To be honest, I don't even know what to call what I did today, but it wore me out! Removable cement blocks cover the water pipes here, but water and dirt leaks in from rain. It forms this kind of dark mud, which reminded me of the "sludge" that I learned about at the sewage plant for a Geology field trip (strangest field trip ever). Every month, the people here lift up the cement and remove the sludge. We used picks and shovels to get the mud out and throw it onto the base of nearby trees. Apparently it makes good fertilizer. We took a break for lunch, but returned to finish working until it got dark. I stopped shoveling early to eat dinner and shower before evening chanting. The mini ice cream from 7-eleven could not have tasted better after a hard day's work.
3 new bhikkunis (samaneris from here who received ordination in Sri Lanka) returned to the wat today, along with another bhikkuni. We now have the first female sangha in Thailand! After chanting, we went to the library and watched some of the footage of the women getting ordained in Sri Lanka. I could not believe how hard the ceremony looked and how the men clearly had the power in the process. The women chanted from memory for hours holding their hands near their foreheads in a prayer position. When their arms got too tired to stay up, two men in uniforms would hold their hands up for them. The monks watched this process, fanning themselves while sitting on the ground. I feel great respect for the monks in Sri Lanka because they ordain women to become bhikkunis; however, the ordination ceremony seemed more grueling than necessary. Perhaps monks in all countries make these ceremonies arduous so that they can get rid of those who are not ready for monkhood yet.
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