A temple in Penang, Malaysia

A group of Buddhist monks in Malaysia is appealing for help to solve a problem with ants. Buddhism forbids devotees from harming any living creature, so the monks are looking for a non-violent solution. This report from Jonathan Kent:

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Now, he says, the cobra's place has been taken by a colony of fire ants, but the ants are dropping down from the temple's sacred bodhi tree onto people meditating below - and when they bite they cause painful swelling. The Venerable Boon Keng practices what he calls 'letting go' meditation - so he 'lets go' of the pain - but out of consideration for worshippers less far along the path to enlightenment the monks are looking for ways to persuade the ants to go.

An attempt to remove them using a vacuum cleaner failed - so the Buddhist community is appealing for help. They can't encourage anyone to harm the ants, but the chief monk says that if someone turns up unbidden and deals with them without the monks' involvement then that's the will of the universe. The monks will simply offer prayers for the ants' well-being.

Jonathan Kent, BBC News, Kuala Lumpur

Listen to the words

monks
members of a male religious group that usually lives away from other people

temple compound
the land and buildings associated with a place of worship

cobra
a dangerous type of snake

meditating
sitting quietly in order to think deeply, usually for religious purposes

a colony of fire ants
a large group of ants which have a poisonous bite

painful swelling
an area of the body which increase in size, and hurts, because of an illness or injury

the path to enlightenment
the way to reach the highest state of being in Buddhist and Hindu religions; when you feel at peace with the universe

worshippers
people who actively follow a religion

turns up unbidden
arrives without a specific invitation

well-being
the feeling of being healthy and happy

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