Rude Awakenings - Forest Sangha Publications

^0 T H I R D M O O N 06the maechee sounding a large gong and served in a room connected tothe kitchen. Both meals also consisted of the same food, white rice withlots of different meat dishes. Sometimes there was also fish or eggs andperhaps a small plate of raw vegetables. No exception to this heavy carnivorousdiet was made for the breakfast, except that vegetables wereless likely. We would sit on mats on the floor, Ajahn Sucitto at a largetable with three Thai monks, who were also staying, and with all thefood dishes, while I sat at a small table on my own with nothing on it buta plate. Thai monastic discipline is very strong on form, especiallyaround food. This way the monks avoided any concern that the disheshad been handled by me without being formally offered back. Theypassed each dish as they finished with it, first the rice and then one dishof meat after another.At meal times one of the workers would be on guard with a broomin the courtyard to shoo away monkeys as we crossed to the dining hall.At other times we had to carry our sticks. Otherwise the monkeys wouldgang up with the dogs and rush to attack us, driving us back to the havenof the main building, where they were not allowed. Even with a stick inhand it was a scary journey: the dogs would wake from their slumbersand start growling and then barking. This would bring the monkeysscuttling across the ground screeching loudly. Beating the stick on theground would stop them, just out of range but still screeching loudly,until we made it through the gate.I left the wat several times during our stay to visit the ruins at the mainsite. Ajahn Sucitto only went the once. He was not really interested inNalanda.Nalanda, though, must once have been a very impressive place. Eventoday the ruins are quite stunning and on a much grander scale than atany of the other holy sites we had visited. Several enormous and verysolid-looking temples tower above one, their original outer ornate skinlong gone, leaving tumbled red brickwork. Each of them contains amain shrine room, now empty, with flights of stairs leading up to it, and2 0 8