Ferndale had exotic visitors recently when three Buddhist monks fromThailand were the guests of Bob and Sue Latini.
Sue had met the monks, friends of son Bob, when she visited him in Thailand. Pra Maha Somchai and Pra Maha Subin lived at Wat Pha (The Temple of the Reclining Buddha) in Bangkok and taught at the university where monks are educated.
They are in this country serving as missionaries and lay teachers. Pra Maha Somchai and Pra Maha Subin are stationed in California. The third monk, Pra Maha Ming is at Wat Thai in Washington. Wat is the Thai word for temple.
Bob, who now lives in Japan, was visiting with his parents at the time and was reunited with his friends.
Bob first met a Buddhist monk in California some years ago. The monk taught Bob to speak Thai and encouraged him to visit Thailand to learn the culture and perfect his Thai. It was Pra Maha Somchai who met him at the airport and welcomed him to the country.
Bob lived in Thailand for 10 years, teaching in several different schools, including theAmerican University Center and the Thai Military School. During thistime he has maintained a close relationship with the monks who visited Ferndale and several others. For the past three years he has taught English to Japanese students who are going to English-speaking countries.
Sue invited me to meet the monks and to have lunch with them. I was very impressed with how open and friendly they were. They wore the traditional robes of bright orange draped over one shoulder. But, due to the much colder climate here, they had to supplement theirdress with additional garments. During lunch they talked about the way of life in their homeland and the practice of their Buddhist religion. One example is that traditionally Buddhist monks must eat their last meal by noon. They also explained that the prefix Pra Maha means'Great Monk' and is a title they attained after special studies.
After leaving the Latinis, the monks continued along the East coast to visit other Thai temples.
*
Did you have to work? Were you under the weather? Or, heaven forbid, did you forget Valentine's Day last week? Well, this
Saturday you have another opportunity to take someone you love out for an enjoyable evening.
The Home-School Association of St. Philip Neri School is sponsoring a "Sweetheart Dance"from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday. Tickets cost $8 per person and include the music of D.J. Special K, beer, snacks and setups.
