Rice to Nuns: "Now They can Meditate in Peace!"
A recent group of donors wrote us asking to use their contribution to buy rice to Buddhist nuns who are in need. Our local team used its extensive monastic contacts to seek out where this donation would be of greatest help, and settled on a nunnery in the delta region. As the following report goes on to state, the nunnery is divided into practice and study sections, and many of the nuns are quite elderly, making the alms walk challenging to their health. We’re so grateful that we were able to play a role in helping these nuns in their time of need! As every contribution helps, no matter how small, please consider supporting our mission to help more people in Myanmar as the conflict stretches on.
“Now they can meditate in peace and not have to worry about damaging their health going on alms-rounds in difficult circumstances.”
Last week we organized a donation of alms-food to needy monasteries and nunneries in Myan Aung, Ayeyarwady Region. One of the places we went to was [Redacted] Nunnery, which is home to many elderly nuns. The site is divided into the Ashae Kyaung and Anauk Kyaung sections. The elderly nuns reside in the eastern part of the nunnery, where they perform Buddhist services and practice Vipassanā Dhura meditation. The young nuns live in the western part, where they study Pariyatti (Buddhist texts). The arrangement is not so usual, but actually is similar to that of the Ingyin Bin Monastery in the native village of the reverend Webu Sayadaw, which is also divided into two parts: one part for Pariyatti and another for meditation.
The head of the nunnery said that the elderly nuns that live in the eastern section cannot go on alms-round for rice because of the recent heavy rains, which causes the streets to fill with mud. And if they get wet in the rain, they risk getting sick, which is dangerous at their age. The Ayeyarwady Region is a delta where there are countless streams and riverlets. For alms-food, the nuns have to cross these to reach the villages where most farmers live and work. The villagers not only contribute rice but also give vegetables like eggplants, tomatoes, and peppers. Yet during the rainy season, it is hard to travel from one place to another, especially in rural areas.
The elderly nuns were happy to receive the donations and sent metta to the donors and volunteers, expressing to me the wish that the donors would gain happiness, good health and insight from this good karma. Now they can meditate in peace and not have to worry about damaging their health going on alms-rounds in difficult circumstances.”