Camp lets boys embrace Buddha

Candles, incense holders and a 3-foot shrine holding a gold Buddha sit on a wooden table next to six monks who are chanting and clasping their hands in prayer.

Next to them sit three young boys, clad in bright orange robes, trying to emulate the monks by mouthing some of the chants.

But not for long. Two boys start kicking each other, while the other leans back and starts sipping fruit juice.

It’s summer camp — Buddhist style.

The boys shaved off their hair and traded in their T-shirts for the traditional Buddhist robes to participate in the two-week Theravada Buddhist coming-of-age experience.

The boys spent the past two weeks at the Wat Thai Washington D.C., a Theravada Buddhist temple on Layhill Road in Silver Spring, where they have been practicing chants, meditation and yoga, so they can become better acquainted with the monastic lifestyle. The program ends tomorrow.

The experience, the boys said, was a sort of a spartan summer camp, where discipline underscored daily life.

“I might be missing out, but it’s OK,” said Matt Tangtrongwanit, 11, of Silver Spring. “I know I’m bringing my family good luck and making them proud of me.”

During the program, the boys, who are called nains, or novices, are taught about Thai culture and self-discipline.

The push to increase discipline is a central tenet of Buddhism, said Sum Sak, the monk overseeing the boys.

“In Buddhism, we train for success through wisdom and energy,” he said. “Good and bad don’t belong to God, they belong to your actions — how you train for success.

“It’s not just something you can remember,” Mr. Sak said. “It’s something you have to live.”

During the process, the boys are not allowed to play, run or jump. Participation in any fun first must be approved by Abbot Phra Maha Surasak Jivanando, the head monk.

But, boys will be boys.

The youngsters said they still had pillow fights, watched television late at night and played with frogs in the woods behind the temple.

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