By: Janneke Voortman
Before heading to Koh Samui to start my internship, I decided to do one week of travelling through Thailand to get familiar with the country, culture, people and their habits. This week was definitely one of the best weeks in my life. I saw beautiful places, ate good food and, the best of all, I met the most amazing people from all over the world.
Chiang Mai, the beautiful city in the north of Thailand, was where I got to meet the most inspirational people. When you are travelling alone, you actually never spend one moment alone. However, one day I was visiting the Old City and its beautiful temples on my own, until I encountered a monk. I sat down before I realized, listening to the conversation the man in the famous orange robe had with fellow travelers.
I have to say, before visiting Thailand, I had read a lot about this country. However, I didn’t know too much about Buddhism and monks, who are responsible for the preservation of the Buddha’s teaching. I knew that women weren’t allowed to touch a monk, but I didn’t know that I, as a woman, was able to talk to them.
The monk my fellow travelers and I got to talk to, was a 26-year-old man. Travelers asked him everything and the 26-year-old man was brave enough to answer every, sometimes personal, question. Of course, he told us about his daily routine and the rules which monks have to follow. He was even open about his desires, which, according to Buddhism, he has to ignore.
You may feel it coming, my – perhaps too personal – question was next, before I realized. I asked the man what he personally found important in life. After asking this question, it remained silent for a while. It took long before he came up with an answer. Nevertheless, his answer was worth waiting for. He answered that he found it important to be a good person, which he elaborated later in our conversation. By using your personal qualities rather than your quantities, you can be the best version of yourself and therefore, you can become a good person.
Of course, his personal importance reflects in Buddhism too. Buddhism is about focusing about the good things in other people – instead of looking at weaknesses. This phenomenon really grabbed my interest, not a day goes by without thinking about Buddhism and the conversation I had with the monk in his orange robe. By being able to talk to a monk, I learnt way more about Buddhism than I would have learnt out of books.