CHAING RAI: The 12 Wild Boar footballers have begun their spiritual journey amid showers of rain on Wednesday at Wat Phra That Doi Tung on top of Doi Nang Nong, a scenic mountain in Mae Sai district where they had been trapped inside a heavily flooded Tham Luang cave for more than two weeks.
Except for 14-year-old Adul Sam-on who is Christian, the group of twelve, including their 25-year-old coach, Ekapol Chanthawong, chanted an ordination prayer in the temple's main hall and sought permission from monks to enter a nine-day monkhood in a solemn and simple ceremony.
The new 11 Buddhist novices and monk will stay and study dhamma at Wat Phra That Doi Wao, also located in the same district of Mae Sai.
Mr Ekapol, who had been in monkhood for nearly eight years at Wat Sao Hin, a temple in Lamphun, will continue his spiritual journey for another month.
Wat Phra That Doi Tung, about 46 kilometres from downtown Chiang Rai, was selected for the ceremony not only because it is located on Doi Nang Non, where the under-16 Wild Boar football team survived the ordeal. The monastery is also a place where Lord Buddha's relics are kept.
Also attending the event was Waliphon Kunan, wife of late Lt Cdr Saman Kunan, the ex-Navy Seal diver who died during the rescue operations.
Earlier, the Wild Boar footballers, who were shocked after learning of his death due to lack of oxygen, pledged to show their gratitude by entering monkhood.
"The ordination is also their way of thanking all rescuers in Thailand and other countries," Chiang Rai Buddhism office chief Praphan Khamchoi said during the ceremony.
The 13 footballers entered the cave on Jun 23 on an excursion. A massive rescue operation followed after they were trapped by floodwater.
Rescuers discovered them on Jul 2 and spent days extracting them.
