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.
The daily schedule is rough. The boys wake up at 5:30 every day to get ready for the 6 a.m. chants and meditation. They only eat twice a day, once at 7 a.m. and then at 11 a.m.
But, parents are allowed to bring food when they visit.
“We bring them milk shakes around 7 [p.m.],” said Sue Tangtrongwanit, Matt’s mother, explaining that the boys can drink but not eat after the evening chants which begin at 6 p.m. “They’re simply too young to finish the day without eating.”
The process brings honor to the boys’ families and better connects them to their elders, which in turn strengthens the Thai community.
Mrs. Tangtrongwanit said most Thai-American children learn the Thai language at the temple or at home. Involvement in the religious community helps keep them in touch with their ancestry.
“Children need to understand what Buddhism is all about,” she said. “We teach them the overall ideas, but being a nain helps to fill in all the details.”
Becoming a nain does not necessarily obligate one to the temple, but most continue to stay involved, Mrs. Tangtrongwanit said.
At 20, Buddhist men can become monks, either for a short period before they get married or for life.
“I hope the children will become monks,” said Kat Phanngoen, of Silver Spring whose 9-year-old son, Top, is a nain this summer. “Everybody — parents, cousins — are very happy.”
Less than a dozen Thai Buddhist boys become nains each summer at the Wat Thai temple, which has a congregation of about 2,200 families. This summer, four boys attended the program. Last year, seven boys attended the program.
The monks predict an especially large group next year when the abbot celebrates his 80th birthday.
Mrs. Tangtrongwanit said not all boys have the patience or focus to participate in the program, but she said most parents want their children to take part in the experience.
“We ask them, but we can’t push them,” she said. “It’s considered a big honor.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.