my place in society switching dependent upon my company. As such, when I realized the procession that I had run into I noticed that I was in an uncomfortable situation. The problem is that I was running on the sidewalk and the monks were standing in the street; this put me in a superior position because I was standing on higher ground than they were. Secondly, I was very sweaty from my run and Thais value cleanliness very highly. Finally, I did not have anything to offer the monks and I felt rather conspicuous running through their merit giving procession.

Respect is one value that I agree with; however, social stratification is a topic that is irreconcilable with my deeply held beliefs. It is hard for me to accept that because I am a woman I cannot stand in close proximity to a monk without creating an uncomfortable social situation. Nor can I walk in front of a speaker without offending the person or be physically higher than someone who is superior to me.

Similarly, my Thai roommate who is one year younger than me continually defers to me in decision-making. In addition to this, when I lived with a host family in a slum community my host parents waied me first because it was clear I was from a higher economic standing. In these instances I am tempted to reject the cultural norms and stand for the human rights that my culture has ingrained in me.

Despite these feelings, when I found myself approaching these monks I stopped, stepped down into the street, waied, bent my head down, and concentrated on a spot just in front of the monk’s big toe. The villagers seemed happy that I had paid my respect to these monks; however, as I started to run again one question circled around my thoughts on a loop. What reaction would have ensued if I had simply continued to run past these monks?