As the story goes, last year I went with Nuch to see a Thai monk who is known to have a '6th Sense' and can tell people their future. Nuch went first and I'm happy to say that she has a bright future ahead of her. As for me, after asking for the date of my birth and looking me over a couple times, he said that my future, at least in 2007, was not so good. I should not expect a new job or promotion, and if I get involved in a new business, my partner will cheat me. Also, I should not lend money to friends because they won't pay me back.
Being the concerned wife that she is, Nuch asked if there was anything I could do to lessen the harshness of my fate. To my surprise/ relief, the monk said, yes. I should buy some fish and release them into a temple canal. The key is that the fish must be bought from the fresh market - not fish sold as a scam similar to the birds that are released from their cages, but trained to come back. By the way, I did ask how the fish were trained to come back. No answer, that wasn't the point.
Nuch asked, how many fish and what kind? 17 catfish. Her jaw dropped. Apparently, 17 is a lot of fish.
On the way home, Nuch asked me, what did you do? I plead the 5th.
But to give Nuch credit, she kept thinking and eventually asked me if I had ever gone fishing in the past. I said, sure. I used to go almost every weekend when I was young. Did I eat them? No, just caught them and threw them back. Ah, that explained it, she told me. For Buddhists, fishing or causing undue harm to any creature is a sin, and my past crimes had finally caught up with me.
Relieved that she didn't know what crimes I had really committed, I went to the market the next morning at 5am, bought 20 catfish (just to be safe) and released them into the temple canal as the monk had instructed.
Now, does that make me a better person or purge me of all my sins? I doubt it, and in fact, I would be disappointed if it did. Redemption should come at a price greater than 500 baht for 20 fish. But taking time out of a hectic schedule (i.e. waking up early) and reflecting on my place on the cosmic teeter-totter of life was a healthy exercise, so this year, I chose to do it again.
Like any journey, it's the lessons along the way that give true meaning to the final destination. On January 1st, along with Nuch and her brother, my journey began at the local fresh market, a high school biology teacher's fantasy come true. It's also a harsh lesson in the whimsical nature of fate's 'invisible hand' - Karma.
I've looked and looked and still cannot figure out what happened to these frogs. Were their intestines used to tie their legs back? What possible crime could justify this fate?
Our mission was to buy fish, and these were the first ones we found. Nuch's brother noticed that they had been sitting out of the tank a bit too long and would likely not survive the trip to the temple canal. Triaged and left to eventually simmer in somebody's wok, their fate was decided before we even arrived - by bad traffic and a long red light.
How does a butcher keep his Karma slate clean? Every time he drops his cleaver to chop off the head of a fish or chicken, he reminds his soul - they paid me to do it. Here is the guy we bought our fish from - they're in the bowl on the bottom right. I named them Willy and his five friends.
Just around the corner, but a world away, our next stop was 'Wat Ngeun' or Silver Temple. This is the temple where Nuch's father spent his time as a monk and where we would release our fish. In case freeing Willy and his friends was not enough, we also made merit by donating some supplies to the head monk at the temple. Realizing my Karma credit would soon be in the positive, I started plotting evil deeds, I could get away with (just kidding).
Thai temples have always held a sense of mystery for me - both serene and eerie. They're a sanctuary for those seeking peace, for those seeking safety, and for those seeking salvation. I'm also told they are a place for those who are lost with no idea what they are looking for. Trapped in Karma-Purgatory, not completely free from this life and unable to redeem themself in the next, ghosts are said to be regular residents of Thailand's temples. I've never seen a ghost - and don't plan to, but, apparently, the temple dogs keep a close I eye on them. Thais believe that a dog's howl in the night is an alarm, alerting us to the presence of wayward spirits.
Walking towards the canal, I passed in upturned water cistern off in a corner with about 50 Buddha images sitting on top. All looked worn and aged. You can see the one's in front are missing their heads. Damaged and unwanted, yet forbidden to be thrown away, these tiny statues are set aside and forgotten - a somewhat crueler fate than the trash bin, if you ask me.
They reminded me of the "Island of Misfit Toys", another type of Karma-Purgatory, from Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.
Like most temple's in Bangkok, Wat Nguen is located next to a 'klong' or canal, the primary mode of transportation years ago. This klong will be the new home of Willy and his friends.
Here are Willy and his friends moments before gaining their new leases on life.
Finally, here I am about to set these guys free. So, what does this all add up to? I'm short 150 baht and 6 fish can live a little longer. Does my investment in Karma guarantee a clear conscience or a rosy future. Probably not. My lessons in Thailand have taught me that Karma may be able to help you in Vegas, but the fact remains, Karma got in 'F' in Algebra. There is no 'Even Steven', and there is no guarantee that what you give will come back to you, and at worst, you may wind up lost and forgotten, wandering around temples and frightening stray dogs.
That being said - recognizing one's inability to have complete control over their own fate, yet still making an effort to do the right thing is a worthy way to start the New Year, and on this particular New Year's Day, with or without Karma's temperamental blessings, I'm happy to say, Willy and his five friends are free.
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