Monks and laypeople are part and parcel of any Thai community and the preachers in saffron robes often come to local people for their meals.
Monks routinely go on alms rounds to pick up food donated by people. The meals are also brought to the monks at the temples.
Regardless of how the meals are provided, the monks are bound by the deeply-enshrined principle that they eat to live and not the other way around.
As monks cannot reject alms, they have to consume what is presented to them, which is not always particularly nutritional. The poor health of many monks has spurred residents of a small, rural tambon in the northeastern province of Nong Bua Lamphu into action.
Proof of pudding in the eating
The campaign titled "Thanon Sai Boon" (Path Paved With Merit) came about in Ban Nawang in tambon Thep Khiri of Na Wang district where locals banded together to tackle dietary problems plaguing monks at local temples.
But the residents looked inward and found the solution lies in what they serve the monks.
The farming tambon is made up of satellite villages which grow mainly rice and sugar cane. It is the location of 11 temples, five of which are wat pa or forest temples where monks conduct themselves strictly by the precepts and prefer to live in solitary surroundings.
In residence at the 11 temples are monks aged 35-60 years. A dozen of them, particularly the older ones, suffered from chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol, brought on by fatty meals offered by residents on a daily basis.
Sick monks attend regular appointments with doctors at the district hospital using the gold card universal health insurance scheme. A few receive treatments at pricey private hospitals with the tabs picked up by disciples.
"Not long ago, the monks collected morning alms and returned to their temples with blisters and cuts on their feet," said Phra Khru Udom Thammawithan, abbot of Wat Udom Wari and head of the clergy order in tambon Thep Khiri.
"Soon the wounds were infected. The condition was really nasty for the monks with diabetes and some of them had to be referred to the big hospitals in Muang district," he said.
Monks travel barefooted during alms collection and their feet were exposed to pesticide sprayed in heavy quantities on sugar cane farms by the side of the road. The pesticides were also blamed for triggering allergies and aggravating asthma in children.
The residents realised they had used excessive amounts of the chemical and took the matter into their own hands. They launched a project that encouraged households and farmers to grow organic vegetables which could be supplied as fresh and safe ingredients in cooking meals.
Some of the healthy meals were also offered to monks, fewer of whom became sick as a result.
A lot less pesticide is also finding its way to farms and homes, said Buasi Khamsaiya, a resident of tambon Thep Khiri.
Hooked on poison
The overdependence on pesticides had widespread detrimental effects on the livelihoods of the monks and laypeople. The Tambon Thep Khiri Administrative Organisation, supported by the Local-Level Health Security Fund, has initiated a programme dedicated to promoting monks' health and protecting them against diseases in the community.
The programme sets priority targets, one of which is to set up civil groups in the villages to provide healthy food to monks.
Jamjuree Khampaichan, director of Ban Na Wang Hospital, said local farmers have been aware of the danger of pesticides accumulating in the body over many years.
However, they felt they had no choice but to use the pesticides to boost crop yields and earn more money for their families. Now, most of them refuse to be such willing victims after the programme educated them about the possibility that man-made poisons on their farms could harm their health.
Monks' food on watch
The programme has also started the Thanon Sai Boon campaign where residents involve themselves in taking care of monks' health through the alms they give every morning.
The campaign guides residents on how they can prepare nutritious food for monks. It also advises people to keep a watch on the monks to see who has fallen ill. The residents are taught to cook types of food suitable for monks with health conditions.
Dr Jamjuree said the campaign also discourages people from buying ready-meals from the markets for monks. The food is often full of saturated fat, salty or too sweet.
She said 70% of food sold by vendors was curry-based or sweets made from thick coconut milk.
"Monks can't choose what to eat and they must contend with the dishes presented to them by their disciples. The unhealthy diet takes its toll on the monks sooner or later," she said.
The campaign seeks locals' cooperation in cooking food with high nutritional value. They can purchase food to be handed out as alms which is first cooked by fellow members of the campaign.
NHSO deputy secretary-general Athaporn Limpanyalers said the Thanon Sai Boon campaign was a pilot project which can be emulated easily by other communities which encounter problems with monks' health in their localities.
He said the communities understand the health issue involving the monks and are mostly eager to support the cause.
Many locals have strong faith in religion and it is not difficult to rally their help and persuade them to change their ways when it comes to caring for the monks.
The monks' helpers also include volunteers and the temple spokesmen who coordinate with the hospitals to bring sick monks in for treatment, he said.
Educated on diet
The Thanon Sai Boon campaign also passes on a message about healthy diets and lifestyles to monks as well.
Phra Archan Aye Jaru Thammo, a senior monk at Wat Pa Thamma Wipassanaram in Na Klang district of Nong Bua Lamphu, said monks are vulnerable to a wide range of sicknesses if they do not eat correctly.
Speaking from experience, he said he previously weighed 86kg and diabetes left him with temporary blindness.
He thought it best to consume one meal a day to lose weight. He found himself struck with hunger pangs which he soothed by drinking fruit juice in cartons donated by devotees.
The monk was diagnosed with obesity and the juice with high sugar content was the culprit, said Phra Archan Aye, who is also a dhammaduta bhikkhu sent overseas by the ecclesiastical order to propagate Buddhism.
After his diagnosis, he decided to opt for a more balanced diet consisting mainly of vegetables and stayed away from coconut-based dishes which push up cholesterol. He also replaced fruit juice with plain water.
"After six months, I shed 12kg and felt more agile," he said.
Phra Archan Aye said the Thanon Sai Boon campaign comes to his temple once a month where it sponsors an educational session on health improvements through changes in eating habits and food.