Temple fund raiser in Suphanburi

For the last month or so envelopes have been distributed around our local area to raise funds for the Lemon Temple in Suphan. The fund raising climaxes with an event and ceremony at the temple on a Saturday morning..

Its an early start - up at 5 to get ready, and cook up a light lunch for us and the monks. This routine must be the same for dozens of families throughout Suphan...  A good turn out, as you can see from the picture. We got their late-ish, so got stuck with sitting on the floor. Actually its quite an eye-opener how when I first arrived in Thailand I could only sit on the hard floor for about 2 minutes before the aching began.... These days I can manage about 10 without blinking. Probably cos I've lost a bit of weight, am a bit more flexible, I can curl my legs up underneath me quite easily now I'm used to it.

That's Sutiya and Noon counting out the cash from some of the many envelopes collected .. Every envelope has the name of the donor on the front, and after opening, the amount contained inside is neatly written on one corner . . After a few hundred envelopes, the amounts are toting up rather nicely. It's a testiment to Thai character and community that lots of people, who live day to day with little money, manage to find some for the pot.

Throughout there is a Buddhist ceremony in effect. One of the organisers has the loudspeaker most of the time, yapping away, with the occasional chanting... at other times the head monks get the mike for chanting and prayer... The audience sit quietly and raise their hands in the wai on occasion.

After just over an hour, it all breaks up, the monks are passed food by some of the younger members, and shortly after all the temple-goers move downstairs, or on the floor in front of the monks to eat.. Just before we eat, the loudspeakers announce the amount raised - a little over one million baht. Wow. Not bad going for a modest sized temple... All the money goes to the local poor.

Comments

[Talen]

Wow, one million baht is indeed quite impressive. It never ceases to amaze me that those with the least in Thailand give so much of what they have.

I still can't sit that long on the floor though...my arse bones just can't handle it.

[Ben Shingleton]

Yeah absolutely Talen, very impressive. The general population of Thailand are the most giving in the world.

Floor - LOL - You get a 'little' used to it. It's actually my bony ankles which bugger me, followed by fidgety arse cramps.... I always end up shuffling about on the floor some lamo trying to break dance...

[Ben Shingleton]

.....I'd never make it to the top in the monastery...

[Siam.Rick]

I'm most impressed by the fact that that much money was given to help the least fortunate. That community seems very much like, well, a community. And that's a very lovely temple, too. Beautiful woodwork there where the monks were sitting.

[Ben Shingleton]

Yes Rick you're spot on about the local Thai communities, the head monks of the area are responsible for lots of good.

The temple is a very nice, solid building - at some stage I will do a post just on the temple structure itself...