Yesterday, August 16, Thailand held this extraordinary gathering in Hat Yai, where around 10,000 Theravāda monks from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia gathered for a massive alms offering as part of a long-running tradition in southern Thailand. The Dhammakaya Foundation describes the larger project as the “2 Million Monks Alms Offering in 77 Provinces” initiative.
And the history is pretty remarkable. These Hat Yai events go back many years. In 2009, the International Buddhist College described approximately 10,000 monks and hundreds of thousands of laypeople participating. The 2015 event likewise involved 10,000 monks, with the donated dried food subsequently distributed not only to monks but also to soldiers, police, teachers, students and local residents, particularly in communities affected by conflict in southern Thailand.
So this isn’t really 10,000 monks getting a gigantic meal. It’s a social system of dana operating at enormous scale.
Looking at these photographs, what strikes me isn’t simply the number of monks, but the sheer number of ordinary people who came out to offer food and necessities. This is dāna on a scale that is almost difficult to comprehend.
It also brought me back to a conversation I recently had with someone asking, essentially, what a Buddhist country has ever contributed to the world or to society. Thailand is an interesting answer because Buddhism isn’t just something practiced inside temples there. It is woven into everyday life, with generations of people growing up with the practice of making merit, giving alms, and supporting the Sangha and contributing to their communities.