Posts made in March 5th, 2012

APAD 270: A Buddhist monk and his umbrella

Posted by The Insider on Mar 5, 2012 in A Photo a Day, Addicted to Meme, All things Khmer, Cambodia, Cambodia life, sights | 3 comments

In Theravada Buddhist countries like Cambodia, Buddhist monks still rely on receiving alms for most of their food. At the early hours of the morning each day till before noon, monks leave the wats (temples) to do their rounds, like what this monk is doing:

I found this monk walking along the stretch of Monivong Boulevard, stopping at every hotel and shops that dot this road, patiently and quietly waiting for the alms. They don’t talk at all, and they don’t say thank you. Sometimes the monks are accompanied by an achar (a lay person) who support them by carrying their load.

Another interesting note is that the Cambodians here don’t use umbrellas to protect them from the heat. Only monks do. Which is why I often get strange looks whenever I run errands using my umbrella on hot days.