phuket magazine

Tak Bhat – daily offering of alms to monks..

This is the most common Buddhist activity in the country, with millions of Thai Buddhists coming out in the early morning to wait for the passing of Buddhist monks. The monks come one at a time, in small groups, or, from some monasteries, in long lines.

A monk stops in front of those waiting, his eyes still cast towards the ground, showing no emotion. Food is then placed in the monk’s bowl. Usually rice willl be spilled to the bottom of the bowl, with curries and other wet dishes to accompany the rice meal seal up in plastic bags. Some monks are handed a tiffany ??, each tray containing a different dish. The giver will retrieve the containers with a visit to the monastery.

After placing food in the monk’s alms bowl, the merit-maker then shows respect to the monks with the Thai wei greeting. In some parts of the country they also kneel. Often the monk chants a small mantra as a form of blessing, then quietly walks his way. Normally, no words pass between them during this solemn but happy, everyday ceremony.

It is an act of merit that all Thai Buddhists love to make. Hardly an act of ‘begging’ by the monks, as it is sometimes called, the monks also give people the opportunity to do a meritorious deed, ensuring both parties benefit. But still, it is the giver who is seen to have gained the most through his act supporting the Buddhist faith.