“For the body snatchers of Bangkok, the road to Nirvana is paved with deadly collisions.”
— Peter Lloyd, Journeyman Pictures, 2006

They rush through the dark, gridlocked streets of Bangkok as fast as they can, night after night, in order to arrive first at scenes that would give most people nightmares for days: sites strewn with bodies that are bloodied, mangled, crushed, shot, drowned, burned or torn apart; car crashes, suicides; the murdered, the unlucky. All victims of trauma, all lying dead on streets or in rooms, all waiting for someone to find them and give them peace at last. Careening towards these accident scenes are not highly-trained, paid professionals in ambulances, however. Instead, these are untrained, unpaid volunteers known as the “Body Snatchers” – or less graphically, the “Guardian Angels” – of Bangkok. These average citizens rush to the aid of trauma victims, either to provide basic first aid to the wounded or to take the dead to hospitals for cremation. In a city of eight million people, no formal emergency services and two million car accidents a year, the body snatchers are indeed guardian angels for the dead, performing a much-needed form of philanthropy.

Bangkok body snatchers are officially recognized volunteers for one of two Thai foundations and many have been doing this work for years (even decades). Sometimes entire families volunteer together. Because there are so few ambulances in Bangkok, many drive battered pickup trucks customized for the task at hand. Often, these everyday citizens will go out at night after a day’s work. Even popular actors or models volunteer to collect bodies, and late-night corpse runs featuring these celebrities are filmed for reality TV shows. Rushing to be first at the grisly scenes, they don’t do this for fame or financial gain – the few paid collectors make about $135–500 a month – but instead they do this for a much more personal reason: to bring “merit” or good fortune unto themselves and their families; to build karma in order to protect themselves in this life and improve the next. The Bangkok body snatchers are Buddhists, and they believe that “by helping someone pass through the rigors of death, good karma is…earned.” [Ehrlich, 2010]

Earning this good karma is not without risk. Rather ironically, in addition to karma, Buddhists also believe in ghosts and touching a dead body risks having the spirit enter one’s own body. Furthermore, the more violent a death, the more powerful the ghost of the victim. Thus, collecting a body from the scene of a car accident, for example, is fraught with spiritual danger. To arm themselves against the powerful spirits, body snatchers don protective amulets. Should an amulet be lost, no fear: the insignias embroidered on the volunteers’ uniforms are infused with protective powers, as well. Along with believing in ghosts, Buddhists believe in reincarnation. So to the body snatchers, the inherent risk of touching the dead is worth it: once collected, the corpse is handed over to the hospital, the body is cremated and its spirit is released and free to move onto its next life, further earning the rescuer much good karma for his good deed.

While many groups have tried to gain a foothold in philanthropic body collection (resulting in much fierce competition), since 1991 only two foundations have been officially recognised by the police and allowed to operate in Bangkok, each with its own territory of collection: the Poh Teck Tung Foundation and the Ruamkatanyu Foundation.

The Poh Teck Tung Foundation was founded in 1910 to provide care to the sick and wounded, as well as collect the dead after accidents. Since it began, it has founded several hospitals, the most recent in 1997 (Hua Chiao Hospital). On viewing its website, the foundation also appears to provide disaster relief and to award scholarships and grants for continuing education.
The Ruamkatanyu Foundation was founded in 1970 with the purpose of collecting the unclaimed bodies of accident and murder victims and to provide them with a proper burial. Today, the foundation has a number of ambulances and volunteers who bring the dead, injured or sick to the hospital free of charge. It is also able to handle large-scale rescues in the event of disaster.

As volunteers with either of these foundations, the body snatchers of Bangkok provide multiple necessary services: streets are cleared of accident victims, the wounded are helped, the dead are collected, cremated and sent onto their next incarnation. All this good work results in the accumulation of good karma for the body snatcher and his family. As a form of philanthropy, some Westerners may find the practice of corpse collecting a gruesome one. However, as Akapan Banloerit – one of Thailand’s most popular actors and a volunteer body snatcher for over 20 years – explains: “Acting is our job. We have to do that to earn money – but for this, we volunteer. We give our time, our heart, and everything to help society.” Certainly Western philanthropists can relate to that heartfelt sentiment.

Interestingly, one of the founding members was Anuwat Rachaniyom (or Yi KoHong), who was a leader in a Chinese secret society, the Hong Moen Thian Ti Hu, which ran gambling dens in Bangkok. Chinese secret societies provided mutual aid between the members, including caring for a fellow member’s corpse after he had died and ensuring a proper burial. One might wonder, with his background in crime and experience with caring for his fellow members’ bodies combined with the Buddhist belief of karma, did Rachaniyom help establish the more upstanding Poh Teck Tung Foundation as a way to bank good karma and make amends for his own past bad deeds?

Works Cited

Carter, Jeff C., Ghost Tower, February 21, 2013
● http://jeffccarter.wordpress.com/tag/por-tek-tung-foundation/

Crampton, Thomas, The Body Snatchers / Fighting for a Gory Prize : A Race to the Death in Bangkok, January 29, 2002
● http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/29/news/29iht-bodies_ed3_.html

Ehrlich, Richard S., Bangkok’s real-life body snatchers, April 1, 2010
● http://travel.cnn.com/bangkok/none/bangkoks-reallife-body-snatchers-642128

Leveau, Arnaud, editor, Investigating the Grey Areas of the Chinese Communities in Southeast Asia, March 14, 2007
● http://www.academia.edu/415705/Investigating_the_Grey_Areas_of_the_Chinese_Communities_in_Southeast_Asia

Poh Teck Tung Foundation website: http://www.pohtecktung.org/

scheng1, Ruamkatanyu Foundation in Bangkok, March 21, 2013
● http://www.bubblews.com/news/335620-ruamkatanyu-foundation-in-bangkok

Viceland, Thailand – Body Snatchers, 2006
● http://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/thailand-body-snatchers

Journeyman Pictures, produced by ABC Australia, Body Snatchers – Thailand, April 28, 2006 (uploaded August 8, 2007)
● http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eWddjc7d3k
● Transcript: http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2006/s1584927.htm

Payen, Cyril, France 24, Thailand: the war of the “Body Snatchers”, March 3, 2011
● http://www.france24.com/en/20110301-reporters-thailand-body-snatchers-crime-traffic-accidents-charities-competition-deaths-bodies-bangkok-donations

Ponlapat Nanthamanop, Ruamkatanyu Foundation final, uploaded November 28, 2012
● http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyFLs2QWN_s

tofu-magazine, featuring Philip Blenkinsop’s “Carmageddon: The Cars That Ate Bangkok”
● http://www.tofu-magazine.net/newVersion/pages/carma1.html

Howe, Jason P., Thailand, Bangkok Body Snatchers
● http://jasonphowe.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Thailand-Bangkok-Body-Snatchers/G00007DYxP1ITDeE/I0000RnB2hBtQ4Ac

Thervāda Buddhism is the oldest surviving school of Buddhism and continues to inform Buddhist

observances today, including the practice of what westerners would call philanthropy.

Buddhism embodies the pursuit of seeking perfection. This concept of seeking perfection is applied

to all aspects of life including the practice of generosity (dāna or daan). Since there is great emphasis

in Buddhism on the path to discovery or enlightenment, generosity is seen as a process of cultivation

within one’s being as opposed to a single act or many acts of philanthropy. In other words,

philanthropy brings benefit to the giver from a spiritual perspective as well as bringing benefit to the

receiver from a pragmatic perspective. It leads the list of the ten perfections or qualities which leads

one to enlightenment signifying the importance of generosity in the life of a Buddhist practitioner.

But unlike western philanthropy, generosity is not necessarily viewed through the lens of economic

value, either as a monetary gift or as a gift in kind. Neither is there an expected financial benefit for

the donor such as a charitable tax receipt. Even the purpose for recording one’s generosity is not to

honour that individual, but to instruct others that enlightenment can be found through the path of

Alternatively, generosity is seen through the lens of universal peace and harmony. In three very well-

known stories of generosity within Thervāda Buddhism (the Story of Vessantara, the Story of

Anāthapindika and the Story of Asoka), the heroes are praised for their lack of attachment to wealth

and their commitment to teach the ways of the Buddha to others, even if their extreme generosity

ends in bankruptcy. No endowments here. But there is the reward of enlightenment and the causal

suggestion that generosity may result in the restoration of fortunes that have once been given away.

Since Buddhism de-emphasizes the monetary aspect of giving, generosity is instead defined more so

by the gift of service and the gift of teaching rather than the gift of wealth or material possessions. In

fact, these are actually seen as of greater value. The instruction of morality and teaching the

knowledge of virtue is seen to exceed all other gifts. It contributes to harmony by overcoming the

negative aspects of humanity such as greed, hatred and ignorance. Social Harmony is achieved

through generosity, kind speech, service and equal treatment. Therefore it is not simply for the sake

of those in need nor for humanity as a whole that generosity is practiced, but for the sake of universal

For the Buddhist, philanthropy cannot be viewed as a separate act. In fact, a life of philanthropy could

be described as “engaged Buddhism”, which means philanthropy is regarded much more subjectively

and individualistic rather than objectively or systemically. And that may explain why there are no

well-known Buddhist philanthropic organizations, foundations or trusts. Generosity, hence

philanthropy, must flow from within and become a part one’s being as opposed to an act or gesture

that one performs outwardly. Perhaps western philanthropy could learn a thing or two here.

Regardless of our cultural heritage or faith background, may we all come to believe that the world

will become a better place, and that we will become a better people through our acts of generosity

and learn to embrace philanthropy as an act of being rather than an act of doing.

Works Cited

Limited Engagements: Revisiting the Non-encounter between American Buddhism and the Shin Tradition by Galen Amatutz, Coordinator,

Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University Journal of Global Journalism, 2002. Retrieved January 28, 2012.

http://www.globalbuddhism.org/3/amstutz021.pdf

What is Theravāda Buddhism? by John T. Bullitt. Access to Insight, 5 June 2010. Retrieved January 28, 2012.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bullitt/theravada.html

The Complete Book of Buddha’s Lists by David N. Snyder, Ph.D. Vipassana Foundation, Las Vegas Nevada, 2009. Retrieved January 28, 2012.

http://books.google.ca/books?id=69dNpJa-VzkC&printsec=frontcover&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

Buddhism and the Philanthropy of Compassion by Michael Nowik

Zen Buddhist Temple, Ann Arbor, Michigan (From a religious panel discussion, part of the “Philosophy of Philanthropy” course of the Ferris State

University Master’s in Education with a Concentration in Philanthropic Studies). Retrieved January 28, 2012.

http://learningtogive.org/faithgroups/voices/buddhism_phil_compassion.asp

Generosity and Service in Thervāda Buddhism by Ananda W. P. Guruge and G.D. Bond

“For the body snatchers of Bangkok, the road to Nirvana is paved with deadly collisions.”
— Peter Lloyd, Journeyman Pictures, 2006

They rush through the dark, gridlocked streets of Bangkok as fast as they can, night after night, in order to arrive first at scenes that would give most people nightmares for days: sites strewn with bodies that are bloodied, mangled, crushed, shot, drowned, burned or torn apart; car crashes, suicides; the murdered, the unlucky. All victims of trauma, all lying dead on streets or in rooms, all waiting for someone to find them and give them peace at last. Careening towards these accident scenes are not highly-trained, paid professionals in ambulances, however. Instead, these are untrained, unpaid volunteers known as the “Body Snatchers” – or less graphically, the “Guardian Angels” – of Bangkok. These average citizens rush to the aid of trauma victims, either to provide basic first aid to the wounded or to take the dead to hospitals for cremation. In a city of eight million people, no formal emergency services and two million car accidents a year, the body snatchers are indeed guardian angels for the dead, performing a much-needed form of philanthropy.

Bangkok body snatchers are officially recognized volunteers for one of two Thai foundations and many have been doing this work for years (even decades). Sometimes entire families volunteer together. Because there are so few ambulances in Bangkok, many drive battered pickup trucks customized for the task at hand. Often, these everyday citizens will go out at night after a day’s work. Even popular actors or models volunteer to collect bodies, and late-night corpse runs featuring these celebrities are filmed for reality TV shows. Rushing to be first at the grisly scenes, they don’t do this for fame or financial gain – the few paid collectors make about $135–500 a month – but instead they do this for a much more personal reason: to bring “merit” or good fortune unto themselves and their families; to build karma in order to protect themselves in this life and improve the next. The Bangkok body snatchers are Buddhists, and they believe that “by helping someone pass through the rigors of death, good karma is…earned.” [Ehrlich, 2010]

Earning this good karma is not without risk. Rather ironically, in addition to karma, Buddhists also believe in ghosts and touching a dead body risks having the spirit enter one’s own body. Furthermore, the more violent a death, the more powerful the ghost of the victim. Thus, collecting a body from the scene of a car accident, for example, is fraught with spiritual danger. To arm themselves against the powerful spirits, body snatchers don protective amulets. Should an amulet be lost, no fear: the insignias embroidered on the volunteers’ uniforms are infused with protective powers, as well. Along with believing in ghosts, Buddhists believe in reincarnation. So to the body snatchers, the inherent risk of touching the dead is worth it: once collected, the corpse is handed over to the hospital, the body is cremated and its spirit is released and free to move onto its next life, further earning the rescuer much good karma for his good deed.

While many groups have tried to gain a foothold in philanthropic body collection (resulting in much fierce competition), since 1991 only two foundations have been officially recognised by the police and allowed to operate in Bangkok, each with its own territory of collection: the Poh Teck Tung Foundation and the Ruamkatanyu Foundation.

The Poh Teck Tung Foundation was founded in 1910 to provide care to the sick and wounded, as well as collect the dead after accidents. (1) Since it began, it has founded several hospitals, the most recent in 1997 (Hua Chiao Hospital). On viewing its website, the foundation also appears to provide disaster relief and to award scholarships and grants for continuing education.
The Ruamkatanyu Foundation was founded in 1970 with the purpose of collecting the unclaimed bodies of accident and murder victims and to provide them with a proper burial. Today, the foundation has a number of ambulances and volunteers who bring the dead, injured or sick to the hospital free of charge. It is also able to handle large-scale rescues in the event of disaster.

As volunteers with either of these foundations, the body snatchers of Bangkok provide multiple necessary services: streets are cleared of accident victims, the wounded are helped, the dead are collected, cremated and sent onto their next incarnation. All this good work results in the accumulation of good karma for the body snatcher and his family. As a form of philanthropy, some Westerners may find the practice of corpse collecting a gruesome one. However, as Akapan Banloerit – one of Thailand’s most popular actors and a volunteer body snatcher for over 20 years – explains: “Acting is our job. We have to do that to earn money – but for this, we volunteer. We give our time, our heart, and everything to help society.” Certainly Western philanthropists can relate to that heartfelt sentiment.

—————

(1) Interestingly, one of the founding members was Anuwat Rachaniyom (or Yi KoHong), who was a leader in a Chinese secret society, the Hong Moen Thian Ti Hu, which ran gambling dens in Bangkok. Chinese secret societies provided mutual aid between the members, including caring for a fellow member’s corpse after he had died and ensuring a proper burial. One might wonder, with his background in crime and experience with caring for his fellow members’ bodies combined with the Buddhist belief of karma, did Rachaniyom help establish the more upstanding Poh Teck Tung Foundation as a way to bank good karma and make amends for his own past bad deeds.

Works cited

Carter, Jeff C., Ghost Tower, February 21, 2013

http://jeffccarter.wordpress.com/tag/por-tek-tung-foundation/

Crampton, Thomas, The Body Snatchers / Fighting for a Gory Prize : A Race to the Death in Bangkok, January 29, 2002

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/29/news/29iht-bodies_ed3_.html

Ehrlich, Richard S., Bangkok’s real-life body snatchers, April 1, 2010

http://travel.cnn.com/bangkok/none/bangkoks-reallife-body-snatchers-642128

Leveau, Arnaud, editor, Investigating the Grey Areas of the Chinese Communities in Southeast Asia, March 14, 2007

http://www.academia.edu/415705/Investigating_the_Grey_Areas_of_the_Chinese_Communities_in_Southeast_Asia

Poh Teck Tung Foundation website: http://www.pohtecktung.org/

scheng1, Ruamkatanyu Foundation in Bangkok, March 21, 2013

http://www.bubblews.com/news/335620-ruamkatanyu-foundation-in-bangkok

Viceland, Thailand – Body Snatchers, 2006

http://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/thailand-body-snatchers

Journeyman Pictures, produced by ABC Australia, Body Snatchers – Thailand, April 28, 2006 (uploaded August 8, 2007)

Transcript: http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2006/s1584927.htm

Payen, Cyril, France 24, Thailand: the war of the “Body Snatchers”, March 3, 2011

http://www.france24.com/en/20110301-reporters-thailand-body-snatchers-crime-traffic-accidents-charities-competition-deaths-bodies-bangkok-donations

Ponlapat Nanthamanop, Ruamkatanyu Foundation final, uploaded November 28, 2012

Growing up in the Western society, I have inherited some of my values and traditions from the culture of my mother. My mother was born in the Philippines in the capital city of Manila, however was raised on an island in the province of Southern Leyte. Born into a family the youngest of 5, my grandmother did not have the sufficient funds to support my mother through her education. A tradition within in my family includes providing support through establishing an agreement to pay for a student’s school tuition fees and in return, the student would live and work for the person or family supporting them.

My mother and her siblings are the product of this cultural form of giving. As a young girl, my mother moved to Southern Leyte to live with a family that would be able to afford to fund her education and in return, she lived with the family and assisted them with household chores. These household chores would include cooking, cleaning, babysitting, and assisting with general house work.

This is a form of giving in a sense that the family that supported my mother did not necessarily need the outside assistance to complete everyday tasks. The family created work for my mother at a very young age, which allowed her to receive an education that would not have been available to her due to her lack of resources. Instead of simply giving her the money to fund her education, through taking her in, they have relieved her family from the expenses of raising her and created an honest way to earn money. In this way, this is a diverse form of giving that empowers the people of the community. Rather than seeing the money as a handout or welfare, creating a job allows people to work and feel the satisfaction of earning a living.

Today, my aunt and her husband live in the same province. With no children of their own to support, they have taken in a little girl from their community to fund her education in the same way it was done for my mother. In a household of two, my aunt and her husband do not require the extra assistance with cooking and cleaning, however being able to afford her education provides her with greater opportunities in life. Opening their home to this little girl, allows her the chance to receive an education, pursue her dreams, and later support her own family.

Philanthropy in this form includes members of the community supporting their community to provide a better quality of life. Through funding a community member’s education, they are creating sustainable development that benefits the person, their family, and their future. The people with the available funds are donating to sustain and improve the human resources in an area, which is a different practice than investing in only physical resources. Through this philanthropic tradition, people with greater means are able to support their community and empower the people that live within it.

Works cited

J, Chan, personal communication, September 27, 2013.

The sense of family is an important part of many cultures; the Filipino culture is no exception. From a culture that is often identified as being “hospitable”, the practice of philanthropy is also present. Over recent years there has been an increase of immigrants coming from the Philippines, with Filipinos being the highest number of permanent residents by top source countries from 2010 to 2012 (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2013). A similar situation can be found in the United States.

Also birthed from the migration of Filipinos to the Western World is what Garchitorena (2007) calls “Filipino Diaspora Philanthropy.” Diaspora meaning, “the movement, migration, or scattering of a people away from an established or ancestral homeland (Collins English Dictionary, 2012). When Filipinos move overseas they tend to “give back” (Garchitorena, 2007) to their homeland country.

Reasons as to why they give back vary from situation to situation; those who have done well abroad seek ways to share their “wealth or talent with their home country” (Garchitorena, 2007). As I took a second to reflect at how this is true in my own (family) life I see that the Diaspora Philanthropy is evident so who better to discuss the topic than my own Filipino family. Upon asking my father, his reply was “the reason for giving back is gratitude, because we are thankful for what our families have done for us, and we want to share the blessings we have received here in Canada” (P. Mayled, personal communication, September 19, 2014). Another reason for the desire to give back to the homeland is “self gratification in knowing that I have helped someone who is more in need” (N. Pantig, personal communication, September 19, 2014). “After giving back and sending Balikbayan boxes or money, I feel comfortable knowing that people who will be receiving the gift will be a little more comfortable in life themselves” (M. Mayled, personal communication, September 19, 2014).

Methods of giving back which have been briefly mentioned include Balikbayan boxes which are boxes filled with non-perishable food, clothing, health-related items. These Balikbayan boxes are sent directly to families usually on trips to the the Philippines where “there is great personal satisfaction when one can actually meet the person who will benefit from a donation” (Garchitorena, 2007) or by shipping it and the recipient(s) receiving it in approximately 4-5 weeks. Another common method is through money transfer. My family every so often sends money over to their families back in the Philippines, especially to help cover ever-so-expensive health costs for a family member. One other method my family gives back is by donating money through our local church especially to help victims of natural disasters such as typhoons, and landslides.

I believe one of Garchitorena’s (2007) reasoning encompasses why I would personally give back in the near future which is the “compassion for the poor and underprivileged”. I was born and raised in Canada, and have only seen a glimpse of living in the Philippines. With just that slight glimpse I know the way of living in Canada is a hundredfold different (and one could say better) than in the Philippines. I can see them as two completely different worlds. To see how my relatives in the Philippines live and how I live here in Canada makes me count my blessings, and even share them whenever I can out of the compassion of my heart.

Works Cited

Garchitorena, V. P., (2007). Diaspora Philanthropy: The Philippine Experience. Convention on Biological Diversity.

diaspora. (n.d.). Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. Retrieved September 23, 2014, from Dictionary.com website:http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diaspora

In the Philippines, the idea of Bayanihan, working together towards a common goal for the benefit of the whole community, shapes the country’s core values. According to the World Giving Index 2012, the Philippines is the second most charitable country in Southeast Asia. In 2012, the Philippines’ giving behaviour in terms of volunteering time increased to 44 per cent, up from 41 per cent in 2011.

The Filipino tradition of volunteering can best be illustrated by the outpouring of compassion for victims following the devastating typhoon 11 months ago. On November 8, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the Philippines leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. United Nations agencies reported that the storm killed 6,340 people and left 4.1 million people homeless.

In the aftermath of the storm, local doctors were stirred to take collective action. Dr. Evangeline Cua, a surgeon from the Western city of Iloilo sent out an urgent message on Facebook appealing for donations to dispatch a medical team to hard-hit Tacloban City. Donations poured in and within 24 hours, she had received enough funds to dispatch a team of nine volunteers with medical supplies.

The Church played a major role in providing relief and recovery. Not only did the Filipino community turn to the church for spiritual comfort, but the church also served as a physical shelter for the sick, wounded and displaced. Dr. Cua and her team set up a makeshift medical bay in the Church of the Redeemer where they treated people with infected wounds, respiratory and GI infections, and skin lesions.

What accounts for the Catholic Church’s social influence in the Philippines? The answer lies in the country’s colonial history. In 1565, the Spanish landed in the Philippines, established settlements and quickly converted the majority of the Filipino population to Christianity. The Catholic Church’s role was not limited to providing spiritual guidance; it also provided access to social services such as education and health care.

While the Church offered hope after the storm, the Bayanihan spirit drove local people to band together, support the victims, and rebuild the community. It explains why Dr. Cua reached out to the community and the world via Facebook. It explains why a doctor who was accustomed to the safe confines of a private hospital would brave debris-strewn roads and expect nothing in return. It explains why she decided to go, even after her sister pleaded with her to stay because of security issues.

“How could I go on with my life when I know that people are suffering and I could actually do something to help and not go there? I thought, at that time, that it’s our moral obligation as a human being to extend help,” she said.

Works Cited

The Bayanihan Spirit: Dead or Alive – Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society 7:91-105 (1979)

http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/29791626?uid=3739448&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=3737720&uid=4&sid=21104668560227

World Giving Index 2012

https://www.cafonline.org/publications/2012-publications/world-giving-index-2012.aspx

History of the Philippines

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Philippines

Philippines Aid begins at home: Social Media helps local people prevent spread of illness following Typhoon Haiyan (The Independent)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/philippines-aid-begins-at-home-social-media-helps-local-people-prevent-spread-of-illness-following-typhoon-haiyan-8944585.html

Typhoon Haiyan After Action Report: Local Physicians Give First-hand Findings (Emergency Physicians International)

http://www.epijournal.com/articles/131/typhoon-haiyan-after-action-report-local-physicians-give-first-hand-findings

Pindapata or Alms giving is a practice in which Buddhist monks walk through their village every morning to collect donations of food from the general population for their daily meals. The tradition began with the ritual that the monks are to simplify their lives by not preparing or cooking their own meals and to rely on the generosity of the lay people. The alms round was, for the Buddha, a key feature of the monastic life and the alms bowl is, for all Buddhists, a symbol of the monastic order. The Pali word for alms round is pindapata, which colorfully means “dropping a lump,” describing the process whereby food accumulates in the alms bowl (Dinsmore, Through the Looking Glass (n.d).) A monk does not openly ask for food donations. They quietly walk the streets awaiting a potential donor to come to them which allows the donor to give freely and only what they can afford to provide.
A traditional Buddhist Pindapata is described by the following criteria, “Go on alms-rounds between 6:45am to around 11am. Consume food before 12pm. Accept only food, and not money. Stand still outside hawker centre. Wait for food donor to approach. Alms bowl covered with a lid which is opened when donor wishes to offer food. Do not carry/sell pendants/amulets” (Pindapata Alms Giving (n.d.). Unfortunately the practice of receiving free food has caught on as some people disguise themselves as monks and go out for Pindapata. The above criteria allows for people providing goods to know if the person seeking food is truly a monk.

The giving tradition of Pindapata allows the Buddhist Monks to sustain themselves but also teaches the lay people to learn to give and let go. “Naturally the alms round gives the monk a connection to the lives of the laity, so that their practice is not in a monastic bubble. But I don’t get the sense that most people think of themselves as poor or deprived; they live with a sense of dignity. And every act of generosity toward monks reminds them that they have wealth to share”(Dinsmore, Through the Looking Glass, (n.d.).)

In return for the generosity of the lay people that donate their food to the monks, the monk’s bless them and provide spiritual guidance. “Buddhist monks sustain their lives on the support of benevolent devotees for their four requisites of robes, food, shelter and medicine while providing spiritual guidance and advice to lay supporters in return (Weidu, Practising Alms Food-Collecting (Pindapata) Views of monks and a laywer, (n.d.). Traditionally a monk has not been able to accept payment from the laypeople therefore by proving food during Pindapata allows the lay person to give back to the monk for what they have done for the community.

Through the example of Pindapata giving is an essential practice in Buddhism. “The Buddha taught that when we give to others, we give without expectation of reward. We should give without attaching to either the gift or the recipient. Some teachers propose that giving is good because it accrues merit and creates karma that will bring future happiness” (O’Brien, (n.d.) Perfection of Giving). Therefore Pindapata not only assures the Monks have the means to sustain their simplistic livelihood they provide the laypeople with a sense of pride in that they are able to thank the monks by providing what they can to keep them healthy and able to live the life they choose.

Works Cited

Dinsmore, Bhikkhu Cintita, (n.d.). Through the Looking Glass. Retrieved by http://bhikkhucintita.wordpress.com/home/monastic-life/feeding-the-monks/

Pindapata Alms-Giving, (n.d.). Retrieved by http://www.dhammasara.webs.com/Pindapata.html
Weidu, (n.d.) Practising Alms Food-Collecting (Pindapata) Views of monks and a laywer. Retrieved by http://www.4ui.com/eart/221eart3.htm

O’Brien, Barbara (n.d.) Perfection of Giving. Retrieved by

http://buddhism.about.com/od/basicbuddhistteachings/a/giving.htm

Thich Naht Hanh was born in Vietnam in 1926 and helped to found the ‘engaged Buddhism’ movement during the Vietnam War in the 1960’s (Hahn, 2008). In the simplest terms, engaged Buddhism entails a focus on the present and full participation in community, as well as a compassionate regard for the well-being of others (Hahn, 2008). Engaged Buddhists believe that suffering is caused not by individual fault or inadequacies, but the proliferation around the world of the idea that the individual is a separate and permanent entity and thus needs to acquire more, whether it be material wealth, human rights, or emotional satisfaction. Thich Naht Hanh posits that through the realization that the individual life lived in this way is insignificant, one naturally turns their attention outward (Noy, 2008). Using these principles Naht Hanh founded the School of Youth and Social Service in the 1960’s which rebuilt bombed out villages in Vietnam, organized schools and medical centres, and resettled displaced families (Hahn, 2008). While in exile in France, Naht Hanh founded Plum Village, a community for meditation and betterment of life, where he works to lessen the suffering of people throughout the Global South affected by war, poverty, and political oppression (Hanh, 2008).

Instead of blaming the individual for ‘the situation they have gotten themselves into’ – like the North American tradition of charity tends to do – Thich Naht Hanh professes a solution where we look inward to recognize our own insignificance as individuals. He believes that only when this concept is realized are we able to turn outward and recognize the importance of community and give ourselves to it freely.

Works Cited

Noy, D. (2008). The Sociological context of thich naht hanh’s teaching. Human Architecture, 6(3), Retrieved from http://www.okcir.com/Aricles%20VI%203/DarrenNoy-FM.pdf

Hanh, T. N. (2008). Please call me by my true names. Human Architecture, 6(3), Retrieved from http://www.okcir.com/Articles%20VI%203/TNHCallMEByMyTrueNames-FM.pdf

Lessa, I. (2009). ‘Canadian legacies, context and early experiments.’ SWP 302: Social Work Policy.

Philanthropy has been a prominent act throughout history, more specifically in the different cultures of the world. In the society today there are different religions and cultures which include traditions of giving; one in particular is called Buddhism. In the Buddhist tradition it is believed that humans are all interconnected in life and that we are continuously receiving generosity from others. So, this leads to the traditional Buddhist view that by developing love and kindness towards one another, this will promote generosity to all human beings (Joseph, 2000).

In order to understand the concept of giving in the Buddhist tradition it first must be described. Buddhism is supported primarily through “Dana”, known as generosity, which is also the universal virtue in Buddhist tradition. Dana is practiced in Buddhism by monks in order to demonstrate instruction and guidance for the community. In order to be generous and open-hearted, Buddhism explains that one must attempt to progress spiritually. This would be done by attempting to achieve the goal of Buddhism which is Enlightenment. Enlightenment is a human state that a person may achieve through being sympathetic towards others and one way of practicing sympathy in the Buddhist tradition is through the act of giving. This act of giving gifts can include anything from simplistic material objects, like shelter or food, to ones that are more valuable, like fearlessness (Joseph, 2000).This demonstrates that giving is important in the Buddhist cultural context because it helps individuals that are struggling within the community to receive gifts of significant need.

Buddhism recognizes that there are different motivations behind giving; they can be more or less self-oriented. This means that a person may want to give selflessly or they may want to gain something in return for their giving acts. It is important in the Buddhist tradition to focus on the mental and emotional state in order to determine what your true motivation is. Once a person is able to examine their motivation they are able to continuously purify themselves until the motivation behind the act is truly selfless. Specifically, this tradition asks its people to not become consumed by external or materialist things. Buddhism focuses on giving away attachment to everything, so you are therefore giving yourself (Joseph, 2000). This again is important in the Buddhist tradition because it helps people focus more on spirituality rather than being consumed within themselves. Some major examples of how the Buddhist community participated in humanitarian acts were through its communities by establishing hospitals, schools and other public institutions.

One of the major Buddhist teachings are reflected on Karma which explains that a person’s choice is due to a complexity of cause-effect processes. Also, a person’s choices can change their destiny and this can lead to changes in the conditions of the world (Joseph, 2000). This demonstrates that through the act of generosity one can create a continuous line of events and may influence the lives of many people for the better. Buddhism demonstrates a culture of giving as a current practice in the Eastern Traditions of the world, therefore by learning more about its tradition it will benefit philanthropy worldwide.

Works Cited

Joseph, P. (2000, December). Traditions of giving in Buddhism. Alliance magazine. Retrieved from http://www.alliancemagazine.org/en/content/traditions-giving-buddhism.

Buddhists traditions of south East Asia revere the story of Vessantara. In Buddhism there are ten (or six depending on the tradition) main virtues. The first virtue is the paramita (or perfection) of dana (generosity) (Ratnasinghe, 1). The paramita of dana is extolled in the tale of Vessantara.

Vessantara, the incarnation before Siddhartha, was born into a royal family. His birth caused the gods to take note of his generous character, as his first words were “Mother, what gift can I make?”(The Vessantara Jakata, 1). Throughout his childhood and into his reign as Prince, Vessantara was generous with all he had. A neighbouring king was jealous of his virtue and sent a brahim to request that Vessantara give him his white elephant. This elephant was considered to be the reason for the areas prosperity as it had magical rain making abilities (Swearer, 11). Once the community learned Vessantara had given away the elephant, he was banished along with his wife and two children. The tale maintains that while living in banishment, a poor brahim came and asked Vessantara for his children to use as servants. Without hesitation, Vessantara gave his away children. The god Indra then arrived in disguise and asked Vessantara to give him his wife. Vessantara agreed, thus proving his perfection of dana, as he was willing to give away both his children and his wife. At the end of the tale, Vessantara is reunited with his wife and children and returns to rule as a Prince (Swearer, 11-12).

This tale exemplfies the extremes to which dana can be prefected. In terms of understanding modern Buddhist philantrophic tendancies this story is important in that it relates several keys elements. Firstly, the importance of the Jakata (tales) of Vessantara demonstrates the value placed on giving. In modern Myanmar the Jakata are publicly recited and it is considered an honour for a family to sponsor the three day event (Pannyawamsa, 1). Secondly, dana is the first paramita listed thus showing the importance of generosity in Buddhist traditions (Ratnasinghe, 1). Thirdly, it is widely held that Vessantara was the incarnation before Siddhartha (The Vessantara Jakata, 1). This indicates the importance of dana in terms of creating karma. Karma means that “whatever we do, with our body, speech or mind will have a corresponding result. Each action, even the smallest, is pregnant with consequences.” (Rinpoche, 92). It is clear from the Jakata of Vessantara that the karma created by Vessantara’s devotion to dana aided in his rebirth as Siddhartha the Buddha.

It is clearly evident from the Jakata of Vessantara that the practice of philanthropy in the Buddhist traditions of South East Asia is of extreme importance. Philanthropy is not only beneficial for those in need but also for the giver, as the karmic result of the perfection of dana increases the likelihood of release from the cycle of rebirth and death.

Works Cited

Pannyawamsa, Sengpan. “Recital Of The Tham Vessantara-jAtaka: A Social-cultural Phenomenon In Kengtung, Eastern Shan State, Myanmar”. Contempory Buddhism; May2009, Vol. 10 Issue 1, p125-139, 15p. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/

Ratnasinghe, Aryadasa. ‘Dana Paramita’ – Perfection of generosity. Buddhist Era 2547 Il First Quarter -Sunday, November 30,2003. Retrieved from http://www.lakehouse.lk/budusarana/2003/11/30/Budu17.pdf

Rinpoche, Sogyal. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. New York: HarperCollins, 1994.

Swearer, Donald K.The Buddhist world of Southeast AsiaAlbany: State University of New York, 1995.

The Vessantara Jakata. Retrieved from http://www.buddha-images.com/vessantara-jataka.asp