My First Day In The Temple

I still remember my feeling of the first day I went to be a novice. In the morning, I got up and saw a few boys carrying the bowl and walking after monks. That picture attracted me and made me excited. “It is time for me” I thought in my mind.

In fact, I wanted to be a novice once but my parents disagreed with me. They said that I was too young and small. So I could not carry a buck of water or clean my clothes. Many reasons they gave me and I agreed with that. Now it was another year and I grew up. I thought that I could do it.

So after having breakfast, I hurried to meet my friends and told them what I had seen. All of my friends were excited. They asked their parents and followed me. Some of them, their parents agreed “ it is good. Men is like that. When growing up, it should be a novice to make merit for the parents”. Some of them, the father agreed but the mother disagreed “No, don’t go! You are still too young”.

Whatever they said, none of us listens them. I gathered my friends and went to the temple to ask the information. The monks supported and encouraged us “So it is good to be a novice. It is not difficult. In the evening, you just bring your clothes, blanket, pillow, and small mattress. That’s it”

In the evening, after preparing things, I went to the temple. It was a little bit dark because no electricity in my village. Everyone used torches. I hold my belongings-small mattress, blanket, and some clothes with my two hands.

While I was stepping into the temple, I was under the big tree. The soft wind blew past my body. I heard the sound of leaves of the tree in front of the temple hitting or rubbing each other. I was a little afraid of darkness and also had a feeling that the temple was a very cool place.

When I arrived the monk’s dwelling, my brother came out and pick me up. He brought me inside of the monk’s dwelling and left my belongings in somewhere and then took me to the Araam. There I saw lots of monk and my friends sat in front of the Buddhist statue and prayed.

While the monks were praying, I felt that sound provided me with imagination. The story of Buddha or picture that I used to see it came to my mind automatically as if the movie. This made my heart feel happy and calm down, in other words, it was like I was dreaming of a place or a world—world of Buddha. My heart was peaceful.

Praying took around more than one hour. And then, everyone going back to the monk’s dwelling. My friend and I sat together and started learning the pray which there was a monk teaching until 10 pm. After that everyone took a little break, went to the toilets and did their own business and back to sleep.