Why do monks in Thailand receive offerings from women on a piece of cloth rather than directly from their hands? This practice was not laid down by the Buddha, and is not followed by monks in other Theravada countries. It is a convention (possibly copied from Khmer court ritual) that was adopted by the Thai Sangha some hundreds of years ago in order to maintain the formality of relations between monks and laywomen. Giving, by its nature, creates a certain sense of intimacy between the one who gives and the one who receives. By accepting offering on a cloth, the […]