Burmese Monks Struggle to find Alms
In the wake of Myanmar's ongoing crisis, the ability to support monastics through traditional almsgiving has been severely impacted. Many monks and novices are facing malnutrition, as economic hardship has made it difficult for laypeople to provide the nourishing meals they once did. With charities on hold and volunteers fearful of government scrutiny, the need for organized support has grown urgent. In response, our team has developed a local charity initiative to address this challenge, particularly in the Sagaing Hills, one of the country's most sacred areas. This initiative focuses on providing nutritious meals, including meat or fish curries, for monks on full and new moon days. Donations to this cause are welcome, helping to ensure that Myanmar’s monastics continue to receive the support they need during these difficult times. We share the following reflections of one of our team leaders on the ground, updating us about what he has been finding about the alms rounds.
As we recently reported on the disappearance of charities that offered alms to monastics, our local team has witnessed that the monks and novices do not receive healthful alms during their alms rounds as many lay devotees cannot afford to offer meat or fish curries due to their financial hardship caused by the economic crisis in the nation. Previously, the monastics relied on communal almsgiving charities across their living townships before the COVID-19 and the military coup. Hundreds of these kinds of charitable groups that offer alms to monastics have been on hold for over three years due to a scarcity of alms givers and volunteers.
There are a few people who contribute money or food items while there are a few volunteers who are scared of being watched by the junta’s authorities because they are supposed to gather in the late evenings for cooking and in the following early mornings to offer the monastics during their alms round. A few people afford to contribute money or food items and the volunteers have safety concerns about being scrutinized by the junta's authorities since they are supposed to gather in the late evenings for cooking and in the early mornings to offer the monastics during their alms rounds. For all these reasons, many charities in all different urban quarters and townships across the country have stopped their charitable works to give alms to monastics.
As a result, the monks and young novices do not receive health-giving food in their meals: they are allowed to have two meals a day, breakfast and lunch (before noon), according to their monastic principles. Nowadays, they usually obtain a little rice and a few vegetable curries though they used to get substantial alms before the coup. Many monastic communities in the country, especially in the rural areas and on the outskirts of towns and cities, are suffering from malnutrition. We mainly noticed that young novices are facing this situation worse.
Our local team has determined to tackle this issue promptly to help monastics in the country. Along with Better Burma's ongoing efforts, we are hoping to fundraise support for alms to be given to monastics in one of my nation’s holiest areas, the Sagaing Hills. This local charity is attempting to supplement the monastics’ regular access to nutritious food by addressing the shortage caused by the nation’s economic crisis. On the full and new moon days of each month, the charity will arrange alms for the monastics, so long as there are proper funding from donors, including a special curry of meat or fish. Most lay devotees in this suburb are grassroots: farmers and physical laborers who cannot afford to buy and prepare meat or fish curry for the monastics during these difficult times.
We would like to invite meditators from around the world to join in supporting this vital cause. The monks and novices who sustain the Dhamma through their practice are now facing a serious shortage of nutritious food, and your contributions can make a significant difference. By giving a donation earmarked for this charity, you can help ensure that the monastics in Myanmar receive the healthy meals they need to continue their spiritual practice. Whether you have benefited from meditation or wish to offer support to the broader Buddhist community, your generosity will go directly toward providing essential alms. Thank you for reading my request.