Leonardo and Buddhist Ceremonies Nine monks perform Tam Boon at the film studio in Phuket. On Tuesday 12th January 1999, the production team of The Beach invited nine monks to the studio in Phuket as part of the opening ceremony for the start of shooting. This is a Thai tradition to make merit in order to
receive good luck. You could say it is the Thai version of a house-warming party.
The monks came from Wat Sam Kong, Phuket. At the start of the ceremony basic essentials such as toiletry items, were offered to the monks by Leonardo and other crew members. They then sat down in a respectful position whilst the nine monks chanted. Holy water was then splashed liberally over everyone and all over the film equipment around the studio.
The abbot, Phrakru Wichitsangapairoch, asked Leonardo how old he was. Leo answered "24". He then asked: "Do you like Thailand?" He answered "Yes, because the people are kind and the weather is very nice." Whilst Leo talked to the monk he clasped his hands together in a Thai wai (see picture). The abbot commented to the press afterwards that Leo is a nice person and very good looking and that he always smiled.
Just before the abbot was about to leave, Leonardo kneeled down in front of him with his hands together in a prayer like gesture as the abbot again splashed him with some holy water. The abbot then asked Leo what his religion was. Leo just smiled. The abbot then presented Leo with an amulet in order to protect him and give him good luck.
We thought you might be interested in some background information about this news story. First we will describe the meaning behind the amulet and then a typical tam boon ceremony at a house in Thailand.
Amulets The amulet
that was given to Leonardo was of a very revered monk called Luang Phor Tuat. The picture to the left is of this very same monk which we happened to have in the school office, though Leonardo's amulet was reported to have been white. It is about 3 cms by 2.5 cms and was presented to him in a small white plastic case. (In the picture at the top of this page you can see the abbot holding the amulet in his right hand.) Most people would either keep this amulet in a shrine in their house or wear it in a special locket around their neck.
At our school, a number of boys wear a cord around their neck with amulets hanging from it which is believed to have the power to protect them against diseases, accidents and witchcraft. On the amulet is often an image of the Buddha or a famous monk. These images can be cast from metal, or carved out of a piece of wood, ivory, or resin, but the most common traditional ones are those manufactured from a mixture of many different ingredients, pressed in a mould and baked.The boy who wears protective objects are instructed to handle them with care. The cord around his neck is so long that it can be taken off, for example, when the boy lies down to sleep. Under no circumstances should an amulet be placed on the floor or in any other low position where someone may inadvertently step on it. When washing or relieving himself, the student may put the amulet into his mouth, or temporarily hang it at the back so that it cannot be insulted.
The above photograph shows some students from our school wearing their amulets. As you can see in the photograph on the right, the amulets come in all shapes and sizes. The one in the middle is of about the same size and shape as the one Leonardo received, though this one has an image of the Buddha and not a monk. If Leonardo wanted to wear his, then he would have to put it in a plastic locket similar to the one above. Alternatively, he could put it in a small plastic case.
Tam Boon This is a special merit making ceremony where food or other essential items are offered to the monks. The following is an extract from Dennis Segaller's excellent book called Thai Ways which perfectly describes such a ceremony in a typical Thai household:
The ceremony needs careful planning about a month ahead. The householder must visit the temple of his choice to make sure the monks and the abbot will be free to come on the chosen day. Each monk must have a cushion to lean against while chanting, and a mat to sit on. The housewife must also plan all the food for the monks, which must of course be of the highest quality. Several different dishes will have to be cooked early in the day, and desert and mountains of fresh fruit must be provided as well as soft drinks, cigarettes, and a set of flowers, candle and incense sticks for each monk. They are also given envelopes with money for their day-to-day needs.
The day before the ceremony, all the furniture is moved out of the living-room and the cushions and mats are arranged neatly along the walls and floor. The household's main Buddha image is set up on an altar by the door, immediately to the right of where the abbot will sit. Large yellow candles in holders are placed on either side of the image along with flowers. A bowl filled with water to be consecrated during the ceremony is placed on the floor so as to be within the abbot's reach.
The sacred white cord called sai sin keeps out evil spirits and protects everyone and everything inside it, so it must be draped around the entire outer wall of the compound or garden. The sai sin is passed into the room where the ceremony will b
e held, draped across the Buddha image's right hand, and then passed out again and on round the garden until the premises are completely encircled. Then it is brought back into the room again, to the Buddha image and from there the spool is placed on the abbot's mat.
The householder must pick up the nine monks on the day at about 10 a.m. All the family and guests must be seated in the room by the time the monks arrive at the house. The monks take their places, and the ceremony begins with the householder prostrating himself before the abbot and then lighting the two large candles on the altar. He then lights three incense sticks.
The abbot passes the reel of sai sin cord to the monk sitting next to him, and from there it passes from hand to hand until all the monks are holding the white thread. The abbot then lights a white candle and fixes it firmly across the rim of the bowl. As the melted wax drips into the bowl during the chanting, the water inside becomes consecrated. The holy water is called nam mon.
The Pali chanting begins with the abbot reciting a few short passages which the householder must repeat after him. Then all nine monks take up the chanting, which continues, deep and sonorous, for 30 to 40 minutes, while the family and guests sit with palms joined in a wai.
By now it is time to offer the food which has been so carefully and lovingly prepared. The monks' meal must start not later than 11 a.m. to allow them enough time to eat in comfort and be finished before mid-day, after which all Buddhist monks are forbidden to eat. Everyone lends a hand in serving the monks.
When the monks have eaten their fill and relaxed, the dishes are cleared away and there follows a final five minute period of chanting. During this, the householder pours clean water over his own outstretched forefinger into a small collecting vassel, wishing that the benefit of the food given to the monks may pass on to the spirits of the dead. (This water-pouring is called truat nam.)
Finally, the abbot blesses everyone, including the house itself, by splashing holy water from the bowl. After the monks have left, the householder quietly pours the water from the small vessel onto the ground at the root of a large tree, making another wish as he does so. The sai sin draped round the garden is left for the wind to blow away during the next month or so.
The picture above shows Leonardo DiCaprio, Phrakru Wichitsangapairoch and Danny Boyle, the film director.
Related Web Sites: You might like to visit some of the following pages produced by our school which gives some background information about Buddhism:
We are grateful to the following books for help in constructing this page:
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"Back home in America, Thailand is certainly the hot spot for young people to go, one of the most interesting places to go. They say, "Before you die, you have to go there." I told a lot of my friends I was coming here, and they were very interested too." (DiCaprio in his second statement to the press 5/Feb/99)
