The Disappearing Alms Rounds
The economic and political instability in Myanmar has drastically reduced the number of local charities offering alms to monastics, leaving many monks and novices without proper, nutritious meals. As monastics rely on these regular alms for sustenance, especially in rural areas, the need to restore and support these charities has become urgent. Our team has been working to launch a new initiative aimed at reviving alms-giving efforts, particularly in the remote Sagaing region, by providing healthy meals twice a month. We invite meditators from around the world to contribute to this noble cause. By earmarking donations specifically for these efforts, your support will help provide nourishing food, including meat curries, to monks, nuns, novices in need. This act of generosity will not only sustain their physical health but will also enable them to continue their spiritual practice, even in these challenging times. Please consider joining us in this effort and sharing the merit with the monastic community. In the following essay, we share some reflections from our team leader who has been working diligently towards this initiative.
“In many communities across the country, as far as we have seen, our monks are mostly no longer getting a square meal. ”
Over the last few days, I have talked with one of my Dhamma fellows regarding the disappearance or the decreasing number of the local charities that offer 'Rounds of Alms' to the monastics (Sanghas) in different communities across our country such as quarter-wide or township-wide associations receiving the donations from the local community members, after the covid and especially after the coup.
We had witnessed that these small local alms charities were very helpful to the Sanghas in different areas across Myanmar and they disappeared or stopped their noble charity works due to their security issues that they had to gather in the late evenings and early mornings and quite possibly grab the attention of the junta so they might probably be arrested.
Another main reason is the economic crisis that led to the stoppage or disappearance of these kind of 'Communal Alms-rounds Charities (ဘုံဆွမ်းလောင်းအသင်း)' because many people in the country have faced the financial hardship to offer the allocation of the donation costs.
As individual alms-round donors are also having economic hardship to offer alms regularly, the decrease of individual alms donors has also been witnessed and thus, we have noticed that the monks do not attain the nutritional meals daily: they just get the vegetables and sometimes, rice alone in some poor areas.
The donors who used to offer a meat curry along with alms rice once a week, can only offer vegetable curries or sometimes, rice alone now.
The Voice of Myanmar, a local news media outlet, reported a news about the disappearance or stoppage of these alms charities and charity works in Monywa, just to give one example of a sad turn of events that is now taking place across my country. In Monywa where around 400 monasteries are located, there is a population of 30,000 monks and that of 10,000 novices, all these monastics used to mainly rely on these local alms-round charities for food. In 2022 just one year after the coup, the Chindwin Alms Rice Donation Charity and Chindwin Communal Alms-round Donation Charity, the biggest and oldest charities in Monywa, was even stopped due to less donors of food items and free labors!
A volunteer of a local alms-round charity commented, “These big charities can no longer exist and sustain, let alone the smaller ones.” Also, a local monk emphasized, “Previously, there were dozens of communal alms-round charities: there was a charity in each of almost all the thirty-one urban quarters. Now, there has been no invitation from any of them for over a year. Obviously, there are less communal charities!”
In many other communities across the country, as far as we have seen, our monks are not getting a square meal mostly. Especially, the monks in the rural areas or the outskirts of the cities where the monasteries are typically situated and the grass roots of Buddhist majority mostly live.
Nowadays, the unemployment rate has also increased and the loss of youth resources in almost every sector (due to the factors of the political instability such as conscription law that young people above 18 and under 35 are forced for the military service) leads to the financial hardship of many families in Myanmar as another factor.
Hence, we sincerely hope to begin a campaign to help the alms rounds charities to resume their noble works to help the monastics, such as by contributing the main allocation of the costs for the monastics to attain a healthy menu two times a month so they have the nourishment.
Our hope is to gather enough funds so as to be able to conduct the regular alms-round offering two times a month in which we will offer a meat curry along with cooked rice on new moon day and full moon day every month.
To successfully provide a nutritious meal for the monastics, we need essential ingredients to prepare each alms offering. This includes rice (1 Pyi), meat options such as chicken, fish, or eggs (4 Viss), cooking oil (1 liter), and various ingredients and spices for curry paste, such as tomatoes, garlic, onions, and salt. Additionally, we provide a small honorarium for the two volunteer cooks who prepare the meals. These contributions ensure that monks and novices can receive the nourishing food they need during their alms rounds.
We warmly invite all who feel inspired by the Dhamma, especially meditators worldwide, to contribute to this important cause. Your donations, earmarked specifically for supporting alms-rounds, will directly help monks and novices receive the nutritious meals they urgently need. By restoring these alms-giving traditions, we ensure that monastics can continue their spiritual practice in the face of immense challenges.