Venerable Buddharakita with award winning cook Kaye Auld and Venerable Cunda.
Camera IconVenerable Buddharakita with award winning cook Kaye Auld and Venerable Cunda. Credit: Supplied/Marcelo Palacios

Cooking for monks is karma

Emma Young, Comment NewsComment News

For meals, Bodhinyana Monastery’s residents rely on the kindness of strangers, though Ms Auld can hardly be regarded as such after cooking for them for 20 years.

Every morning, people from all over Perth bring food for the daily meal, including Ms Auld, who has a two-hour round trip from Duncraig on Thursdays, her days off.

‘I work for a disability service and it’s nice to have a break from the heavy work and stress,’ she said.

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Everybody who brings food shares in it, and takes away leftovers afterwards.

Venerable Buddharakita said the monks were completely dependent on people like Ms Auld, and therefore more engaged with their community.

‘We don’t ask for it so people don’t see us as begging, but cancer groups, kids from schools, everybody is happy to come here and give away stuff,’ he said.

‘It is paradoxical, and brings joy and happiness.

‘It’s an amazing thing to see.’

Apart from some breakfast porridge on a workday or a cup of tea at night, the monks have nothing else in a day so it is just as well the meals are substantial.

‘We have a lot of rich Asian food’