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It is a misunderstanding that the monks are "begging monks". Yes, they carry "begging bowls".
They are not truly begging. They are, uner the provisions of the Thervadic tradition, accepting offerings and thus allowing the individual to gain good fortune through the cause of supporting Buddha through the act offerings to monks who are the living representatives of the Buddha.
Granted, this is a simplified presentation. The Monks are also the teachers of Buddhist text, of course.
While I practice a different school of Buddhism, I respect these monks and support their message.

Peace to all

Every cause, no matter how large or insignificant, is a step closer to your goal. From such as the monks' long walk to a smile encouraging another.

I have never regretted studying and practising with the good people of religion. Even when I am in the presence of privileged Americans, Europeans etc.
Sometimes we live and learn. Keep up the good work.
https://tricycle.org/magazine/buddhist-diversity-in-america/

I have decided to cancel my ChatGPT Plus subscription and delete my account today. They did offer me 1 month for free and, while I had 9 days of paid use left, thought it would be better to get rid of it completely.

I have installed Claude and so far all good. Let's see how we do with my upcoming systematic review. I will be using the free version for now.

Thanks for all the updates and advice.

Edit: I have received an email informing me I will be refunded around 5 dollars for the "unused time". Oh well!

Desert lobster!