Monks who have gone into secluded areas and forests: how did they eat if there was no place to receive alms?
The many cases in the suttas seem to indicate that they still walked pindapata every morning.
So, not too secluded if they were in walking distance of people?
an10.11
ā¦And how does a lodging have five factors? Itās when a lodging is neither too far nor too near, but convenient for coming and going. Itās not bothered by people by day, and at night itās quiet and still. Thereās little disturbance from flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and reptiles. While staying in that lodging the necessities of lifeārobes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines and supplies for the sickāare easy to come by. ā¦
See dwellings (senÄsana) in the CIPS.
Even though walking distance would mean something else back then than it does now, they would have had a lot of available wilderness to walk into.
You donāt have to walk that far into a proper forest to be secluded afaik. Most of the land would have been wild and uncultivated, unlike many places today.
In Italy, the walk is about 1.5hrs to town for alms from the forest monastery (by monastery I mean a tent with a bunch of trees, fields, and an abandoned building, basically). If on cÄrika, then sometimes the journey may be several hours from the camp spot to the next village for alms.
And yeah, you might just get some bread. Or nothing at all. But bread and fruit, and usually cheese, are pretty reliable. Often thereās quite a lot
Wow! That just sounds amazing. In my mind I was thinking āwow, how luxuriousā but of course thatās not luxury for most people. I hope I get to live like that at some point in my life
Edit: For clarity, I mean itās like a luxury to have the opportunity live a renunciate lifestyle to that extent.
Thereās something about getting enough food overall but yet not being sure if youāll have food on any single day that seems really powerful to me.
Like you wonāt die but also youāre kind of forced to let go
From our forest monastery, on the edge of the national park, itās a 50 minute walk to town.
We get traditional Australian pindapat of coffee and bakery goods, sometimes salad/fruit.
Thatās typical.
Sometimes monks in Thailand will intentionally strike out into the forest for a few days without food.
Sometimes a dedicated lay supporter will be inspired to support such a monkās remote practice and will go meet the monk at a prearranged spot to offer something. Sometimes a layman will even accompany a monk into the forest to practice with him and the layman can carry a few days worth of food for their camping trip. There are many styles of practice in Thailand, if by āAjaansā you were specifically asking about Thai practices.