Good morning, DMV. It’s Monday, April 27.
The news has been intense. This moment feels so chaotic that it’s hard to recall how “normal” feels or if “normal” ever even existed. I sense a lot of hate and fury out there.
I observe. I acknowledge. Then I write … about something else, not to bury my head in the sand, but to carry on as best I can.
Last year, I started going to the local Thai Buddhist temple — Wat Thai D.C. in Silver Spring — because my daughter wanted to attend the Thai language, dance and music classes. Thai temples in the United States serve as places for community, worship and cultural education.
I later learned from a monk at Wat Thai D.C., Phramaha Ruangrit Thaithae, that it is the second oldest Thai temple in the United States. Its late abbot, Phrathep Mongkolvajirarangsi — better known in the community as Luang Ta Chi — was the oldest Thai monk in the United States. He had also served in the country the longest: 51 years, Ruangrit told me.
Luang Ta Chi died Jan. 13. He was 101. Since then, the community has been in mourning, praying together several times a week. Roughly 100 days after a person’s death, Thais traditionally hold a merit-making ceremony to mark the end of the mourning period. The three-day funeral ceremony for Luang Ta Chi begins Friday.
About 250 Thai monks — coming in from Thailand, Europe and across the United States — are expected to take part in the ceremony, and about 500 mourners from across the country will attend, Ruangrit said.
Last weekend, I watched as monks and parishioners built a large stage, while a group of women painstakingly made elaborate decorations for the ceremony.
Decorations for Luang Ta Chi’s funeral ceremony were handmade by a monk and parishioners at Wat Thai D.C. (Photos by Alisa Tang)
In Thailand, these decorations are traditionally made with fragrant fresh flowers. At Wat Thai D.C., one of the monks created these decorations with small plastic beads, then taught parishioners to make more.
My daughter, who enjoys meditative craftwork, joined in, using a glue gun to create these small floral medallions, which will be attached to the top of the ornaments hanging to the right in the photo above. I was told they were planning 101 medallion-adorned hanging ornaments — for Luang Ta Chi’s age.
Throughout this weekend, monks will chant Buddhist scriptures — a solemn, hypnotic sound that reminds me of temple ceremonies of my childhood. A procession, dance and music performances are scheduled for about noon Sunday, followed in the late afternoon by the burning of flowers made of sandalwood, symbolizing the cremation.
Luang Ta Chi’s remains are scheduled to be cremated Monday at a funeral home, Ruangrit said.
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📰 News around the DMV
📷 Your joy
Three residents of Silver Spring shared their pics of the season…
(Margo Contreras Amaya)
Margo Contreras Amaya, 20, took this photo of a bird, quite well camouflaged among the flowers, on April 9 in Takoma Park.
“I usually have my headphones on whenever I'm walking around, but this was one of those times when I decided to enjoy listening to the birds chirp and the wind whir,” Margo wrote in her submission.
“I saw the bird on the branch and noticed the leftover blossoms. Many of the trees were already showing up with their leaves, so it was nice to see some still standing. I've never thought about it before, but I now wonder if birds or other animals are able to see the beauty in their existence.”
(Miriam Struck)
Miriam Struck, who turns 72 in three weeks, sent in this image she captured at Pine Lake in Wheaton Regional Park in Maryland.
“I walk with friends at Brookside Monday mornings, and we take a detour around Pine Lake so that we can see the turtles,” she wrote in her submission.
(Sandy Tucker)
Sandy Tucker, 73, snapped this pic last week while hiking the Heart Smart Trail at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland.
“Brookside is a safe place to get steps. The azaleas are absolutely beautiful this time of year. I was happy to see the butterfly,” Sandy wrote to me in an email.
☸️
