t h e F O R E S T M O N K T R A D I T I O N S
It is a tradition for young men, age 20, to join the monastery in Thailand and become a forest monk. This brings great honor to their family and community. Here you will view Uchujaro Piku (Phinit's Buddhist name)and his fellow monks along with his family, community members, novice monks, and elders as they dawn their beautiful golden robes and live their daily lives, following 227 Buddhist precepts.
Per tradition, each monk is trained in a particular artistic area. Some make the beautiful gold umbrellas which provide protection from the elements. Others, like Phinit, sew the robes. Nuns, dressed in white, prepare the food which is donated to the monks who eat from black clay bowls, once daily, before noon. As part of the forest monk tradition, monks walk daily through their villages, sometimes for miles, accepting donations of rice, food and water from devout followers.
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