The Ordination & Lifestyle of a Buddhist Nun

Some people might be wondering why at one time they are reading stories about horses, elephants, etc…while at another time they read about life as a Buddhist nun. My past is as interesting as the present. That is why I tend to bounce between past and present. Today we will again turn to the near present, to the life of a Buddhist nun. How did it begin and what is the daily routine of a Buddhist nun or Mae Chi?

I decided to become ordained some 4 and a half years ago for the first time, as a thank you for all the blessings I received and for being alive. Once I had received permission from the head nun to do so, I would be ordained for 7 days, to see if I could tolerate the life style. I was ordained for initially 7 days and went through the following procedure. Once I was settled into my room and dressed in white, it was time to face the monks. A flower, 3 incense sticks and a candle, together with an envelope containing money was prepared. Five sets were required for 5 monks. I received the 8 precepts, followed by 5 monks chanting the blessings. Pronunciation of the 8 precepts in the Pali language was a challenge, but the monks were most helpful. I had the advantage of being able to speak Thai, which made it easier. Before the ceremony was over, I poured water into a bowl while the monks chanted. This ceremony is to transfer merit to my parents and teachers, as well as to the deceased ancestors. After the initial ceremony was complete, this water was poured on any tree to transfer the merit of my actions to my ancestors, etc…

By now it was almost 11 am and time for the last meal of the day, which I enjoyed in the company of several other nuns. The other nuns were very helpful and kept pushing food in front of me, telling me to eat more. I would otherwise be very hungry later on…. After helping to clear the plates and glasses, as well as the remaining food, I returned to my room for a short rest. At 1 pm it was time to meditate. This experience was initially very strange to one who didn’t know the first thing about meditation. Nuns and monks gathered in the meditation hall. Meditation would last from 1 pm to 4 pm. It was fine for the first 3 days. On the 4^th day I was so sore, I could hardly sit down, not to mention that my body, especially my legs, went numb. The other nuns told me that this was normal and that everybody goes through this stage. Oh joy…… It was one of those things that required tolerance. Let the numbness overcome you and watch how it progresses and then disappears. After sitting for an hour, we would do meditation walking. Translated this means walking in such a way that we are consciously aware of every muscle throughout every single movement…. It is hard work and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!! Having walked for an hour within the meditation hall, it was then time to sit in meditation for another hour. After the 3 hour meditation session, I was exhausted!! Now it was time to return to my hut for a brief rest before evening chanting began at 7:30 pm. This again required a lot of concentration. Although I was lucky enough to receive an English version of the evening chant, it takes a while to get used to it. After chanting was over, it was time for a Dhamma talk by one of the monks, followed by an in depth explanation by the abbot. To complete the evening chanting session, monks and nuns would chant the evening transfer of merit and pay homage to the Triple Gem. This pretty much completed the first day of being ordained.

The next morning started early at 5 am. It was time to buy food just outside the temple, to offer as alms food to the monks who made their alms rounds starting from 6 am. That completed, it was now time for our breakfast at 7 am. Breakfast usually consisted of rice porridge. Only occasionally was fried rice on the menu. At 7:30 am it was time for morning chanting. This is where it really started to get interesting!! The monks would chant in the main ordination hall. The nuns would chant at the “sallah”, where the monks took their meals and where we did the evening chanting with the monks. In the morning Pali passages were usually translated into Thai as well. That meant that we were chanting in two different languages for any given chant!! Confused??? Totally flabbergasted is more like it! Nuns, who didn’t shave their heads, had to chant the 8 precepts every day. Other nuns would only receive the precepts from a monk on every “Wan Phra”, which happens once a week on new moon, half moon and quarter waxing and waning moon. Wan Phra has a different timetable from the ordinary day, but more on that in a minute.  This completes the normal daily routine of a nun, without going into details about helping in the temple whenever we had free time.

As for the schedule on Wan Phra….We would still offer alms food to the monks around 6 am and have our breakfast at 7 am, however, on Wan Phra, morning chanting would start at 8 am and the chanting is done together with the monks. As mentioned earlier, this is the day where all the nuns would receive the 8 precepts from a monk. This is mostly followed by a Dhamma talk by one of the monks and chanting the morning transfer of merit, which then completes the morning session.

At 11 am is the final meal of the day, and then it is possible to rest until 7:30 pm, when the evening session starts. Chanting and Dhamma talk as usual, but that is where the normal routine ends. The evening session continues until 9pm. We have an hour’s rest and then it’s off to the meditation hall for 1 hour. To complete Wan Phra, we head back to the “sallah” for another hour of chanting until midnight. This completes our Wan Phra program. I enjoyed this routine and was ordained for another 7 days, before having to leave to take care of personal business. Little did I realize that this would soon become my permanent life style…..