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| The Entertainment Review |
| By: Jaed Coffin Publisher: Da Capo Press |
During his life altering summer as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, Jaed Coffin was plagued with many questions. “How
did putting rice into a monk’s bowl have any effect on how many fish you caught?” It is in his book, “A Chant To
Soothe Wild Elephants” that explains Jaed’s life as a monk.
In this colorful memoir, Coffin recalls that being a bi-racial, bi-cultural Thai American isn’t easy. His parents who met
during the Vietnam War, divorced not long after he was born in Brunswick, Maine. His American father took special
care to remain a presence in his life while he was raised by his Americanized Thai mother. Although the separation
of his parents did not factor into his identity crisis, it was destined to be an important factor. Sometimes he wanted to
be American, at other times he wished that he were Thai, and at yet other times he wished to be neither.
Before his senior year in college, Jaed, Coffin’s Thai name, applied for a grant to go to his mother’s native home and
be ordained a Buddhist priest in the tradition of the men I her family line. It was partly an attempt to honor the
mysterious woman and partly an opportunity to find a sense of peace in his split identity. If nothing else, the
experience would give him a cultural foundation upon which to construct the Thai side of his identity.
Jaed had trained as a boxer, so the discipline of a monk’s life was not as traumatic and difficult for him as it may have
been for any typical American kid. He took vows to abandon sexual thoughts and actions, something that pretty more
difficult for a male of his age and culture, but while in Thailand he was faithful to that vow, along with other vows he
made. He got up early in the morning and begged for his food, and he was surprised at how readily food was offered
to him, even by the poorest villagers. He tried to learn to meditate and he became to speaker of colloquial Thai.
During his time in Thailand, Jaed befriended a fellow monk named Narong. During their time together they each tried
to convert the other to the different values of their respective societies. Narong spoke of a desire to live in a cave
and mediate while Jaed, finding caves to be dank and depressing talking him out of it by explaining to Narong that
“The Buddha” is everywhere and there is no reason to go to a cave to meditate. Jaed suggested the Narong’s life
as a monk could be fulfilled if he traveled around practicing his unique cures for ailments that ranged from “giant
arm” to “sickly baby,” which always seemed to disappear under the prayers on Narong.
An older and wiser monk at one time informed Jaed that his notion of “The Buddha” being everywhere shows that
Jaed has a “not sure heart.” Instead of frustrating Jaed, it instead comforted him. The assurance that he had a not
sure heart freed him from understanding what was right and wrong and who he needed to be. When he returned to
the U.S., he finally found a way to communicate with his mother, in English with a Buddhist allegory, and share the
secrets of his not sure heart, one of which was his desire to become a writer.
This is an interesting book that chronicles his time at the temple with the monks. This is a great book that lets people
see a different side of several cultures.
did putting rice into a monk’s bowl have any effect on how many fish you caught?” It is in his book, “A Chant To
Soothe Wild Elephants” that explains Jaed’s life as a monk.
In this colorful memoir, Coffin recalls that being a bi-racial, bi-cultural Thai American isn’t easy. His parents who met
during the Vietnam War, divorced not long after he was born in Brunswick, Maine. His American father took special
care to remain a presence in his life while he was raised by his Americanized Thai mother. Although the separation
of his parents did not factor into his identity crisis, it was destined to be an important factor. Sometimes he wanted to
be American, at other times he wished that he were Thai, and at yet other times he wished to be neither.
Before his senior year in college, Jaed, Coffin’s Thai name, applied for a grant to go to his mother’s native home and
be ordained a Buddhist priest in the tradition of the men I her family line. It was partly an attempt to honor the
mysterious woman and partly an opportunity to find a sense of peace in his split identity. If nothing else, the
experience would give him a cultural foundation upon which to construct the Thai side of his identity.
Jaed had trained as a boxer, so the discipline of a monk’s life was not as traumatic and difficult for him as it may have
been for any typical American kid. He took vows to abandon sexual thoughts and actions, something that pretty more
difficult for a male of his age and culture, but while in Thailand he was faithful to that vow, along with other vows he
made. He got up early in the morning and begged for his food, and he was surprised at how readily food was offered
to him, even by the poorest villagers. He tried to learn to meditate and he became to speaker of colloquial Thai.
During his time in Thailand, Jaed befriended a fellow monk named Narong. During their time together they each tried
to convert the other to the different values of their respective societies. Narong spoke of a desire to live in a cave
and mediate while Jaed, finding caves to be dank and depressing talking him out of it by explaining to Narong that
“The Buddha” is everywhere and there is no reason to go to a cave to meditate. Jaed suggested the Narong’s life
as a monk could be fulfilled if he traveled around practicing his unique cures for ailments that ranged from “giant
arm” to “sickly baby,” which always seemed to disappear under the prayers on Narong.
An older and wiser monk at one time informed Jaed that his notion of “The Buddha” being everywhere shows that
Jaed has a “not sure heart.” Instead of frustrating Jaed, it instead comforted him. The assurance that he had a not
sure heart freed him from understanding what was right and wrong and who he needed to be. When he returned to
the U.S., he finally found a way to communicate with his mother, in English with a Buddhist allegory, and share the
secrets of his not sure heart, one of which was his desire to become a writer.
This is an interesting book that chronicles his time at the temple with the monks. This is a great book that lets people
see a different side of several cultures.
