Novices for Children

Metta in Action

Novice for Children is a FLOW project that makes use of the remarkable gathering power of monks in Thailand to collect food, clothing, toys and blankets for distribution to Internal Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, refugee settlements and marginalised hill tribe villages.

The morning alms rounds is a central part of life in Thailand. This is the daily opportunity for the villagers to make merit, - the generation of good karma that is is seen as ensuring good fortune in this life and into the next.

Having worked with the young novices for over a year Teacher Jil was always trying to teach the boys the value of social service. As monks in Thailand they are more accustomed to receiving through the Alms institution than giving to others.

The boys and their teacher, Mr. Charin were immediately enthusiastic about the idea of this particular project and together they created the name for the project - Novices for Children!

The boys then made it known to the surrounding villages that they were collecting toys, clothes, blankets and other useful items to be used for the project. They quickly had great success in collecting a lot of really good stuff, the clothes were washed and ironed and once Blood Foundation had added rice, noodles, oil and other non-perishable food items there were truck loads of supplies ready to be distributed !

Our first destination was along the Thai Burma border to heavily disadvantaged communities as well as a temple with young orphans and a Shan refugee camp. We must have made quite a sight as Blood Foundation volunteers, ordained Monk for a Month guests, twenty novices and teachers made their way in convoy along the remote back-roads of the Thai Burma border loaded up with several cubic meters of aid. The people were grateful to be receiving some assistance but they were especially touched to have it handed out to them by monks, whom they so revere.

Another trip was to an IDP camp where some fifty families lead a very fragile existence. Again our traveling circus of benevolence wound it's way along the rugged mountain roads to reach this community. On this trip the novices handed out all the food and supplies and it was an emotional occasion to see these boys experience the joy of giving. There was a rare beauty in this scene, - these good hearted lads handing over the goods they had collected through their own efforts to this diverse group of war refugees. Some were Buddhist, some were animist, some were Christian but everyone could feel the tender poignancy as they lined up to receive their cabbages, oil and fish sauce.

While Buddhist Dhamma contains much that could lead towards the compassionate service of others, it seems to need encouragment in order to achieve expression. Right action, the cultivation of goodness and having mindfulness can lead to social engagement on behalf of the poor if the instruction is well directed. In the end Metta is Love.

So the great thing about this project is that it stimulates these somewhat dormant potentials and puts Metta into action, teaching the boys both the duties and the joys of social service and distributing some needed goods to where they are gratefully received.

Read Tette's story about this trip...