LOPBURI, 10 March 2014 A number of 90 girl students of Thammarak School has entered a brief period of Buddhist precept observations called ‘ordination of Siljarini’ at Chomphu Monastery in Khok Charoen District, Lop Buri province. The ordination ceremony was presided over by the chief priest of the district while the provincial governor chaired the gathering of lay people attending the ceremony.
The Siljarini ordination project is intended as a tribute to His Majesty the King to celebrate his 87th birthday anniversary in December this year. The project is also a way to develop the participants’ ethical behaviors and instill cultural values in them.
After the ceremony, these students will stay ordained as Siljarini for one week and will leave the priesthood-like ways of living on March 15. During the period, the participants will be given training in Buddhist precepts to the extent that they are able to adapt the religious principles to their worldly life.
In Phichit Province, 39 boy students at Phichit Panyanukul School have also been ordained as novices at Wang Klom Monastery in Muang District. The ceremony was intended as a tribute to Their Majesties the King and Queen. The Phichit Panyanukul School enrolls students with special needs, particularly physically handicapped children, and a brief period of ordination during the school’s summer holiday is expected to help them have better concentration in their learning and other activities.
