In forest monastery, Buddhist abbot faces bushfire with a smile

The Abbot of Sunnataram Forest Monastery, Phra Mana, 56, prays in front of a Buddhist statue near a burnt forest in Bundanoon, Australia, January 21, 2020. REUTERS/Angie Teo

BUNDANOON, Australia (Reuters) - Buddhist monk Phra Mana helped build his bush monastery with his bare hands three decades ago, but when Australia's worst wildfires in generations threatened to destroy it he stood up to fate with a smile.

An inferno ripped through the forest surrounding the Sunnataram Monastery in New South Wales two weeks ago and, after being evacuated, he and his fellow monks could do nothing but pray.