What I Thought I Knew About Thai Monks Changed at Wat Chedi Luang
Seasonal travel planning
I've visited many temples in Thailand over the years. And most of the time, I had a similar experience.
I knew what I was there to see: the chedi, the Buddha images, the murals, the architecture, and a bit of history from the guide. Then I'd take a few photos and move on.
I had always seen temples as places that preserved the past — old buildings, traditional art, and pieces of history that had survived.
But this time, at Wat Chedi Luang in Chiang Mai, I saw the temple differently.
It wasn't only a place preserving the past. Life is still happening there.
A Young Monk Who Hadn't Decided How Long He Would Stay
For years, I had a fairly fixed image of what a monk was supposed to be. Serious. Disciplined. Someone you should respect, but also keep your distance from.
I imagined monks spending their days chanting, studying Buddhism, receiving alms, and living somewhat apart from ordinary modern life.
I even used to think that, for some families, becoming a monk might simply be a way out for a son who didn't have many other options.
Then we met a young monk at Wat Chedi Luang.
Before meeting him, I had imagined he might be an older monk. I was also wondering whether we'd be able to communicate easily.
But when he walked over, I was surprised. He was young, wearing flip-flops, smiling, and speaking fluent English with almost no accent.
Wat Chedi Luang has a Monk Chat where visitors can sit down with monks and talk. We weren't doing a formal Monk Chat that day. Instead, he took us around the temple and talked with us as we walked.
As we walked, he started telling us about his life.
He entered the temple as a novice when he was around 12. At the time, he didn't think too much about it.
In Thailand, it's common for men to spend some time in a temple at some point in their lives. Some stay for 15 days, a month, or a few months. He never expected to stay for 15 years.
At one point, I asked him: "How long will you stay in the temple?"
He paused. "I haven't decided." Then he added: "I might change my mind, anytime."
That wasn't the answer I expected. I suppose I had imagined that becoming a monk meant making a very definite decision about your life.
Instead, here was a young man who was still figuring things out, just like the rest of us. And he was part of a system that gave him the freedom to change his mind and leave.
What surprised me even more was that he is currently working toward a PhD. Just a few months earlier, he had traveled to Yogyakarta in Indonesia to attend a religious ceremony.
He also told us that the temple has its own education system. Wat Chedi Luang is home to the Lanna Campus of Mahamakut Buddhist University. The students study Buddhism, but they also study English, mathematics, and science.
So temple life isn't simply about chanting and praying. It is also a school. For some Thai boys, it may even be one of the best educational opportunities available to them.
And I realized that my old idea of the temple as simply a "way out" for boys from poor families was much too simplistic.
The more we talked, the more he told us about his everyday life.
He leaves the temple shortly after 5 a.m. to go on his alms round, receiving food from local people. He returns around 7:30 and has his first meal of the day. After noon, he doesn't eat again, so he has only two meals a day. He also can't simply spend the night wherever he wants.
He also told us that the temple isn't just a place for monks. Local people come here to talk to them. When they are under stress, having problems at home, or simply feel stuck in life, they come to the temple and talk.
He said something that has stayed with me:
"A monk can only guide you. Whether you can get through it is up to you. If someone can't get themselves out of it, a monk can't help — not even the Buddha can."
That was the moment I realized how simple my old idea of monks had been. I had imagined them as people who had stepped away from ordinary life because they had already found the answers.
But they are also studying, taking exams, and wondering where they will go next.
After that day, whenever I think about Wat Chedi Luang, and whenever I visit another temple in Thailand, I no longer see only a hall, a chedi, or a photo I took. I also see that young monk in my mind — the flip-flops, the smile, and those words: "I haven't decided."
