Latest news with #Buddhist-majority
Express Tribune
22-06-2025
- General
- Express Tribune
Sri Lanka's sacred alms bowl faces modern crisis
The alms bowl is a symbol of monks, yet in Sri Lanka artisans are struggling as cheap substitutes flood the market, igniting a debate over Buddhist tradition and quality. The village of Panvila has long been associated with craftsmen who produce the humble "paathra", the special bowl that forms part of the eight essentials donated to monks and which is used to ask for food. Thenuwara Badalge Sarath, 65, says he is the only blacksmith left in a village that once supplied much of the country. "When I learnt the craft from my father, there were more than 10 families in the neighbourhood who made these bowls," Sarath told AFP, while hammering a piece of scrap metal into a holy utensil. "Today, I am the only one keeping up the tradition. My son died recently in a road accident, and there is no one to carry on this line of work after I am gone," said the fourth-generation craftsman. He spends about a week producing a batch of five to six bowls from discarded steel barrels. He sells each for 600 rupees ($2), but competition from cheap imports is tough. "There are aluminium bowls that come from abroad. They are cheaper and lighter – we can't compete," Sarath said at his village smithy, near the southern tourist resort of Hikkaduwa. Karma drives demand The Buddhist-majority nation of some 22 million people has just over 42,000 monks, but the demand for bowls is disproportionately high because of the positive karma attached to offering them to temples. Kirinde Assagi, a leading Buddhist monk, said the alms bowl forms part of the eight items for a monk to lead an ascetic life and spread the teachings of Buddha, along with two robes, a razor, a straining cloth, a needle and thread, and a belt. "The bowl is his livelihood. When a monk goes out begging with his bowl, he gets sustenance", Assagi said. "Because gifting 'ata pirikara' to monks brings enormous good karma, devotees clamour to donate this," said the monk, in reference to the eight-item package. At his Gangaramaya temple in the capital Colombo there were nine such packages donated within an hour one weekend. 'Mountain' of discarded pots Assagi says most of the bowls however are of poor quality, made out of aluminium and unfit to serve food in. In a storeroom at the back of his temple, there is a huge pile of bowls that monks say are not suitable even for offering food to household pets. "I will show you a mountain of begging bowls that we have discarded. We make holes at the bottom and repurpose them for potted plants." Monks in Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos traditionally seek alms every morning, underscoring their simple life and demonstrating that their livelihood depends on others. But the influx of cheap bowls is impacting the dawn ritual. "We see the practice of monks begging slowly dying off as the quality of the bowls goes down," he said. The Gangaramaya temple in Colombo has campaigned to improve the quality of utensils offered to monks and revive the ritual of seeking alms. Assagi said the Thai royal family has in recent years gifted more than 27,000 high qualitiy stainless steel bowls to Sri Lankan monks, most of whom are followers of the Siam sect of Buddhism practised in that nation. Unlike the financially well-off Gangaramaya, smaller temples are known to sell their excess bowls back to the market in a move that undermines traditional craftsmen such as Sarath. "When the bowls go back to the shop from a temple, we find it difficult to sell our produce," Sarath said. He is trying to convince devotees that there is less merit in offering bowls that are being regifted.
France 24
20-06-2025
- General
- France 24
Cheap alms bowls imports hit Sri Lanka makers, monks
The village of Panvila has long been associated with craftsmen who produce the humble "paathra", the special bowl that forms part of the eight essentials donated to monks and which is used to ask for food. Thenuwara Badalge Sarath, 65, says he is the only blacksmith left in a village that once supplied much of the country. "When I learnt the craft from my father, there were more than 10 families in the neighbourhood who made these bowls," Sarath told AFP, while hammering a piece of scrap metal into a holy utensil. "Today, I am the only one keeping up the tradition. My son died recently in a road accident, and there is no one to carry on this line of work after I am gone," said the fourth-generation craftsman. He spends about a week producing a batch of five to six bowls from discarded steel barrels. He sells each for 600 rupees ($2), but competition from cheap imports is tough. "There are aluminium bowls that come from abroad. They are cheaper and lighter -- we can't compete," Sarath said at his village smithy, near the southern tourist resort of Hikkaduwa. Karma drives demand The Buddhist-majority nation of some 22 million people has just over 42,000 monks, but the demand for bowls is disproportionately high because of the positive karma attached to offering them to temples. Kirinde Assagi, a leading Buddhist monk, said the alms bowl forms part of the eight items for a monk to lead an ascetic life and spread the teachings of Buddha, along with two robes, a razor, a straining cloth, a needle and thread, and a belt. "The bowl is his livelihood. When a monk goes out begging with his bowl, he gets sustenance", Assagi said. "Because gifting 'ata pirikara' to monks brings enormous good karma, devotees clamour to donate this," said the monk, in reference to the eight-item package. At his Gangaramaya temple in the capital Colombo there were nine such packages donated within an hour one weekend. 'Mountain' of discarded pots Assagi says most of the bowls however are of poor quality, made out of aluminium and unfit to serve food in. In a storeroom at the back of his temple, there is a huge pile of bowls that monks say are not suitable even for offering food to household pets. "I will show you a mountain of begging bowls that we have discarded. We make holes at the bottom and repurpose them for potted plants." Monks in Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos traditionally seek alms every morning, underscoring their simple life and demonstrating that their livelihood depends on others. But the influx of cheap bowls is impacting the dawn ritual. "We see the practice of monks begging slowly dying off as the quality of the bowls goes down," he said. The Gangaramaya temple in Colombo has campaigned to improve the quality of utensils offered to monks and revive the ritual of seeking alms. Assagi said the Thai royal family has in recent years gifted more than 27,000 high qualitiy stainless steel bowls to Sri Lankan monks, most of whom are followers of the Siam sect of Buddhism practised in that nation. Unlike the financially well-off Gangaramaya, smaller temples are known to sell their excess bowls back to the market in a move that undermines traditional craftsmen such as Sarath. "When the bowls go back to the shop from a temple, we find it difficult to sell our produce," Sarath said. He is trying to convince devotees that there is less merit in offering bowls that are being regifted.
Hindustan Times
02-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
UP to highlight Buddhist heritage at Bangkok meet
The Uttar Pradesh tourism department is set to highlight the state's rich Buddhist legacy and multifaceted tourism potential at the upcoming Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart, in Bangkok, scheduled from August 26 to 28, 2025. The three-day international travel and tourism exhibition will serve as a global platform for showcasing Uttar Pradesh's spiritual, cultural, ecological, and historical assets—especially its globally revered Buddhist circuit. The state's pavilion will feature prominent sites like Sarnath, Kushinagar, and Shravasti—destinations deeply associated with the life and teachings of Lord Buddha. To enhance accessibility and engagement with Buddhist communities, all exhibits and signage will be displayed in English and local Southeast Asian languages. In addition to Buddhist heritage, the pavilion will also promote other tourism themes including spiritual journeys, cultural festivals, architectural marvels, and eco-tourism destinations across the state. The Uttar Pradesh tourism department has also planned an aggressive outreach strategy in Bangkok, including roadshows, multimedia campaigns, and promotional videos. As part of the campaign, 30-second tourism films and jingles will be aired on regional TV and radio channels, while promotional materials will be distributed at key locations across the host city. Outdoor branding and digital marketing will further amplify the presence of the Uttar Pradesh pavilion. Officials said that this international exposure is expected to attract not only global tourists but also potential investors and stakeholders from the tourism and hospitality industries. The state government hopes to boost international arrivals, particularly from Buddhist-majority countries, and strengthen tourism-related infrastructure back home. Tourism and culture minister Jaiveer Singh underscored the significance of participating in international forums like PATA. 'Thailand, with its strong Buddhist heritage, is an ideal destination to present Uttar Pradesh as the land where Buddhism was born. This initiative will help position the state as a spiritual and cultural tourism hub,' he said.
Daily Express
17-05-2025
- Daily Express
Thai monk spent RM36 million on gambling
Published on: Saturday, May 17, 2025 Published on: Sat, May 17, 2025 By: AFP Text Size: BANGKOK: Thai police have arrested a Buddhist monk over allegations he embezzled more than $9 million (RM36m) from the prominent temple he ran which was funded by donations from devotees. Investigators from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) accuse Abbot Phra Thammachiranuwat from Wat Rai Khing of siphoning more than 300 million baht ($9.05 million) from the temple's bank account into his own. Advertisement Investigators traced funds from the temple on Bangkok's western outskirts to an illegal online gambling network running baccarat card games, local media said. Temples in Buddhist-majority Thailand rely heavily on income from 'merit-making' ceremonies where worshippers make donations in hopes of gaining good fortune and better reincarnation. Police charged Phra Thammachiranuwat with corruption and malfeasance, CIB deputy commissioner Jaroonkiat Pankaew told reporters at a press conference on Thursday. 'This (arrest) is to help purify our religion,' Jaroonkiat said. Advertisement Authorities have arrested a second suspect and are investigating whether others were involved, while local media reported the abbot has now left the monkhood. Wat Rai Khing, believed to have been founded in 1851, houses a replica of the Buddha's footprint. The arrest from one of the Bangkok suburb's most prominent temples has triggered significant backlash on social media. 'Next time I will donate to a hospital or school for good causes, not a temple,' one user posted on social media platform X. Others cautioned their fellow Buddhists to remain firm in their faith. 'Not all monks are bad. Don't generalise,' another X user wrote. Meanwhile, a Thai court issued arrest warrants on Thursday for 17 people over the collapse of a Bangkok skyscraper that fell in a major earthquake, killing dozens of workers. The 30-storey tower being built to house the State Audit Office was reduced to rubble in seconds when a 7.7-magnitude quake struck neighbouring Myanmar on March 28, killing thousands in Thailand's wartorn neighbour. The tower was the only building in Bangkok to collapse, and the speed and suddenness with which it fell has raised questions about the quality of the construction. 'A Thai court today issued arrest warrants against three groups, comprising 17 people, related to the collapse,' Police Lieutenant-General Siam Boonsom told AFP. He did not give details of those targeted by the warrants, but Thai media reports said they include staff from Italian-Thai Development (ITD), one of the firms building the tower. Authorities say they have recovered 89 bodies from the rubble of the collapsed tower, with seven people still unaccounted for. The project was a joint venture between ITD – one of Thailand's biggest construction firms – and a Chinese conglomerate. Initial tests by Thai safety officials last month on steel rebars – struts used to reinforce concrete – recovered from the site found that some of the metal used was substandard. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Star
17-05-2025
- The Star
Monk held over US$9mil missing from temple
Thai police have arrested a Buddhist monk over allegations he embezzled more than US$9mil (RM38.5mil) from the prominent temple he ran which was funded by donations from devotees. Investigators from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) accuse Abbot Phra Thammachiranuwat from Wat Rai Khing of siphoning more than 300 million baht from the temple's bank account into his own. Investigators traced funds from the temple on Bangkok's western outskirts to an illegal online gambling network running baccarat card games, local media said. Temples in Buddhist-majority Thailand rely heavily on income from 'merit-making' ceremonies where worshippers make donations in hopes of gaining good fortune and better reincarnation. Police charged Phra Thammachiranuwat with corruption and malfeasance, CIB deputy commissioner Jaroonkiat Pankaew told reporters at a press conference on Thursday. Authorities have arrested a second suspect and are investigating whether others were involved, while local media reported the abbot has now left the monkhood. Wat Rai Khing, believed to have been founded in 1851, houses a replica of the Buddha's footprint. The arrest from one of the Bangkok suburb's most prominent temples has triggered significant backlash on social media. 'Next time I will donate to a hospital or school for good causes, not a temple,' one user posted on social media platform X. Others advised fellow Buddhists to remain firm in their faith. 'Not all monks are bad. Don't generalise,' another X user wrote. — AFP
