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Philippa McDonald travels to the Thai Burma border to meet the young monks of the Golden Horse Monastery. Their abbot, Kru Ba Nuea Chai, was a professional boxer, and so its perhaps not surprising that the hill tribe orphans and outcasts he teaches learn a particularly tough form of Buddhism.
Every morning at dawn Kra Ba Nuea Chai leads his trainee Buddhist monks on a ten kilometre trek through the hills to instil discipline.
Besides the teachings of Buddha, there are other lessons to be learnt - to ride horses to kick box and even to endure tattooing without flinching .
I teach them that they have to rely on themselves as much as they can in order to survive the abbot tells McDonald. Birth and death are easy , but living can cause a lot of pain if you dont learn the right way.
Trainee monks on trek Chanting
MCDONALD: Every morning at dawn, Kru Ba Nuea Chai leads his trainee Buddhist monks on a ten kilometre trek through the hills of northern Thailand, along the border with Burma.
The objective is to instil discipline in the Abbots recruits, who mostly come from the surrounding hill tribes.
Abbot: I teach them that they have to rely on themselves as much as they can in order to survive. One has to rely on oneself. 00:38
Trainee monks on trek MCDONALD: Of course they also have rely on their horses, which have been donated to the monastery or saved from the knackery. Theyre not properly shod, and there are no saddles. 00:53
Dao Nuer feeds horse Dao Nuer joined the Golden Horse Monastery four years ago, when he was just seven. At the time, he was in trouble at for stealing.
Dao Nuer: When I first came here I couldnt ride a horse, you have to learn to ride a horse down the mountain then later I could ride the horses up and down the mountain.
Dao Nuer gets onto horse
MCDONALD: The Abbot says hes been inundated with boys like Dao Nuer who can no longer stay at home and have nowhere else to go
Abbot: When they saw me ride the horse, they wanted to learn how to ride as well, and that was how our friendship began, riding horses.
Abbot chants in cave, Chanting
MCDONALD: Fifteen years ago the Abbot was a professional boxer , married and had two young children. He took time out, as he describes it, in search of peace.
The search brought him took to this cave where he says he found not just contentment, but enlightenment as well.
Abbot in cave
Abbot: I saw villagers and hill tribes who were having difficult lives and I felt that they didnt have peaceful minds. Thats why they made mistakes. They wanted to do well but they went the wrong way about it so they failed every time. You have to follow the Buddhist path.
Trainee with tattoos
MCDONALD: This Abbot is also known to tattoo his followers.
Abbot: Novice Pan-San, he is a tough boy, he saw some senior novices getting a tiger tattoo and he wanted to have one too. I told him that if he cried or even shout ouch, I wouldnt do it for him. Right at the end, he didnt cry at all.
Trainees kick box
MCDONALD: The Abbot has discovered theres a certain novelty value to being not so well behaved. Today he shows us and some American students just what peace loving Buddhist monks are capable of.
Abbot watches boxing/Abbot
Abbot: When they saw Thai boxing, they wanted to learn it, so I started teaching them kick boxing and horse riding. I also encouraged them to study. I taught them that if they wanted to be good kick boxers, they have to learn how to read and write, otherwise, they cant be good boxers.
MCDONALD: Sam Muen is fifteen. Hes been a novice since he was seven.
Sam Muen: At home I didnt have enough to eat and I didnt go to school.
Trainees wash horses
MCDONALD: Sam Muen was sent to the Golden Horse monastery after his father was jailed for taking drugs. He says hes happy being a Buddhist monk and he loves his horses Kong Fa and Natta.
Sam Muen: I dont know what the future is going to be like but for now I want to live this way.
Boys run down hill to river
MCDONALD: It may be a monastery but even here theres no taking the little boy out of the little monk.
Abbot and trainees go on horseback to seek offerings
The fun is short lived. If theyre to eat, the monks must go in search of offerings or alms, which may be their only meal for the day. And today theyre on their way to visit the nearest hill tribe village.
Monks enter village and collect alms
Despite having little themselves these hill tribe people share whatever they have every time the monks visit and that can be most days of the week.
The villagers put more emphasis on magical spirits than Buddhism. Even so they maintain a special reverence for their neighbours in the Golden Horse Monastery.
Abbot and trainees chant, Chanting
MCDONALD: They may have been neglected, abandoned, orphaned or even petty criminals, but these young Buddhist novices and their charismatic Abbot appear very much at peace.
Chanting
Credits: Reporter : Philippa McDonaldCamera: Marc LabanProducer : Baralee MeesukhEditor: Garth Thomas
Philippa McDonald travels to the Thai Burma border to meet the young monks of the Golden Horse Monastery. Their abbot, Kru Ba Nuea Chai, was a professional boxer, and so its perhaps not surprising that the hill tribe orphans and outcasts he teaches learn a particularly tough form of Buddhism.
Every morning at dawn Kra Ba Nuea Chai leads his trainee Buddhist monks on a ten kilometre trek through the hills to instil discipline.
Besides the teachings of Buddha, there are other lessons to be learnt - to ride horses to kick box and even to endure tattooing without flinching .
I teach them that they have to rely on themselves as much as they can in order to survive the abbot tells McDonald. Birth and death are easy , but living can cause a lot of pain if you dont learn the right way.
Trainee monks on trek Chanting
MCDONALD: Every morning at dawn, Kru Ba Nuea Chai leads his trainee Buddhist monks on a ten kilometre trek through the hills of northern Thailand, along the border with Burma.
The objective is to instil discipline in the Abbots recruits, who mostly come from the surrounding hill tribes.
Abbot: I teach them that they have to rely on themselves as much as they can in order to survive. One has to rely on oneself. 00:38
Trainee monks on trek MCDONALD: Of course they also have rely on their horses, which have been donated to the monastery or saved from the knackery. Theyre not properly shod, and there are no saddles. 00:53
Dao Nuer feeds horse Dao Nuer joined the Golden Horse Monastery four years ago, when he was just seven. At the time, he was in trouble at for stealing.
Dao Nuer: When I first came here I couldnt ride a horse, you have to learn to ride a horse down the mountain then later I could ride the horses up and down the mountain.
Dao Nuer gets onto horse
MCDONALD: The Abbot says hes been inundated with boys like Dao Nuer who can no longer stay at home and have nowhere else to go
Abbot: When they saw me ride the horse, they wanted to learn how to ride as well, and that was how our friendship began, riding horses.
Abbot chants in cave, Chanting
MCDONALD: Fifteen years ago the Abbot was a professional boxer , married and had two young children. He took time out, as he describes it, in search of peace.
The search brought him took to this cave where he says he found not just contentment, but enlightenment as well.
Abbot in cave
Abbot: I saw villagers and hill tribes who were having difficult lives and I felt that they didnt have peaceful minds. Thats why they made mistakes. They wanted to do well but they went the wrong way about it so they failed every time. You have to follow the Buddhist path.
Trainee with tattoos
MCDONALD: This Abbot is also known to tattoo his followers.
Abbot: Novice Pan-San, he is a tough boy, he saw some senior novices getting a tiger tattoo and he wanted to have one too. I told him that if he cried or even shout ouch, I wouldnt do it for him. Right at the end, he didnt cry at all.
Trainees kick box
MCDONALD: The Abbot has discovered theres a certain novelty value to being not so well behaved. Today he shows us and some American students just what peace loving Buddhist monks are capable of.
Abbot watches boxing/Abbot
Abbot: When they saw Thai boxing, they wanted to learn it, so I started teaching them kick boxing and horse riding. I also encouraged them to study. I taught them that if they wanted to be good kick boxers, they have to learn how to read and write, otherwise, they cant be good boxers.
MCDONALD: Sam Muen is fifteen. Hes been a novice since he was seven.
Sam Muen: At home I didnt have enough to eat and I didnt go to school.
Trainees wash horses
MCDONALD: Sam Muen was sent to the Golden Horse monastery after his father was jailed for taking drugs. He says hes happy being a Buddhist monk and he loves his horses Kong Fa and Natta.
Sam Muen: I dont know what the future is going to be like but for now I want to live this way.
Boys run down hill to river
MCDONALD: It may be a monastery but even here theres no taking the little boy out of the little monk.
Abbot and trainees go on horseback to seek offerings
The fun is short lived. If theyre to eat, the monks must go in search of offerings or alms, which may be their only meal for the day. And today theyre on their way to visit the nearest hill tribe village.
Monks enter village and collect alms
Despite having little themselves these hill tribe people share whatever they have every time the monks visit and that can be most days of the week.
The villagers put more emphasis on magical spirits than Buddhism. Even so they maintain a special reverence for their neighbours in the Golden Horse Monastery.
Abbot and trainees chant, Chanting
MCDONALD: They may have been neglected, abandoned, orphaned or even petty criminals, but these young Buddhist novices and their charismatic Abbot appear very much at peace.
Chanting
Credits: Reporter : Philippa McDonaldCamera: Marc LabanProducer : Baralee MeesukhEditor: Garth Thomas