A TEAM from Yangon University made a cash donation to the monasteries in the mountains of Mon state last week to celebrate the start of the month of Waso and the start of Buddhist lent.

Offering Waso robe to monks is considered a significant way to earn merits and it was the fifth time a delegation from Yangon University had made the journey to the mountains in Beelin township in Mon state.

The team comprised of 90 people, including students and academics from the Yangon Art and Science University, the University of Computer Science, the Institute of Medicine, and members of the Myanmar Hiking and Mountaineering Association.

The team was led by U Myo Thant, a lecturer with the Department of Myanmar at Yangon University.

“Because these monasteries are situated away from the town and transportation there is difficult, it is hard for the villagers to donate the robes themselves,” U Myo Thant said.

“The purpose of this trip was for the younger participants to gain some experience, and also for making merits,” he said.

The team left Yangon by train on July 16 for Mon State, Their journey took four days and the group donated money and robes to 11 monasteries in the area.

The group also donated 12 baskets of rice and 35 vis of Ngapi (fish paste) to the Dama Thawka Yama Dama Ratha Monastery on Way Ponla mountain.
Ma Naing, a member of the Hiking and Mountaineering Association said the trip was hard work.

“It was a journey of endurance as we spent all of our time climbing and descending the mountain,” Ma Naing said.