What to Do At the Wat: Advice for Visiting a Buddhist Temple

Ryan Farley | March 4, 2016

Buddhist Blessings Are the Most Fun Blessings

There are a number of other things you may choose to do during your temple visit. The most popular is probably the water blessing. A monk will sit on a platform and recite one of the hundreds of traditional Buddhist chants and throw some water at you.

Try to remain serious during this ceremony. Despite what feels like a playground squabble, even the younger, sillier monks take this very seriously.

Ryan Farley / Own Work

After the chant and water fight are over, you will go to the monk’s platform and he will tie a string around your wrist while saying a brief blessing. Make sure your phone is off, you aren’t wearing a hat, and that you are sitting in the correct position before this ceremony. Oh, and those famous Khao San Road bracelets you’re sporting – you know, the ones with incredibly offensive phrases sewn on them that are sold by impossibly old women? Try to turn those around when the monk ties on the traditional and pure white addition to your collection.

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