Alms Foods Offering
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46401501@N00/114005091/
This is a very inspiring photo well captured by a great photographer
Dinhin2503, a Flickr member.
I was very impressed with this great photo. The image kept coming
back to my mind for days, and thus it became an object for my practice
of contemplation in one evening course.
The story happened at Ratchadamnearn road, in Bangkok, where
groups of fellow Buddhists were prepared ready in the morning, by the
road side, for making the offer of alms foods and other materialized
items to the group of monks who will pass by in an event.
Here we see two Theravada Bhikkhus lined up and stood with bare
feet in the middle of road. One Bikkhu reached out his alms bowl in
accepting the offer from a little girl, and the other Bikkhu was slightly
lifting up the lid of his alms bowl and get ready for his turn. The Bikkhus
are properly dressed and stood with dignity.
The old gentleman dressed in blue, in front of the Bikkhu, at about his
60, was on his knees humbly shown a great respect to the monks,
with two hands holding the little girl. He seemed to be the grand father
of the little girl, and was teaching her a proper manner and speeches
to make the offer.
Alms foods and the offering items were un-wrapped from a clean
clothes. The little girl with a sweet smile is putting it into the alms
bowl politely.
Reflection from this image:
The grand Pa has planted a wonderful karmic seed and a good
cause for the little girl through this opportunity of offering alms foods.
The compassion and loving kindness were practically taught and
transplanted to the little girl in a normal life. The little girl learns since
her childhood the happiness and joyous from Giving. I believe she
will be potentially benefited from this learning through her live.
She will even miss her grand Pa a lot for the teaching one day in
the future when she grown up and become a mother herself. I am
not sure if she will have a chance to thank the grand Pa for this
teaching. The girl may become a great Buddhist devotee in the future.
Thailand is a Buddhism country. The average people shows a great
deal of respect to the Monk. The people in Thailand learned the
Generosity and Giving from their normal life. They practice and
cultivate their loving kindness and compassion from Buddhist lifestyle.
The family education is where they learn the outstanding moral sense.
The monk in Theravada tradition takes only one meal per day and
practices hard in the spiritual liberation, and teaches the wisdom to
the people in return whenever being asked.
For more great photos, please click::
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46401501@N00/
epath
A Buddhist Journal 