What Wat

Wat

Dusk had passed and i slipped out of my shorts,
put my jeans on and waltzed out of the hotel.
less than two minutes away was one of the most
famous Wats (buddhist temples) in Chiang mai.
All day people had been visiting here to see the beautifully
ornate carving and golden relief that adorns the
inner and outer areas of the building.

I had waited for the tourists to go to slip in and
see the monks before it all closed down.
I have never been mad on the hordes that come and visit these
places and being a buddhist its always great for me to observe
the monks uninhibited!

walking unto the entrance I saw that the large temple was locked
but it was still possible to walk around the smaller temple that contained some ancient relics.

As i dropped off my shoes I noticed that two monks were
sat down in front o the main area giving each other head massages.
I acknowledged them with a small bow and walked into the main area.
The buddhas looked on at me in serene solitude and it gave me the
wonderful feeling to see that here I was not in a minority anymore and so
many around me were part of the sangha and the followers of the
insight and philosophy of the many buddhass.

The temple was adorned in simple pictures and depicted many of the scenes familiar to monks in the area.  some ,magnificent and some super-mundane.
I waled slowly trying to appreciate the moment.  All alone without the
flood of cameras that this scene must see each day.

In the darkness I watched smiled and saw that once again i needed to practice
take note of the remarkable people around me who dedicate their lives to
the search for mental peace.

wonderful!