On March 24th, 2012 at 06.00 hrs., Hon. Yonyuth Wichaidit Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior chaired over the ceremony of alms offering to 30,000 monks to commemorate the 2,600th year anniversary of the Lord Buddha’s enlightenment at Yaowarat-Charoen Krung road (China Town). The ceremony was presided over by Most Ven. Somdetphramahaveeravongsa, member of the Sangha Supreme Council of Thailand and member of the Executive Committee Members for the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand. The event was supported by the Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Culture, Bangkok Metropolitan Police, Royal Thai Police, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Office of National Buddhism, World Fellowship of Buddhist Youth, Wat Phra Dhammakaya Temple, Dhammakaya Foundation and 40 affiliated organizations. The dry food received from the alms giving will be packed and transported to help monks from 286 temples and, laypeople in the areas that are experiencing unrest in the southern provinces of Thailand, namely Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. While this project was conducted in 2011, over 200 trucks of dry food with total gross weight of 2,400 tons were sent to Southern Thailand and 400,000 relief packages were sent to 30 flooded provinces. This event was a part of the project of alms offering to 1,000,000 monks in 77 provinces across Thailand. The project was initiated in 2008 with the cooperation of Thai Sangha community, Buddhist organizations, as well as many public and private sectors. 900 000 monks received alms in over 450 alms offering events since the inception of the project until February 2012. The organizing committee decided to arrange six alms offering ceremonies to 100,000 monks in March this year to commemorate the 2,600th year anniversary of the Lord Buddha’s enlightenment and to reach the goal of offering alms to one million monks. On Match 25th, 2012, the alms offering ceremony to 22,600 monks will be held on Ladya Road and Wongwian-Yai.

Programme

06.00 hrs. - Hon. Yonyuth Wichaidit Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior lights incense and candles.

• Representative offers fragrance and flowers to the presiding monk.
• Pledging of Buddhist Vows.
• Requesting the Five Precepts.
• Ceremonial Chairperson delivers opening speech.
• Handover dry food to monks in 4 provinces of Southern Thailand.

06.30 hrs. - Recitation of the verse for food offering.

• Most Ven. Somdetphramahaveeravongsa, member of the Sangha Supreme Council of Thailand and member of the Executive Committee for the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand gives sermon.

07.00 hrs. - Monks receive the offering of food. 08.30 hrs. - End of ceremony.