Kung Fu and other monks

I always thought that monks were kind and thoughtful men who tried to enlighten others with the wisdom they got through deep meditation and long hours of study...kind of like the monks on the 70's TV show "Kung Fu". Many monks here in Thailand are like this and I have immense respect for these men. There are other monks...novice monks who go to train at a temple for a relatively short period of time. This helps give them perspective on life and also lets the person and their family get more respect from their community. A fine idea in my mind.

Just like many organizations (including religious ones) there are bad apples. I am told that some monks are in temples to hide from the law or have been "encouraged" by law enforcement to go there to help get their lives in order. I have no way to know if this is true, but several people have told me this and the recent beating in a temple suggests that it is true. Either way...most are good men who are doing great things with their lives.

One interesting custom is the monks will walk through the community early in the morning to get cooked rice. Every morning around 6:30 the owners of our house or one of their servants is out at the street to give the rice. The monks take it, do a short chant and go on their way. This is a picture I took this morning.