Alms Giving to Bhikkus

Hello, my dear friends, my elder sister passed away three months ago, so my sister and I decided to give almsgiving for five Bhikkhus at her house.

As you are all aware, one of Buddhism's most popular practices is offering alms. It is a way to provide food and other necessities to the monks who study and practice Buddha's teachings. At the same time, we learn to give and let go. This ceremony is frequently done to commemorate death milestones.

These days it is not an easy task to give arms giving to the bhikkhu as all the items are too expensive. The price is the same whether there are five or ten Bhikkus; the only difference is the price of the fruits and pirikara.

Our original date was the 26th, but as it is not a holiday for everyone, we chose to hold it on Saturday, the 27th. So, a few weeks prior to the almsgiving, we make all the necessary arrangements.

First, we placed the meal in the relic box on a different table and offered it to Buddha. Then we extend an invitation to Bhikku to receive our alms. The food is formally presented following a brief speech by the Nayaka Thera on the significance of the occasion. Once the monks have eaten their meals, the additional necessities (pirikara) are next provided.

The most important thing among these contributions were the eight monastic requisites (Ata Pririkara). We presented three Ata Pirikaras: one came from my sister, one from me, and one from my brother. Other devotees accepted the rest of the pirikara. We provided robes, Adana, and other stuff such as sulu pirikara, including books, towels, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, siddalepa bottles, and so forth.

After the almsgiving was over, another monk gave punnanumodanawa and asked everyone involved in the ceremony to transfer the merits to their deceased relatives and friends.

The relic casket and monks are conducted back to the temple in the same manner as they were brought and the proceedings were concluded.

We all shared these offerings with our ancestors and family members in order to convey merits to them, including my sister, mother, and father.

After having our food, we cleaned all the pots and pans, plates, and the house. We were very happy as we had earned significant merits that day.

Thanks for reading.