Essay

The secret of life

By Kip Cates

Have you ever wondered about the secret of life? I have. Amazingly, I discovered it in my student days during my trip around the world!

I was traveling in Southeast Asia with an American friend. "There's a famous Buddhist temple which has some very holy monks," he said. "I've heard they accept foreign guests. Why don't we visit it?" "Count me in!" I replied.

The name of the temple was Wat Suan Mokkh. It was located near Surat Thani in southern Thailand. The monks were very hospitable. They welcomed us, gave us a room and let us stay for several days. The only condition was that we follow the temple rules. No problem!

We began our visit by reading books on Buddhism, talking to the monks and practicing meditation. Bedtime was early -- 9 p.m. -- but we went to sleep with visions of gaining great wisdom.

Our lofty dreams were shattered by the sound of a loud gong. I looked at my watch. It was 4 a.m. Time to wake up! The monks were already studying and meditating. "When's breakfast?" I asked. "Not until 6!" came the answer. I wondered if I could survive until then. We helped clean the temple and, eventually, mealtime arrived.

"Finally, I can sit down to a nice big breakfast," I thought. No such luck! Buddhist monks in Thailand beg for breakfast. As temple guests, we had to beg, too.

We stood with the monks outside the temple and waited, empty rice bowls in our hands. Soon, some Thai housewives came along with food to give us. I was confused because, as they put the food into our bowls, they kept saying, "Thank you!"

"Shouldn't we thank them?" I asked. "No," said the monks. "But why?" I asked. "We monks are holy," they explained. "By begging for our food, we're giving these women a chance to do a good deed." Interesting!

During our stay, we heard there was a wise old monk who had lived in a cave in India for nine years, searching for enlightenment. Amazingly, he spoke English! He must know the secret of life, we thought. We went to visit him.

The monk was calm and serene. "What's the secret of life?" we asked eagerly. "The secret of life," he said, "is . . . education! I advise you both to finish university, enter graduate school and get a master's degree." My friend and I were stunned! We'd traveled halfway around the world to find the secret of life and were told to go back to school. That's what my mother kept saying!

However, the monk's advice stuck in my mind. After returning to Canada, I finished my studies, went to England and got an M.A. Now I'm a professor at a national university. Maybe the monk was right!

Now you know the secret of life. Please guard it well. But don't tell anyone!

Shukan ST: JULY 6, 2012

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