Monks In The Mud - Fishing In Isaan

Monks Fishing By Hand Outside Tahsang Village

On my photography website I have a gallery entitled "Monks In The Mist",http://www.hale-worldphotography.com/Travel/Monks-In-The-Mist/11244834_wcKqQz and another gallery entitled "Monks In The Morning" http://www.hale-worldphotography.com/Travel/Luang-Namtha-Monks/11225188_Bjrhpm  Today, I ended up taking photographs that could be placed in a gallery entitled "Monks In The Mud".

We started the day with three main objects.  The first was to burn a CD of photographs for my client in Europe and send it to her.  The second objective was to go out to Kumphawapi and pay the monthly fees for our grandson to attend school.  The last objective for the day was for me to write a blog on fishing in Isaan.  I had recently posted a photograph on Facebook that one of my friends had expressed some interest in what was going on.  I had promised a blog related to the photograph soon.

Well, for many reasons, "soon" here in Isaan takes a while to become reality.  My main delay was getting caught up with editing and post processing the photos that I have taken in the past month.  I then started to clear up the backlog of blog entries that have been in my head for the past month.

First thing in the morning we got a call from Duang's mother asking why I was not coming out to the village to photograph the Monks doing something with the fish in the ditch outside of Tahsang Village.  Well, since we were then aware that something was going on, we incorporated a visit to Tahsang Village into our schedule.

I had seen a new holding pond being constructed outside of the Wat that is inside of Tahsang Village so I assumed there was going to be some kind of ritual or blessing to fill the ditch with water from the flood plain and stock it with some fish.  Well, I sure got that wrong. What was actually happening was the Monks from the Wat outside of the village along with some of the villagers were draining the ditch outside of that Wat and removing the fish.  They were removing the fish for the villagers to eat and to sell any surplus to help pay the electrical bill for the Wat.  The monthly bill for the Wat runs around 1,000 Baht ($33 USD) a month.

Tahsang Village Men Fishing By Hand

When we arrived at the ditch we discovered that the fishing had been going on for a while.  The ditch had been divided up into two sections.  The first and largest section had been drained to the point that rather than holding water, it contained about 18 to 24 inches of muck, a sort of earth pudding, and fish.  Several of the men were bent over knee deep in the muck searching for and grabbing fish with their hands.  When they did catch a fish, they washed it off in a bucket of water and either placed it in a collecting bucket or tossed it up on the embankment where people were cooking fish over the coals of a log fire.

Fish Being Cooked the "Old Fashioned Way"

I knew that they had been at it for awhile not by the number of fish that they had caught but by the number of beer bottles and Lao Lao (Isaan Moonshine type whiskey) up on the embankment where the fish were being cooked.  The people may have been working but that never seems to prevent them from enjoying themselves or making a party out of it.

The two young Monks of the Wat were also out in the muck grabbing fish with their hands.  The Monks did not kill the fish nor did they eat because it was past noon.  They only eat one meal a day and it must be completed by noon.  I suspect that they were doing it for the fun of it and camaraderie with the villagers. No matter their motivation, they were enjoying themselves as much as any one.

The Monks Working To Corner A Fish

A wide range of "fishing" attire was worn by the men.  Some of men wore pakamas (cotton cloth strip) wrapped around their waist and up through their crotch so that the looked like the main character from the 1937 film, "Sabu, The Elephant Boy".  One man was wearing only his western style athletic briefs.  Other men wore a sarong around their waist while others opted to wear cotton shorts or cutoff sweat pants.  The Monks were wearing something similar to Sabu The Elephant Boy undergarment only it was the same color as their Monk robes.   Well actually it was the same color as their robe before they entered into the ditch.  After everyone entered into the ditch, they were quickly covered with a grey creamy muck.  Their garment was also more intricately wrapped and twisted than the laymen.  The older Monk, perhaps 25 years old, had a belt type device around the top of his garment,  The device was not a simple belt but was comprised of tubes, cords, and perhaps a small chain.

Two Monks After Fish

I was invited to join them fishing but once again I was happy to remind them that it looked like work and I did not want the Police to come and take me to jail because I was working.  Having told them that they were happy to just have me take pictures of them.  I did not tell them that I did not have the heart or courage to go into the muck and actually try to grab something that I could not see with my bare hands. I did joke with them that I had brought a tuna fish sandwich to eat for lunch because I wasn't sure that they would be catching anything.

The Older Monk Takes A Rest From Fishing

They caught several small fish, ranging in size from 6 inches to perhaps 16 inches.  The smaller fish appeared to be Talapia and the larger fish I believe were Snakeheads,  They caught a few eel like creatures and some large snails.

Everyone had a great time laughing and joking as they fished.  The older Monk fell when he walked into a hole hidden under the muck - much to his amusement and everyone else.  The biggest laugh, so big that I almost fell down the embankment, was brought about by the youngest Monk.  He was squatted down in the muck when all of a sudden he started yelling and jumped up as a big splash could be seen exiting between his legs.  The largest fish of the day had swum between his legs and apparently brushed up against his inner thigh or someplace near there. I missed the shot but did see the fish.  Everyone was laughing hysterically including the Monk once he overcame his initial shock.  About 10 minutes later he captured what we believed was the offending fish.

The fish that were to be eaten were cooked the old fashioned way - they were thrown on to a bed of coals from the burning of a couple logs - no scaling, no gutting and no seasoning.  As the need for more coals became apparent the burning log was moved closer to the center of the fire.  Some of the fish were thrown on the coals alive and some people dispatched their fish before cooking them.  One man shoved a fresh twig down their throat to cook them over the coals.  A couple men placed the fish's head on an empty beer bottle laying on the ground and pounded the head forcefully with the bottom of another empty beer bottle. No matter how the fish were prepared, everyone seemed to really enjoy eating them.  I enjoyed eating and was thankful for my tuna sandwich.

One of My Buddies Displaying His Catch

Udonthani is the capital in Thailand of liver cancer incidence caused by a parasite that infects fresh water fish and snails.  The hospitals have signs posted informing the people of the danger of eating improperly prepared fish and snails.  The main contributor to infection is the consumption of unpasteurized fermented fish - a Lao Loum staple.  I am leery of eating local caught and prepared fish and snails.  I am not afraid of the fermented fish because just the smell of it makes me sick so I would never be eating it.

After the smaller section of the ditch had been drained and fished the village men went to the Wat where the women had prepared  all kinds of local dishes from the fish that had not been grilled.

Having had their fun for the day, the Monks returned to their quarters.

Having had our fun for another day, we returned to our home in Udonthani.

The Singing Monks of Isaan

Monk Singing His Role As A "Father" - At This Point A " Dead Father" In A Dream

I have had the elements of this blog organized in my mind for almost a month now.  The combination of a desire to complete editing and post processing all the photographs associated with this blog entry along with some inexplicable reticence to finalize the blog have delayed me until today.

Today, as it turns out, was worth waiting for.  As you can tell from the title this blog entry is about singing Monks - Buddhist Monks.  Most people are familiar with the chanting of many sects of Christian Monks.  Back in the 1960's there was a famous "Singing Nun". On the cable news today there was story about an Italian Monk who has signed a recording contract.  Buddhist Monks are renowned for their chanting.  On the Internet you can find many videos and mp 3 recordings of Buddhist Monks chanting.

Buddhist Monks singing?  I suspect that not many people are familiar with Buddhist Monks singing.  If you research on the Internet you will undoubtedly quite easily find that Monks are not supposed to sing.  Well there are many things that Buddhists as well as Buddhist Monks should or should not do. The practical application and inclusion of local customs and practices make defining Buddhist practices in short universal statements difficult.  Think in terms of a house - the foundations of homes are basically the same.  The functions of a house are the same.  However there are many different appearing structures built upon a foundation to serve the function of a house.

I have written several times about rituals or elements of rituals that although they were performed by Buddhists and in some cases in which Buddhist Monks participated, they were not part of Buddhism.  The  tying of strings around the wrists of laypeople, the sprinkling of holy water on laypeople, the wearing of amulets, idols, talisman  and use of fireworks are all vestiges of earlier animist and Hindu beliefs and practices to the local cultures which are Buddhist today. Buddhism is an an tremendously tolerant "religion" in that these practices are not condemned but assimilated and accepted into the Buddhist practice for they give the local people confidence and inspiration to continue along on their Buddhist path.

Last month we attended a special merit making event in Tahsang Village for some of my wife's relatives.  The special merit making ritual is difficult to describe in a few words - it is essentially a big party to mark the death of a relative.  The party is not to celebrate the death per se but it is an occasion to assist the spirit of the departed on its journey to its next life by making offerings to and for the spirit as well as the local Monks.

These events are quite common here in Isaan.  Theoretically these events are held around one year after the person has died.  But the reality is they are held when the family can financially afford to pay or finance them.  For the event we attended last month, Duang's Aunt was holding the event for her husband who died 10 years ago and for her mother who died 20 years ago.  Due to the cost of such events they are some times combined with another occasion which requires a big "celebration".   In the case of  Duang's Aunt last month, her son was also becoming a Monk.  The event lasts all day and all night with it completing the next day.

We arrived in the morning to participate in the offering of food to the Monks and cutting of Duang's nephew's hair in preparation to becoming a Monk. In the early afternoon  three throne like chairs were set up underneath the main canopy.  These golden intricately carved wood chairs are used for Monks to sit cross legged upon while reading or lecturing the scriptures.  However on that day, I learned that they are also used for another purpose - for Monks to sit in while they sing.

After the chairs had been set up, three Monks that I had never seen before arrived.  These Monks brought their own microphones, amplifiers, mixing boards, and computers.  They even had a young man to set it up for them.  I knew that I was about to learn something new.

From Duang, I learned that these Monks were from another village and they go and put on a "show" for people.  The "show" turned out to be a morality play - a play about life and Buddhist family values.  One Monk played the part of a father.  The second Monk played the part of a son.  The third Monk, the youngest played the part of the mother.  Most of the performance was song with dialogue providing transitions between the songs.

According to Duang we were witnessing "Nangmakao".  A performance usually takes 4 hours. Due to the need to parade through the village as part of the Monk Ordination ritual later in the afternoon, this performance was cut down to three hours.  It is a story about a mother, father, grown-up son, and grown-up daughter. The daughter is "no-good" in that she talks bad to her parents and does not take care of her parents.  "Take care" involves financially, and materially supporting your parents. It runs the gamut from giving them money each month to cooking and cleaning as necessary to keep your parents well.  In the Lao Loum culture the burden of this is the responsibility of the youngest daughter but expected of all the children.  So in this story the daughter is especially bad - not respecting and taking care of her parents and not doing it as the youngest daughter.  The son on the other hand is a good person.  He takes care of his parents.  The songs deal with what the daughter does not do and should do.  The songs from each family member's perspective deals with their sadness and disappointment that the daughter does not have a "good heart".

A Monk. in the role of "Mother" Cries About Her Children

As part of the morality play, the son dreams that his mother and father die.  The spirits of his deceased parents want food and money for their journey to the next life but are not able to get them.  The son, who was a good son but not a perfect son, is devastated at the loss of his parents.  He laments the times that he did not respect them and the fights that he had with his father.  The mother cries as she sings about all the times her children did not visit her and take care of her. The father is more angry in his singing and laments about how sad and how much the mother cries because of the children.  Despite the son and daughter being wealthy, the father sings that they do not want to take care of their parents apparently telling them to go away like dogs in the street to get food  This is definitely not nice in any culture - for sure!

The son wakes up from his dream and kind of reads the riot act to his sister about taking care of their parents.  The daughter turns a new leaf and starts to pray to Buddha every day and takes care of her parents like she is supposed to  do.  The son also takes care of his parents and becomes an even better son.

The songs are sung in the style of traditional Mahlam Lao but without any musical accompaniment.  The songs are sung with a great deal of warbling and tonal range.  This link is one of the songs that the Monks sang but without the instrumental accompaniment.   http://youtu.be/OnoSvHUVHGo

As the Monks performed, laypeople would approach them, and place money offerings to the Monks in the cloth bag that hung from each golden throne.  The Monks would then place "Saikaen" in the offering plate for the layperson.  "Saikaen" are braided string bracelets over which the Monks have recited scriptures and chanted over.  They are worn by people for good luck and fortune.  They are dropped on an offering plate to ensure that Monks have no physical contact with women.  For larger offerings to Monks or from a Monk, the object is first placed on a folded cloth which the recipient will then pull towards them to accept the offering.

Duang Accepts "Saikaen" From Singing Monk

At the beginning of the performance, two trays of food and drink were placed on the raised platform where the Monks had been previously seated.  The food and drink were offerings to the spirits of the deceased husband and deceased mother of Duang's aunt.

At the conclusion of the Nangmakao, a special merit making ritual was performed for the benefit of the two departed spirits.  Laypeople burned Joss Sticks as the Monks chanted about the spirits going up rather than hanging around now that they have been given food, money, and the Monks have taken care them

Merit Making Ritual for the Departed Spirits.

There was not a dry eye underneath the canopy - it was quite emotional and sad.

I earned some merit too, not necessarily in terms of the Buddhist religion, but with my in-laws when Duang noticed and pointed out to everyone that I was crying too as I was taking photographs.

It was a very moving experience.  The youngest Monk, who played the role of the Mother, gave Duang his card.  I told her that when I died I wanted them to do their singing for me but I was not planning on it being any time soon.  I also had Duang tell him that if she died before me, I would become a Monk and he and I could go to all the villages to make people cry with our singing.  We all had a good laugh.

Spirit Houses Constructed for Merit Making Ritual

The next morning the spirit houses specially constructed for the departed people along with the money offerings, rice, sahts (woven reed mats), mons (pillows) and other offerings collected from the laypeople would be paraded through the village on their way to be presented to the local Monks on behalf of the departed spirits as well as donors.

Last weekend, we attended in Nongdaeng Village another ritual for the spirit of a departed relative.  The most recent ritual was for the death of a mother 5 years ago.  This event also included singing Monks but different ones than at the December ritual.  This time there was also the full 4 hour version of the "Nangmakao".  Once again it was a very interesting, and moving experience.

Monk Singing "Father" Role of Nangmakao in Nongdaeng Village

Our grandson, Peelawat who will be 4 years old next month, seemed to enjoy the performance.  He split up his time on my lap, as I took photographs, and on Duang's lap where she instructed him in worshiping   He also got to eat ice cream and drink Coke so he was happy the entire four hours.

Peelawat learning to Chant In Pali

A Monk Singing As Part of Merit Making Ritual

Family Making Offerings to Spirit of Their Grandmother

Food Offerings for the Spirit

So although Monks are not supposed to sing, apparently the local custom in Isaan allows them to sing in order to instruct the Lao Loum laypeople the teachings of Buddha and to assist people to make merit for the departed.

This is the way that life is here in Isaan.

There is always something new to witness and learn even if you think that you have seen it all.

Things are not always the way they seem or as simple as they appear at first.

There are many levels of understanding and as you delve deeper into the details of the culture, the richer the world around you becomes and the fuller your life becomes.

There is no need for any of us to watch a "reality show", for real life is waiting for each one of us if we but open our eyes, ears, and mind.