What do you think?
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My response is not much rooted in early Buddhist texts, but according to the CIA World Factbook (which actually is a very good source), Bangladesh’s population is 89.1% Muslim, 10% Hindu, and only 0.9% other which includes Buddhist and Christian populations. So I guess my question is, how common is it for Buddhist monks to collect offerings in Bangladesh given that the Buddhist population represents a tiny fraction of the population?
Another question (perhaps the one prompted by @Mat) is why are the monks in the linked video collecting alms out in the open while it is raining heavily while there are nearby areas that are covered and sheltered from the rain? From the perspective of people living in the West who are accustomed to certain modern comforts it does seem rather odd that the monks and laypeople making offerings wouldn’t find a venue sheltered from the elements for alms rounds.
On the other hand, South and Southeast Asia routinely experience monsoon rains and have for millennia, so one would surmise that this is customary and doesn’t cause nearly the same discomfort as it might to people in Europe and North America who enjoy modern comforts.
Still yet on another hand, people who live the West will endure harsh weather to participate in activities that are purely recreational in nature. There are some American football venues in the United States, e.g., Green Bay, Wisconsin, where fans will sit in the bleachers in blizzard conditions with temperatures hovering around minus-10 degrees Celsius to “enjoy” an afternoon of football. People in Bangladesh might look at that and think that American football fans are crazy.
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I wondered what role the guy with the megaphone was playing.
The major Theravadan countries are all monsoonal, so this must be a common challenge.
I know from my own experience of living through a monsoon season in Calcutta and tropical rain elsewhere that getting soaked through by warm rain water isn’t analagous to getting soaked through in cooler climes.
Tho, if sheltered public places were available …
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Maybe getting soaked is sign of faith and confidence or renunciation of comforts.
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