Buddhist Prayers and Meditation Helped the Thai Boys Survive

[tao]

There is no doubt science, technology and courageous rescuers played a huge role liberating the boys in the cave. So did their faith. Now most will spend time as Buddhist monks.

 

A day after they charmed and moved the world at an emotive press briefing, the boys and soccer coach rescued from a flooded cave in Chiang Rai, Thailand, are preparing to become Buddhist monks in a ritual adherents say will cleanse their souls, restore good karma, purify the cave—and deliver to heaven the former Thai Navy SEAL who died trying to get them out.

 

The retreat to a temple is part of a culture rich in religious belief, piety and superstition.

 

Eleven of the 12 members of the Wild Boars soccer team,  ages 11 to 16, and their boyish-looking coach, 25-year-old Ekkapong Chantawong, are scheduled to be ordained next Tuesday at Wat Phradhat Doiwao, a temple in Chiang Rai province. One boy, Adul Sam-on, 14, is Christian and will not join.

 

At the press event Wednesday, the team bowed before a sketch of Saman Kunan and pledged to atone for their mistakes and honor the ex-SEAL, who perished on July 6, by becoming monks. Thai Buddhists believe the move will pay dividends on Earth and beyond, and senior clergy endorse it.

 

“This is a good deed that they will perform, intentionally, for Saman, who sacrificed his life for them,” says Phra Khru Khanti Palatorn, abbot of Wat Tangmin in Chiang Rai and chief Buddhist monk for that district. “They become willing to praise those who have been helping them and to get away from the troubles and the debt they owe people.

 

“Entering the monkhood is a very good way to accomplish that. This will help them to be free from all the grievances and troubles they have been facing.”

 

Many Thai males become monks for at least a week at some point in their lives as part of a religious and cultural process—even children aged in the single digits may do so. Full-fledged monks must be at least 20, so the Wild Boars will be novices. It will be Ekkapong’s second ordination as a monk.

 

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