Story: Diverse religions

With their traditional possessions of umbrella and begging bowl, Venerable Thanavaro (left) and Venerable Bodhinanda, Buddhist monks from the Bodhinyanarama Monastery in Stokes Valley, near Wellington, head out on their daily alms round to collect food from the local community in 1988. Their forest monastery, surrounded by native bush, opened in 1985. The monks later abandoned the practice of the alms round. Instead, food was brought to the monastery by their followers.