It was nearly exhausting after weeks of postponing the schedule but it was the eagerness to climb uphill that kept the spirit alive. On the 7th of November, 2010 Papa came over to our apartment to fetch us. We were going away on a rather spiritual trip for 2 days and 1 night. It was the annual Kathina celebration aka the robe offering to the holy sangha. It was our 3rd time attending such an event (last year in Brickfields temple, the previous week in Subang temple) but the first time in SABS. Out last trip to the hill temple can be called a tourist visit. It if one of those few temples where strict sangha rules are observed like no women allowed to go near the monk resident area and the monks even go down the hill to the nearest village for alms-round. It was rather an unusual thing that these rules are still being followed in this part of the modern civilization.
We reached the hill after midday. We were taken up to the hill in the temples delivery car/truck. Trust me; it brought back all my childhood memories when me and my friends used to love travelling in cars/truck which had no roof. Especially sitting on the roof of the mini-buses and shouting and yelling at the top of our voices. It was good fun when I started shouting, reverberating my golden era… it never felt so good before. Once we reached the top of the hill, we were shown our accommodation and handed over our volunteer T-shirt. We attended the talk after the simple dinner and went to doze off. I didn't have a good night because I had to share the room with 6 other people and besides there was basically nothing to cover ourselves or lay down. So, we slept on the barren wooden floor but I wasted no time in complaining as I was prepared for it. It was another sub-topic in the chapter of my life.
The Day of the event: it started quite early. I had a quick bath at around 5:45am. At 6am, we were on our way down to the event area with the camera stand on my shoulder and the smaller camera in my pocket. It was surprisingly dark but we managed to climb down without any bruises or problems. We met papa and as accustomed the first thing on the agenda was breakfast. There were plenty of stalls setup each offering different dishes and local cuisines. We had our share of a good breakfast and headed towards the shrine where nearly 20 monks were indulged in their Morning Prayer session. We set up our camera near the shrine so that we can capture the entire event from the moment they came out of the shrine till they settle down for their breakfast. It was a cool early morning with dark clouds floating in the sky to protect us from the hot sun. Soft morning breeze flowed and the flags flattered in unison as we sat there capturing the serenity of the place. Our next move was to the diamond wooden shrine where the main prayer and offering of the robes was going to take place. Since we were the camera crew, we were allowed to go there. We set up our equipments again and waited for the monks to arrive and start the session. The shrine is situated in the middle of the small lake and so we could see throngs of devotes all around us. I felt a shrill of shiver as I rolled down to take the pictures. The session went well until the time the chief monk waved us as to not overcrowd the shrine. I took my place at the entrance and stated filming. During this time, the monks were measuring the cloth and sewing the robes. It was an impeccable practice.
Before the entertainment program started at 8:30am, we went down in search of food again, this time the famous Cendol. It was a lovely treat. I even grabbed a plate of fried Char Keoy Teow. It was around 10:30am and still no sign of hot sun. That was a blessing indeed! It was announced as the time for the alms-around. I didn’t expect that long of a queue of devotees but I felt sad for the monks who had to go around with their alms-bowl. It was rather exhausting since they went around on bare foot but the calm look they wore on their face was soothing. It took nearly an hour to finish the session. The lunch time followed the alms-round. There were different venues for the Dhamma talks to be held in different languages. I listened to the English talk and know what; the preaching seat was the most spectacular of all. It was carved from the tree trunk with steps and also a small table. It was so beautiful with the additional roof made of hay to shade the preacher. It was a good talk with more emphasis given on the importance of why offerings are made and how the monks accept it.
12am and we are done! It was a short and a fruitful event. I am glad that I got to contribute something.
A wholesome act on a holy day!!! | ||
KATHINA 2010
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