Donations

DONTATIONS / ALMS ROUNDS:

I have created this
website and these resources out of a passion for sharing what I have learned. Maintaining the these sites are not free and your support is welcome to help keep growing our community and access to the content we are sharing. Every penny helps!

The Buddhist practice of the "Alms rounds" is about the community giving back to the monks in return for their teachings and service to the Sangha (community).

If you would like to donate, your contribution would be sincerely appreciated:

ABOUT ALMS ROUNDS:

Many Thai Buddhists believe that giving alms is a good way to make merits, and an opportunity to practice generosity. I feel very nourished every time I go. The villagers are very respectful and humble when they make the offering. Some of them are quite poor but still make an effort to get up early to share their food with us even though most of us are foreigners from a Buddhist tradition that they are not familiar with. Sometimes they even put cash in the alms bowl. The seed of gratitude is watered in me, reminding me to practice wholeheartedly to be worthy of their offering. I am also reminded to walk mindfully not just during alms round, but wherever I go. The image of villagers offering food and money to us makes me determined not to be wasteful with resources of our monastery, to recognize that they may have come from the hard work of villagers.

“Receiving the offering, practicing the way of awareness, 
gives rise to benefits without limit. We vow to share the fruits with all beings. We vow to offer tribute to parents, teachers, friends, and numerous beings
 who give guidance and support along the path.”

My pocket money perhaps also came from these villagers. So when I buy something, I 
try to make sure that it is only what 
I need and not what I want, certainly 
not luxurious products. Even though our brown robes clearly show that we are not from a tradition commonly seen in Thailand, when I am outside of the monastery,
 I still try to adapt to Thai culture 
whenever possible
 to avoid misperceptions. For example, Thai people would find it strange and inappropriate for monks and nuns to have dinner together at a restaurant in the evening (even though doing so in some other countries would be perfectly normal). The villagers who respectfully offered us their food and money in the morning would be quite shocked and hurt if later they see us eating dinner at a restaurant they cannot even afford. If I need to have dinner outside when going on a trip, I usually pack a meal before going out or wait until returning to the monastery.

The practice of alms round is more than just going out to receive food from local villagers. It is also a chance for us to connect with them, to water our seeds of love, humility, and gratitude, and be reminded not to be wasteful or take for granted our daily resources. For the villagers, it is a chance for them to make merits, practice generosity, and to water the seeds of peace and happiness. If there were no lay people to support the monastics, it would be very difficult for us to continue to practice and share the Dharma. I feel very grateful to our lay supporters. I am determined to practice deeply to transform my afflictions, to be worthy of their support, and to repay the debt of gratitude to all who have supported me on this spiritual path.

(special credit to: https://plumvillage.org/articles/alms-round-the-practice-of-love-humility-and-gratitude/ )