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From the People's Offerings, A Feast of a Breakfast For a Studious Monk
Saffron-robed Buddhist monks sit in rows on the floor to eat food brought by the faithful to Phnom Penh's Wat Ounalom complex.
(By Mary Jordan -- The Washington Post)
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With his plump, round face and infectious smile, Lim looks younger than his 30 years. He has lived here half his life, since he was 16, shaving his head every two weeks. "I like being a monk," he said. "It's peaceful."
[an error occurred while processing this directive]Lim said his routine fosters discipline and gives him time to study. He's up before dawn to pray, has breakfast at 6:30, then is in his classroom at the nearby University of Cambodia by 8. He returns by 11 to eat again before the fast sets in at noon. He says he remains celibate, abstains from alcohol and once in a while watches a friend's television, which at present is showing the U.S. baseball playoffs.
Lim said that he chose this lifestyle because he believes in "Buddha's message of peace and harmony" and that spreading that message through prayer is good for the world.
Cambodian monks have drawn criticism here and abroad recently because they have mostly remained silent about the arrest and killing of monks protesting against the military government in nearby Burma. But at this temple, an important center for Buddhism in Southeast Asia, several monks said they believed their role was not to grab microphones but to pray silently.
"I feel so sorry. They are suffering. It makes me sad," Lim said, adding that he had devoted his morning prayers to the Burmese monks. "I pray that the Burmese leaders turn to democratic ways."
Being a monk is not necessarily a lifelong commitment. In Cambodia, many men adopt the monastic lifestyle for a few weeks or months, donning and taking off the saffron robe as they wish. Many do it for spiritual reasons, others to please their parents. Some do it briefly before they get married; others stay for years, or forever.
Lim said his plan is to remain a monk for four more years, until he finishes his studies. Once he has his business degree, he said, he would like to leave the ascetic life inside the centuries-old temple and trade his robes for street clothes. He said his dream is to sell computers.
At 7:30 a.m., Lim excused himself. He walked toward the busy street in his robe and sandals and hopped on a motorcycle taxi.
He was late for an accounting exam.
