I'm going to visit a monastery in the tradition of Ajahn Chah for a week, end of day.
What would be a suitable gift?
Well, that is a suitable gift.
You're visiting the monastery.
Is it a suitable gift?
It's a horrible answer, isn't it?
Well, nice that you want to give a gift.
It's always nice.
It's a very good tradition.
You go to visit someone to bring them a gift.
The problem is that, you know, I don't know.
I have problems with gifts because it's just more stuff.
That's why I like the wish list idea.
I put up a wish list of things that I need.
The problem is I haven't updated it because I don't really need anything these days.
And when I do, there's someone there to help me out with it.
It's much more local and immediate.
But maybe in Canada we'll start it up again and it's easy to forget.
But if the monastery that you're visiting had a wish list, right, things that they need on a regular basis, then you could go to the wish list and
and find out what they need.
That's the most rewarding on both sides.
Like light bulbs are always useful, especially here where they burn out in every thunderstorm.
So people always give lights.
They used to give candles in the old days, but now they give lights, light bulbs.
Of course, then you have to know what kind of lights they're using.
And there's something symbolic there as well about giving the light of wisdom, giving light that allows them to see.
Razors are always good because it's sharp like the mind of wisdom.
Very symbolic gift.
Also because monks need razors.
Honey.
I know Ajahn Chah coffee.
They drink a lot of coffee.
No, I shouldn't say that.
You have to find out what they need.
That's why wish lists are the best.
But it's just as a gift, right?
Just as a token.
Medicines, like a first aid kit.
First aid kits are good.
Medicines.
But honey, because they can keep it for seven days.
It's always like honey.
Food.
If you're going as a layperson, you can bring food of the sort that you can keep and give to the monks every day.
So you could bring food that you could keep in your room and every morning go and give some to the monks.
I mean, just some dry food or I don't know, like, I know in one monastery, Tanisaro Piku's monastery in Sacramento, no, in San Diego,
And they had fish oil.
So I guess every day the monks eat fish oil, these little fish oil capsules.
So that would be something, if you brought some fish oil and gave a capsule to the monks every day.
There's lots of interesting things you can think of.
Robes, if you can find monks' robes.
I guess that's not so easy.
And it's definitely not easy nowadays.
yeah honey is nice honey is a good idea and medicines yeah