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Alms-giving forms the centerpiece of the Theravada Buddhist way of life, deeply ingrained in the lives of peoples in both Thailand and Cambodia. This custom of giving food and other essentials to monks by laypeople is not just a charitable deed; it is a vital ritual binding the community to the monastic order in mutual support. Even though much that can be said about almsgiving in the two countries would be similar, much also forms the cultural difference based on their history, geography, and traditions of the land. The main aspects of giving alms in the two mentioned countries will be explored within this blog by comparing their performances and significance.
Almsgiving is a practice traceable to the teachings of the Buddha himself, who requested that laypeople offer food to monks in exchange for spiritual teachings. The monks, adhering to the tenet of the Theravada school, to which both Thai and Cambodian Buddhism adhere, are compelled to lead a life in perpetual humility while confining their simple life to meditation and spiritual studies.
Alms Giving Ceremony (Source: Asia Travel and Leisure)
Thus, in short, a life of such principle is one wherein the monk has to sit around idle in seclusion from earning his livelihood and is dependent on some other charitable layperson for essential foods, cloth, and medicines.
Alms-giving is a mutualism where monks provide spiritual nourishment, and laypeople, in turn, provide material sustenance. The giving of alms to monks has been a passed tradition throughout many centuries and an integral means whereby Buddhists have been able to make merit or good karma, along with carrying out their religious duties. Though Thailand and Cambodia share the same basic concept of alms giving, it is put into practice quite differently in everyday life.
In Thailand and Cambodia, support for the monastic community is literally at the heart of almsgiving. In both traditions, monks would not survive without lay support for their food intake. Feeding the monks became one more reason for laypeople to be meritorious under Buddhist doctrine.
Monastic Support The Core of Alms-Giving (Source: Thay Thich Truc Thai Minh)
Of course, this is more pronounced in Thailand, where a big number of monks go on procession each morning for alms, especially in urban areas like Bangkok. In absolute silence and usually attired in their orange robes, they make their way in a line through the neighborhood with lined-up laypeople to give food items such as rice, fruits, sweets, or snacks along the way.
This ritual makes evident their, and the community's, connectedness, based as it is on a dependence for mutual survival and shared purpose. Today, the practice persists outside of urbanized central towns, often less ritualistic, but persistently taking place in which people are quick to offer food as the monk passes by.
Prepare food for alms giving ceremony in Luang Phrabang (Source: Indochina Voyages)
Almsgiving in Cambodia this is very much an applied practice, albeit it seems to take different manifestations concerning scale and time frequencies. In rural areas, monks start alms rounds very early in the morning and local residents offer food to them either at their homes or at local temples.
Similar alms-giving ceremonies can be seen in the urban centers of Phnom Penh; however, it is far more intimate and less groupings of laypeople are involved. The monks also receive rice, fruits, and other food items as offerings in Cambodia. Once again, however, the variety of offerings is not as great as in Thailand, reflecting the more austere life of many Cambodians.
Read more: Classic Highlights Thailand
Giving alms also forms part of the Buddhist practice in both Thailand and Cambodia. However, this religious act has been transformed into some sort of cultural rituals showcasing spiritual values such as generosity, humility, and merit pursuits. Some of the best ways to receive merit are by giving alms, as earlier stated. This is not only important for spiritual health but also a benefit for improving one's future life, both in this world and the beyond.
Morning Alms (Source: Luang Prabang)
Alms-giving in Thailand is part of everyday culture, done by most. This is a religious duty but at the same time also a form of social activity, one which links an individual with their community and spiritual heritage. Many Thai people get up to prepare offerings for monks early in the morning, this is considered an opportunity to begin the day with a spiritual intention.
Giving is also a form of purification since Thai Buddhism regards generosity as a virtue. Tourism in Thailand has also made alms-giving more public, with tourists sometimes invited to either participate in or observe the ritual. Alms giving, in this respect, is also a form of cultural tourism whereby visitors can experience a core aspect of Thai religious life.
In Cambodia it is also a means of earning merit, though the practice often seems less formalized, more localized than in Thailand. For most Cambodians, including those in the countryside, almsgiving is part of daily life, but also about community and mutual support.
Perhaps not as commercialized as in Thailand, alms-giving nonetheless is an important part of Cambodian Buddhist life. Giving was a means of paying respect to the monks, spiritual heads of the community, and the delicate balance between monastic and lay communities.
Timing sets off alms in both countries as a critical essence in the lives of the common people. Alms are given very early in the morning before the sun rises, bringing in a new beginning at the start of the day, to set up one's intentions and make offerings at that early quiet time in the morning.
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Morning Alms (Source: Luang Phrabang)
In Thailand, this early morning alms round is well-organized and all but ritualized. In big cities, Bangkok for example, the monks may form large groups that at times run into hundreds of people walking in the streets to collect food. The laypeople line the street, both locals and tourists, preparing offerings in bowls or on trays. It became a part of the iconic Thai culture and was usually shown on every tourism brochure and the media so that the tourists could engage meaningfully in a local cultural activity.
In Cambodia, while it is also done here early in the morning, this is done on a very small scale. In such a case, monks walk through the local communities sometimes in groups and are confronted by laypeople to give them food. It is a more subdued practice, perhaps quieter, reminiscent of the austere life that most Cambodians are used to. This will take place directly outside of a monk's home or at temples but not necessarily on the public roads in villages or other small towns.
Both countries share a great tradition of almsgiving, yet quite a large discrepancy in scale and publicness exists between them: the cases of Thailand and Cambodia. In Thailand, at least in Chiang Mai or Bangkok where tourists are not scarce, almsgiving can very well be quite an occasion.
Morning Alms (Source: 3 Naga Luang Phrabang)
It would not be a strange thing to see many monks walking in procession together and hundreds of laypeople offering them food. Publicity of the rite including that of the tourists, gives almsgiving in Thailand a more ceremonial air, sometimes even an appearance of a performance for onlookers.
Cambodia is generally more communal and less public in its practice of alms-giving. The small scale of the rite, especially in villages, makes it more of a personal affair. It generally takes place at local temples or homes where people come to give food to monks.
The ritual is less noisy, and the procedures are not so formalized. While alms rounds are conducted in several of the urban centers, including Phnom Penh, these tend to be much smaller and less popular in comparison to the teeming urban rituals that have taken over Thailand.
In Thailand and Cambodia, the tradition of alms-giving has been commercialized for tourism in recent years, but by far it is much more predominantly visible in Thailand. For major tourist cities, such as Chiang Mai, for instance, this alms-giving became part of any tourist schedule wherein even tourists were being invited to participate in the ritual. A result from this has been the commercialization of the activity. Some locals and monks grew concerns about the integrity of tradition upon being observed as a form of attraction.
Alms Giving (Source: Flickr)
In Cambodia, the alms-giving is also less commercialized, though tourists are likely to find the ritual during their trips, yet it is less exploited as a tourist experience. Indeed, in Cambodia, alms giving is part of the spiritual and cultural life for locals, and some tour operators in Cambodia provide opportunities to learn about and observe the practice.
Alms-giving has been a ritualized and solemn practice both in Thailand and Cambodia, as can be shown from the deeply held spiritual tenets of Theravada Buddhism. Whereas a number of similarities remain-such as their purpose of sustaining the monastic community and supplying one avenue of merit earnings for laypersons-several major differences exist between the rituals. If you want to make a tailor-made tour in Thailand, do not hesitate to contact the team of Asia King Travel for an authentic and memorable experience.
Read more: Thailand Cambodia Tours
