Mahar Gandar Yone Monastery, A spiritual feast of a thousand monks

Amaraapura, Myanmar

A stunning scene of a monk receiving food

Introduction

Mahagandayon Monastery, located in the ancient city of Amarapura, is one of the most important Buddhist colleges in Myanmar. Male devotees can practice here for one or multiple times, from a few weeks to a lifetime, resulting in a population of over a thousand monks, despite the monastery only being built about 50 years ago. The monastery is most famous for the "thousand monk meal" that takes place every day at 10:30am. Myanmar is a Theravada Buddhist country, so the monks here strictly observe the rules of "no eating after noon" and "begging for food with a bowl." The first meal is at 4am, the second meal is around 10am, and they must return to the temple before noon to finish eating. At Mahagandayon Monastery, with over a thousand monks practicing, they line up in orderly two rows to beg for food, never breaking their gaze and keeping their arms hidden in their robes. Their silent, organized, and slow procession is impressive. In the dining hall, devotees distribute food to the monks, who can only show their right arm before going to the cafeteria or dormitory to eat. It is worth mentioning that all the food in this monastery is donated by local devotees, and the entire process maintains harmony and quietness. Nowadays, the monks in this monastery no longer beg for food on the street, but instead, devotees from different places take turns to bring ingredients to cook for them. However, you can still see the scene of a large group of monks queuing up and begging for food along the street.