While I have said quite a lot to inspire people about life as a monk around the world. I should give you both sides of the story to be fair. When you think about living in Asia full-time or just for a visit, the first thought that comes to mind is, “Will I get sick?”. It can happen, and when you rely on volunteers and health standards that work “most of the time” but not all of the time, then problems can arise. And if you are a monk who goes house to house, you are at the mercy of every kitchen’s health standard in every single house.

A kuṭi is a small hut or lodging that a monk lives in and it is one of the basic four requisites: Robes, Food, Lodging, & Medicine. They come in various sizes and qualities and I have prepared a small showcase of pictures which can show more than just the words. We are supposed to reflect on the utilitarian purpose of the lodging, also called senāsana. Before we begin, here is a small sample of the morning chanting monks must chant everyday.

At Theravada monasteries there is no eating allowed after Noontime. Some monasteries only give one meal per day, while other monasteries give 2 meals per day. Both meal plans are allowed by the Buddha. However, some monasteries have no meals brought to the monks and they need to go out in the village and collect it. This last case is very rare and usually done by the forest monks living in secluded places or ehem.. Kaua’i. At Pa-Auk, we get breakfast, lunch and an afternoon filtered fresh fruit drink, usually avocado juice. Life here is easier compared to the life in Kaua’i where collecting my meals and eating could take four or five hours and rarely would I get a hot meal to eat. Nevertheless, I have found that the difficulty of collecting food to be very rewarding. Because the food is brought to us, we have more time to focus on meditation.