Monk Sikruadong Phra Phalek practices at Wat Phra Dhammakaya - a large temple located in northern Bangkok (Thailand). In 2015, the management board of Wat Phra Dhammakaya wished to have a monk in the temple who could speak Vietnamese to later connect with Buddhists and Vietnamese temples. At that time, the temple already had monks who could speak the languages of neighboring countries such as Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, etc., but none for Vietnamese. Thus, monk Phalek volunteered to go to Vietnam to learn the language.
In 2015, monk Phalek began learning Vietnamese at Phap Luan Pagoda (Hue). In 2016, he moved to Ho Chi Minh City to attend Vietnamese language courses for foreigners at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City.
"Because there are few Thai-Vietnamese materials, I chose to learn by listening a lot. I really enjoy listening to people around me speak Vietnamese. At those times, I often pay attention to word usage and try to remember words that are frequently repeated in conversations. I infer the meanings of those words and in which cases those words would be used," monk Phalek shared.
Once he was able to use Vietnamese basically, the monk enrolled in a bachelor's degree in Vietnamese Studies, class of 2017 - 2020. He said: "In the program, I like the subjects on Vietnamese law and Vietnamese grammar the most. Learning law helps me understand Vietnamese society and know what citizens are allowed and not allowed to do. Learning grammar helps me understand the systematic way of forming words and sentences in Vietnamese, thanks to which I can speak and write Vietnamese better".
Graduating with a bachelor's degree in Vietnamese Studies with honors, monk Phalek had to return home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, he returned to Vietnam to study for a master's degree in Vietnamese Studies. "Postgraduate studies help me understand Vietnam more deeply. There are pieces of knowledge that I had learned at the undergraduate level, but only when studying for a master's degree did I perceive them profoundly" - monk Phalek confided.
Currently, the monk is preparing to complete his master's thesis on the differences in the ordination ceremony among Theravada Buddhist temples in Vietnam and Thailand. Although it is within his "expertise", monk Phalek said he had to search for a lot of documents and conduct surveys at many Vietnamese temples to make the thesis as multidimensional as possible.
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