Earlier this year my father-in-law passed away. This had been an expected situation as his health had gotten progressively worse over the past couple of years and I spent my days feeding and helping him out during breaks from work. With his passing also came a tradition in which the eldest son becomes a monk to earn merit for the deceased. Since Som had no sons, I decided to volunteer and be a monk for three days. It is an experience I’ll never forget which has given me much deeper insight into Buddhism and Khmer culture.

I’m sharing my experience both for my own personal reflection as well as to share since most of us Westerners rarely get a good personal glimpse into Theravada Buddhism and the monastic life. Worth mentioning is that I am by no means a Buddhist but have a heavy interest in it as more of a philosophical approach to life.

Overview of a Khmer Buddhist Ceremony

Before delving into my time as a monk it is worth giving an introduction and overview of what a Khmer Buddhist funeral rite consists of. Something important to understand is that 97% of Cambodians are adherents to Theravada Buddhism and as such even many specific Khmer cultural traditions, celebrations and holidays have a heavy inclusion of Buddhism in which monks play an important role.

Typically a funeral is led by four monks representing the Four Noble Truths and lasts for about three days. An important part of this process is that the deceased’s eldest blood son (or in some instances, grandson) will take on temporary monastic vows and become a novice monk. Serving as a novice monk is understood to earn merit for one’s parents and express gratitude for their care. My father-in-law had no blood sons so I volunteered to take this task for him to honor him.