This is very simple! In Buddhism<span>, </span>monks<span> and </span>nuns<span> traditionally live by begging for </span>alms<span>, as did the historical </span>Gautama Buddha<span> himself. This is, among other reasons, so that </span>lay people<span> can gain religious merit by giving food, medicines, and other essential items to the monks. The monks seldom need to plead for food; in villages and towns throughout modern </span>Thailand<span>, </span>Cambodia<span>, </span>Vietnam<span>, and other Buddhist countries, householders can often be found at dawn every morning streaming down the road to the local temple to give food to the monks. In East Asia, monks and nuns were expected to farm or work for returns to feed themselves.</span>
