‘Where’s the meaning in everything?’ Lessons learned from a week as a Buddhist monk

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In late February, 2024, the WPLN newsroom received an intriguing email. It was from Don Srisuriyo, a student engagement coordinator at Middle Tennessee State University. He was about to take part in a rite of passage. One that is common in Thailand, his parents’ home country, but not to Thai communities in the U.S. Srisuriyo would be temporarily ordained as a Buddhist monk, and live for eight days at a temple, following the same strict rules as the rest of the monks.

Don invited WPLN to his ordination ceremony, which would kick off his time as a monk. I covered the event along with WPLN editor and photographer Rachel Iacovone. It was a complex five-hour ritual that started with Don getting his long black hair completely shaved off.

READ MORE: Why a Thai American from Murfreesboro spent a week as a Buddhist monk

Rachel Iacovone WPLN News

A monk at Wat Lao Buddharam shaves off Don’s hair, including his eyebrows.

He then led a procession around the temple, changed into a burnt-orange monk robe, and repeated long prayers in Pali, a scriptural language he didn’t understand. Don quickly figured out that this experience was far more challenging than he initially thought.

Rachel Iacovone WPLN News

The main gathering room of the temple, Don’s home for the week.

As the ceremony wrapped up, I asked Don if he would keep an audio diary during his week at the temple, and he obliged. I thought he might send me a few minutes of audio over the course of the week. But Don is an overachiever. He sent nearly five hours of diaries, replete with deep thoughts, humorous observations and true epiphanies. They are intimate glimpses into Don’s journey. How, over the course his eight-day stay, he slowly gains confidence as a monk, discovers new insights about his relationship with his parents, and confronts his honest feelings about organized religion. I knew, almost immediately, that I had to use Don’s diary in a story.

Srisuriyo family

As a young man in Thailand, Don’s father, Lee Srisuriyo (center, in white robe), became a temporary monk alongside his two brothers.

This story was edited by Meribah Knight. Special thanks to Tasha A.F. Lemley, Justin Barney, Tony Gonzalez and the Srisuriyo family. Sound in the story was recorded at Wat Lao Buddharam, with additional music from Blue Dot Sessions.