| WAT SRA MONTHON |
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This small but active monastery is located north of Queen Sri Nakarin Park, near the
bridge leading toward Sena and Highway 3263. It is situated on a small, unnamed, side alley
and can be very difficult to find. The closest landmark other than the bridge would be the old
distillery.
Wat Sra Monthon makes its first appearance on the 1993 Fine Arts Department map.
Some of the land in the area was cleared away to develop Queen Sri Nakarin Park and the
road leading to the highway bridge. As a result, a number of temples in the vicinity were
destroyed. This modern temple may have been built on the site of one of these older
monasteries. A now defunct canal once passed north of this monastery, which probably
formed the southern boundary of the Rear Palace (Wang Lang). A portion of this canal can
still be seen.
Wat Sra Monthon consists of a single sermon hall, which is taken care of by only one monk.
There is no chedi, bell tower, crematorium, of monk’s quarters in situ. The sole monk sleeps
on a floor of the ubosot, and this is where he offers sermons to the lay community. The
building is a new construction that houses a surprising amount of (mostly new) Buddha
images. The ubosot has a tin roof and its walls are pink. An old sema stone marks the
entrance of the ubosot.
The neighborhood around this site tends to be very poor, but they do hold this monk in high
esteem, and for this reason, the small ubosot has its fair share of visitors. Even though this
website tends to avoid using analogies, in this case it may be useful to describing the unique
nature of this monastery. After I inquired about the temple’s history, the monk admitted that
he didn’t know how old it was or its history. He then asked me why foreigners only want to
learn about old ruins instead of active monasteries. I told them I was interested in the old,
the new, and the transition between the two. I was then invited into his informal sermon and
given something to drink. Afterward, I tried to give him a donation of 100 Baht. He took my
money, painted some Buddhist symbols on it, and gave it back to me. He then asked, “Do
you know why I drew that?” I mentioned that maybe it was to bring me good luck or
fortune. He laughed and said. I have only created a symbol. A drawing can’t change your
luck or bring you money. The only way you can get money is to work very hard, and the
only way to improve your luck is to educate yourself so that you can make better choices”.
In gratitude for his lesson, I handed him a 500 Baht bill. The other people in the ubosot
gasped in surprise. The monk took my bill, painted on another Buddhist image, and handed
it back to me once again. He said, “Give this to your new girlfriend. I already have all I need
inside this ubosot”.
bridge leading toward Sena and Highway 3263. It is situated on a small, unnamed, side alley
and can be very difficult to find. The closest landmark other than the bridge would be the old
distillery.
Wat Sra Monthon makes its first appearance on the 1993 Fine Arts Department map.
Some of the land in the area was cleared away to develop Queen Sri Nakarin Park and the
road leading to the highway bridge. As a result, a number of temples in the vicinity were
destroyed. This modern temple may have been built on the site of one of these older
monasteries. A now defunct canal once passed north of this monastery, which probably
formed the southern boundary of the Rear Palace (Wang Lang). A portion of this canal can
still be seen.
Wat Sra Monthon consists of a single sermon hall, which is taken care of by only one monk.
There is no chedi, bell tower, crematorium, of monk’s quarters in situ. The sole monk sleeps
on a floor of the ubosot, and this is where he offers sermons to the lay community. The
building is a new construction that houses a surprising amount of (mostly new) Buddha
images. The ubosot has a tin roof and its walls are pink. An old sema stone marks the
entrance of the ubosot.
The neighborhood around this site tends to be very poor, but they do hold this monk in high
esteem, and for this reason, the small ubosot has its fair share of visitors. Even though this
website tends to avoid using analogies, in this case it may be useful to describing the unique
nature of this monastery. After I inquired about the temple’s history, the monk admitted that
he didn’t know how old it was or its history. He then asked me why foreigners only want to
learn about old ruins instead of active monasteries. I told them I was interested in the old,
the new, and the transition between the two. I was then invited into his informal sermon and
given something to drink. Afterward, I tried to give him a donation of 100 Baht. He took my
money, painted some Buddhist symbols on it, and gave it back to me. He then asked, “Do
you know why I drew that?” I mentioned that maybe it was to bring me good luck or
fortune. He laughed and said. I have only created a symbol. A drawing can’t change your
luck or bring you money. The only way you can get money is to work very hard, and the
only way to improve your luck is to educate yourself so that you can make better choices”.
In gratitude for his lesson, I handed him a 500 Baht bill. The other people in the ubosot
gasped in surprise. The monk took my bill, painted on another Buddhist image, and handed
it back to me once again. He said, “Give this to your new girlfriend. I already have all I need
inside this ubosot”.
| Text & photographs by Ken May - September 2009 |
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