a manual of the dhamma

8/10/2019 A Manual of the Dhamma

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A Manual of the DhammaDhamma Dpan

Venerable Ledi SaydawAggamahpaita, D.Litt.


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A Manual of the Dhamma

Dhamma DpanBy

Venerable Ledi Saydaw

Translated by

U Han Htay

dited by

Bhi!!hu "esala

# Asso$iation for %nsi&ht Meditation'rd dition( Au&ust )**+

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lay person &i-es money or other unallowable thin&s to a mon!( he or she willma!e only demerit1An attendant is li-in& in dependen$e on the mon!( so heshould obey the mon!s instru$tions( but a lay person does not ha-e to1

,e&ardin& ones own $ondu$t one should not tolerate the sli&htest fault(but re&ardin& others $ondu$t one should $ulti-ate boundless $ompassion andtoleran$e( or pra$tise deta$hment1 ?hen asso$iatin& with fools( whi$h meansall those who do not obser-e basi$ morality( one should &uard ones mind andspee$h -ery $arefully( otherwise one will be sure to ma!e unwholesome!amma1 Diamonds( rubies( and emeralds are e=tremely -aluable due to their&reat rarity1 %f one is unable to find su$h pre$ious >ewels( one must ma!e do

with ;uartC or marble for ornaments and e-en sandstone $an be used for&rindin& !ni-esE

These are -ery spe$ial rare times that we li-e in1 The Buddhasdispensation is e=tremely pre$ious( but it is de$ayin& year by year1 AllBuddhists should stri-e to maintain the true Dhamma( but they need suffi$ient!nowled&e and wisdom to dis$riminate between true Dhamma and $orruptDhamma1 /rom $orrupt Vinaya $omes $orrupt DhammaF from $orruptDhamma $omes $orrupt Vinaya1 Therefore( they should read boo!s su$h as

this $arefully( and refle$t deeply on their own moral and mental purity1 Theyshould pra$tise tran;uillity and insi&ht meditation to &ain $ontrol of thepassions1 %f lay Buddhists ha-e a mature !nowled&e of Dhamma and Vinaya( it$an only help to prolon& the Buddhas dispensation1 ?ith &reat $ompassionthey should ur&e and en$oura&e the mon!s to promote the essential pra$ti$esof s$riptural study or insi&ht meditation( instead of &i-in& them money oras!in& them to pra$tise astrolo&y1

The translators preferen$e was to lea-e te$hni$al terms untranslated( butin my e=perien$e most readers find "Gi words a barrier to understandin&1 %fone insists on one different n&lish word for ea$h "Gi term( bein& $onsistent is-ery diffi$ult1 The !ey terms here are few( but their meanin& -aries a$$ordin&

!"ampi so #athgata$ % #athgatas%aka$ % akappiyna sdti, imin pa&camnahnna bahu$ apu&&a$ pasa%ati Also( whoe-er offers to the Tath&ata or to theTath&atas dis$iple what is not allowable( in this fifth $ase ma!es mu$h demerit157-a!a Sutta( M1 i1 '+I91 The word !sdti'means 3in-ite to a$$ept5 or 3offer5( so alay person ma!es demerit e-en if a s$rupulous mon! refuses to a$$ept money1 Anyhonest person will be insulted if offered a bribe1 To offer money to a mon! is also aninsult1


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dito*s +ood iii

to $onte=t1 Three -ery similar "Gi terms sus-la, la-,and s-la%anta $ouldall be translated as 3moral5 or 3-irtuous15 To show that !la-'has the oppositemeanin& to !ala-' shameless( % ha-e used the translation 3s$rupulous(5 butin some $onte=ts 3moral5 or 3-irtuous5 is more appropriate1 %n the Vinaya(!duss-lo immoral5 has the spe$ifi$ meanin& of defeated( no lon&er a mon!due to $ommission of the &ra-est offen$e( so one should not use it loosely1

As the Vinaya rules only relate to -erbal and physi$al misdeeds( as$rupulous mon! $ould la$! -irtue or &oodness1 %t depends on his intention forobser-in& the Vinaya rule1 %f it is only for the sa!e of praise and &ain( it will notamount to mu$h1 Howe-er( if he re-eres the Buddha and follows the rule out

of respe$t for the Buddhas $ommand( then he ri&htly deser-es to be $alled a-irtuous mon!( not >ust 3s$rupulous15 He $ertainly should not be $alled 3fussy5or 3diffi$ult5 >ust be$ause he is not wea!4willed and shameless1 A -irtuousmon! may brea! rules sometimes due to unmindfulness or stron& defilements(but when he realises his offen$e( or if his fellow mon!s remind him of it( hereadily admits his fault and duly ma!es amends a$$ordin& to the Vinayapro$edure pres$ribed1

A shameless mon!( on the other hand( may be wise in the sense of bein&

learned in Abhidhamma( Sutta( and Vinaya( but he la$!s any &enuine -irtue1He fre;uently brea!s the rules !nowin&ly and deliberately( without any morals$ruples or sense of shame1 Thou&h he !nows his offen$es $learly( he does notadmit that there is any fault in brea!in& the Buddhas in>un$tions1 %f his fellowmon!s point out his offen$es( he either retorts by a$$usin& them of otheroffen$es( e-ades the issue( or follows the rule only while others are loo!in&1Su$h $ompletely shameless mon!s la$! -irtue and moral inte&rity1 They arenot >ust wea! or heedless( but truly wi$!ed1

Many modern mon!s( due to la$! of proper trainin&( do not $learly !nowwhat is an offen$e( and what is not1 They >ust follow what their pre$eptors(tea$hers( and fellow mon!s do1 Su$h mon!s are shameless as well as foolish(thou&h they may sometimes be &ood4natured1 Ha-in& be$ome a bhi!!hu( oneshould understand the trainin& that one has underta!en1 %f one reads >ust thebasi$ "Jimo!!ha rule( one will soon realise if ones tea$her or pre$eptor isshameless1 A newly ordained mon! is not in a position to $orre$t a shameless

pre$eptor or tea$her1 He will either ha-e to disrobe and see! re4ordinationelsewhere( or as! to study with a famous tea$her or meditation master1 %f he isne&li&ent( he will ine-itably be$ome shameless li!e his tea$her1


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?hat the Saydaw says here applies to lay people too1 Lay Buddhists $analso be $lassified as moral or immoral( wise or foolish( &ood or bad1 The te=ts$ontain plenty of &uidelines for lay Buddhists to be$ome moral( wise( and &oodde-otees1 As mon!s ha-e a duty to study and train in the monasti$ dis$ipline(lay Buddhists ha-e a duty to study and train in the lay persons dis$ipline1Detailed &uidan$e $an be found in the Si2&la( Ma2&ala( and Sleyya!aSuttas1 They should also underta!e re&ular $ourses in insi&ht meditation( sin$einsi&ht is indispensable to moral purity1 %f both lay Buddhists and mon!s stri-ehard to study and pra$tise the Dhamma and Vinaya( the Buddhasdispensation will be preser-ed in its pristine purity1 All that is ne$essary for e-ilto su$$eed is for &ood people to do nothin&1


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Translators Preface

The Dhamma Dpan( written in Burmese by the late Venerable LediSaydaw( a famous s$holar and meditation master( is( % thin!( the best of hismany e=positions 7Dpan91 This wor! $on$erns the Vinaya1 The sur-i-al ofthe Buddhas Dispensation depends on the sur-i-al of the Vinaya1 TheSaydaw answered thirteen ;uestions as!ed by de-oted lay persons in I*1All lay supporters want to see -irtuous mon!s &uidin& the people and ser-in&the dispensation effe$ti-ely( for the Sa2&ha is the mainstay of the Buddhastea$hin&s1 To prolon& the Buddhas dispensation( all well4wishers want to

purify the Sa2&ha by suppressin& immoral mon!s1 Kowadays( the purifi$ationof the Sa2&ha is an ur&ent matter( as ne&le$t of the Vinaya rules is$ommonpla$e1

Moreo-er( the mon!s who s$rupulously obser-e the Vinaya are the bestones to &uide the laity in the attainment of the hi&hest merit1 %t is hardlysurprisin& that lay dis$iples do not want sham mon!s to prosper and wieldinfluen$e amon& i&norant lay Buddhists1 Thus the re&ulations of the Sa2&ha(espe$ially the &uidelines for lay4mon! relationships( are of uni-ersal interest1

All Buddhists should ponder the ;uestions and answers in this boo!1 Be$ausethey are subtle( they should $ontemplate them -ery deeply1

Sin$e these problems are of pra$ti$al and fundamental importan$e for boththe laity and Sa2&ha( an e=positor must possess &enuine insi&ht and a$omprehensi-e !nowled&e of Vinaya1 /ortunately( the Saydaw fulfilled these;ualifi$ations1 All his e=positions display not only his a$ademi$ mastery( butalso his pra$ti$al in$lination1 Thou&h !nowled&e is important( mere learnin&

leads us nowhere1 His well4reasoned answers( with rele-ant ;uotations fromthe te=ts( re-eal his many4fa$eted ability1

%n the affairs of monasti$ dis$ipline( partial !nowled&e and fa$ile solutionswill only harm the Buddhas dispensation( in whi$h the Sa2&ha plays the$entral role1 %t is due to mon!s who respe$t the Vinaya that the true Dhammaand the $orre$t way to sal-ation still e=ist1 Some thin! that the Vinaya isunimportant( maintainin& that many rules should now be amended1 Su$hpeople la$! the $orre$t understandin& of the authority of the Buddha in

pres$ribin& the dis$ipline1 They fail to appre$iate the profound nature of the

-


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Buddhas $ommand and its san$tity1 %f they study the fi-e boo!s of Vinaya andtheir $ommentaries in detail( a stron& faith in the Vinaya will emer&e16onfiden$e is fundamental for mon!s( and wide4ran&in& !nowled&e is essentialfor s$holars1

The readers will find profound thou&hts in ea$h answer e=pressed by theVenerable Saydaw1 Thou&h profound( the e=planations are $lear1 TheSaydaw e=plains the $lassifi$ation of all types of mon!s( past and present1 Thereader will &ain mu$h useful information and wise &uidan$e from this boo! asit deals with the laitys diffi$ulties too1 %&noran$e of the Vinaya amon& the laityhastens the de$line in the moral standards of the mon!s1 %ntelli&ent lay people

should promote &ood standards by s!ilful a$tions as e=plained herein1Be$ause of the &reat si&nifi$an$e of the thirteen ;uestions( the "rimate of

the Shwe&yin se$t( the most Venerable Mah-isuddhrma Saydaw ofMandalay( as!ed Venerable Ledi Saydaw to answer them1 After e=aminin&the Vinaya te=ts( $ommentaries( and sub$ommentaries( the VenerableSaydaw &a-e $omprehensi-e answers $orre$tly and wisely( for he hadanalysed the problems in &reat depth1 Those who adopt uns!ilful attitudestowards s$rupulous mon!s (la-),shameless mon!s (ala-),and immoral mon!s

(duss-lo)will ad>ust their -iews after $arefully readin& this e=position1The &reat merit of this boo! $onsists in its sound ad-i$e( $aution( and

warnin&1 Moreo-er( s!ilful ways to deal with all types of mon!s are &i-en forthe benefit of the laity1 The most important point lies( % thin!( in the well4defined $lassifi$ation of mon!s( alon& with the fa$tors and $hara$teristi$sre;uired to e-aluate a mon! in ;uestion1 The profundity and sa$redness of theBuddha( Dhamma( and Sa2&ha are also $learly e=plained for ordinary laypeople1 Mon!s( too( will &ain new insi&hts if they appre$iate the intrinsi$power of Vinaya( whi$h displays the supreme authority of the Buddha himself1Then their beha-iour and outloo! will impro-e1

As the boo! deals with Vinaya matters( some te$hni$al terms are diffi$ultto translate1 To a-oid misunderstandin&( % ha-e purposely retained someori&inal "Gi terms and Vinaya $ate&ories1 After repeated study % hope thesebasi$ terms will be$ome familiar and meanin&ful( li!e the "Gi words !usala(a!usala( Dhamma( Sa2&ha( or !amma( whi$h are now in $ommon usa&e1 They

ha-e &ained wide $urren$y in many $ountries and retain their ori&inalmeanin&s without any need for e=planation1


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#anslato*s /fac -ii

% ha-e tried to follow the ori&inal Burmese te=t $losely so that the authorsprofound answers( warnin&s( remar!s( and &uidelines will remain faithful in thetranslation1 %n a te$hni$al boo! li!e this some ina$$ura$ies of translation $ano$$ur for whi$h % $ra-e the indul&en$e of the reader1 "olishin& is an endless>ob( but one has to stop somewhere1 % ha-e tried to ma!e the wor! bothreadable and a$$urate1 The ordinary reader $an $onsult other translations ofthe Vinaya te=ts( but s$holars may wish to study further1 /or them the Vinaya$ommentaries will be helpful1

% ha-e to than! ames ,oss for his ur&ent and repeated re;uest to translatethis most important wor! of the international s$holar4mon!1 The staff of the

library department of the ,eli&ious Affairs Dire$torate at ab4Aye( ,an&oon(&a-e me -ital assistan$e in $he$!in& referen$es and ;uotations1 % owe them adeep debt of &ratitude1

% am sure that the dispensation will $ontinue to shine in many $ountrieswith the spread of the ori&inal Vinaya te=ts and e=planatory boo!s li!e this1Buddhism has attra$ted many students and s$holars e-erywhere1 S$ientistsespe$ially are resear$hin& Buddhism as it $onforms with s$ientifi$ prin$iplesand methods1 A deep sense of >oy arisin& from sublime( noble $ondu$t will

result if they de-elop morality( $on$entration( and wisdom1


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A Manual of the DhammaDhamma Dpann uly I* se-en laymen from !!an -illa&e put thirteen ;uestions( to

whi$h % will &i-e answers1 They are de-oted laymen( namely( Ta!a 6ir$leHeadman Maun& "o ( ,est House Donor Maun& Shwe La( "a&oda BuilderU Baw( Monastery Donor Saya Sain&( Monastery Donor Maun& Htut( "a&odaSpire Donor Maun& Shwe .e( and Supporter Maun& K&e1 They( and some

-illa&ers( as!ed these thirteen ;uestions re&ardin& the problems of mon!hoodand its relationship with the laity1 % will now &i-e a $on$ise answer to ea$h;uestion1

The Thirteen Questions

1 Kowadays in the Buddhas dispensation there are three different typesof mon!s( namely< la-7one with a moral $ons$ien$e( a s$rupulousmon!9( ala-7one with no moral $ons$ien$e( a shameless mon!9( and

duss-lo7without ethi$al $ondu$t( a bad( fallen( immoral mon!91 So wewish to !now the fa$tors or $hara$teristi$s embra$in& ea$h type asmentioned in the "Gi te=ts( $ommentaries( and sub$ommentaries1indly &i-e the fa$tors to $lassify ea$h type1

)1 Should those who !now the truth about shameless and immoralmon!s refrain from asso$iatin& with and payin& respe$t to them@ Doesthis a&ree with the -erse in the Ma2&ala Sutta that ad-ises one to

a-oid the foolish (as%an ca blna$)0 %s a lay person who showsdisre&ard by shunnin& bad mon!s followin& the in>un$tion of theMa2&ala Dhamma@ ?e would li!e to !now of s$riptural e-iden$e ande=amples re&ardin& the &ood or bad results from this a$tion1

'1 Should those who !now the truth about shameless and immoralmon!s $ontinue to pay respe$t and offer re;uisites@ Are they followin&the Ma2&ala Dhamma that ad-ises us to asso$iate with the wise(paitna&ca s%an)0%s this beha-iour followin& the ad-i$e &i-en in


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the Ma2&ala Sutta or not@ indly &i-e e-iden$e and $ase historiesre&ardin& &ood or bad results from this a$t1

N1 %f a person offers the four re;uisites su$h as almsfood( !nowin& a mon!to be shameless or immoral( does this amount to the Ma2&alaDhamma that says one should honour the worthy (p1 cap1anyyna$), or is this $ontrary to that ad-i$e@ indly let us !nowthe &ood or bad results with appropriate $ase histories and e-iden$e1

O1 %f a person pays respe$t and shows deferen$e by &reetin&( bowin&( et$1(!nowin& a mon! to be shameless or immoral( does he fulfil theMa2&ala Dhamma that says that one should pay respe$t to the worthyor honourable ones (ga%o)0Does his beha-iour a&ree with the te=tthat says one should pay respe$t only to those who possess &ood$ondu$t@ The te=t referred to is in the osala SaPyutta1 Byworshippin& bad mon!s does one a$$omplish a reliable refu&e@ indly&i-e e-iden$e or e=amples to show the ri&ht way in this matter ofhonourin& bad mon!s1

+1 %f one spea!s ill of a mon! or $ondemns him( either dire$tly or

indire$tly( !nowin& him to be shameless or immoral( does one attra$tten e-il punishments or not@ %s one free from e-il with this a$t@

Q1 %f a shameless mon! be$omes afraid of sufferin& in saPsra( or if hea$;uires moral dread( how $an he be$ome a s$rupulous mon!@ %s itpossible for him to be$ome a s$rupulous mon!@

81 Should lay persons learn the Vinaya@ Does this !ind of learnin& a&reewith the Ma2&ala Dhamma that ad-ises one to be well4trained in

dis$ipline (%inayo ca susikkhito)0?hat are the &ood or bad results ofthis a$t@ indly &i-e e-iden$e or e=amples to pro-e a definite point1

I1 Should a mon! tea$h the monasti$ dis$ipline to a lay person@ ?hatare the &ood or bad results of this@ "lease &i-e some e-iden$e1

*1 indly &i-e the detailed fa$tors or $hara$teristi$s of ea$h of the fourpurifyin& moralities (pisuddhi s-la). .ou may &i-e ea$h its$hara$teristi$( fun$tion( manifestation( and pro=imate $ause1

1 Amon& the four purifyin& moralities( what are the bad effe$ts if amon! trans&resses basi$ monasti$ restraint (/imokkha sa$%aa s-la).


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#h #hitn 2ustions '

?hat are the &ood effe$ts if a mon! obser-es it@ indly e=plain theremainin& three types of purifyin& morality( whi$h may ha-e &ood orbad effe$ts a$$ordin& to obser-an$e or non4obser-an$e1

)1 ?hat are the fa$tors of offerin&s made to the whole Sa2&ha(sa3ghikadna)0How $an we perform this type of donation@

'1 f the two types of donation( offerin&s to the Sa2&ha and offerin&s tothe nli&htened ne( whi$h has &reater merit@


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The Three Types of Monks Defined

The lay people as!ed this ;uestion in the followin& sense< different !inds ofBuddhist mon!s $an now be found< s$rupulous mon!s (la-), who possessmoral $ons$ien$eF shameless mon!s (ala-),who possess no moral $ons$ien$e(and immoral mon!s (duss-lo),who are depra-ed and e-il1 They want to !nowthe essential $hara$teristi$s of ea$h type for $lassifi$ation a$$ordin& to the "Gite=ts( $ommentaries( and sub$ommentaries1

The three types of mon!s ha-e been mentioned in the "ari-ra "Gi7Vinaya "iJa!a9 as followse$t 7thin&s or matter to betrans&ressed91

N1 Trans&ression without !nowled&e of the ob>e$t 7thin&s or matter to betrans&ressed91

The e=planation is as follows< %n the Vinaya "iJa!a( the Buddha prohibitedmon!s from eatin& ten types of meat1N%f a mon! brea!s this Vinaya rule( he$ommits an offen$e1 He brea!s this prohibition pro$laimed by the Buddha forall mon!s1 %f a mon! !nows this Vinaya rule( he a$hie-es the status of one who!nows dis$ipline1 %f he does not !now this Vinaya rule( he is $lassified as onewho is i&norant of the Buddhas prohibition1 Both $on$ern the rule in the

sphere of 3!nowin&5 or 3not !nowin&15 ?hen a mon! fails to understandwhether any parti$ular meat is allowable( the $ase is $on$erned with the ob>e$t(%atthu).Then he has !nowled&e or i&noran$e of the ob>e$t1

Li!ewise( re&ardin& the a$$eptan$e of &old( sil-er( and money( a mon! mayor may not !now the rule $on$erned1 Thus( he may be !nowled&eable ori&norant re&ardin& the Vinaya1 Similarly( re&ardin& the ob>e$t that should beshunned( $lassifi$ation $alls for two $ases< !nowled&e of ob>e$t and i&noran$e

of the ob>e$t1%n Vinaya the te$hni$al term 6patti*means fault( offen$e( $ommittin&( andtrans&ressin&1 Herein( two $lasses of offen$e $an be found< an offen$ea$$ordin& to the world( and an offen$e a&ainst the Vinaya rule1

The first type of fault in$ludes !illin& sentient bein&s( stealin&( and so on1These misdeeds are re&arded as unwholesome e-erywhere so this trans&ressionis !nown as a fault a$$ordin& to worldly ethi$al prin$iples1

,e&ardin& the se$ond type of offen$e( it relates to the brea!in& of Vinayarules su$h as not di&&in& the &round( $uttin& trees and &rass( et$1 Su$hoffen$es( thou&h not e-il in the moral sphere of the e-eryday world( areoffen$es a&ainst the Vinaya1 The rules for mon!s tau&ht by the Buddha belon&to the faults a$$ordin& to the Vinaya rules for ordained mon!s1

A detailed e=amination is ne$essary for ea$h of these two types1

N Human (manussa), elephant (hatthi),horse (assa),do& (sunakha),sna!e (ahi), lion(s-ha),ti&er (byaggha$), panther (d-pi$),bear (accha$),and hyena (taaccha$).


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+ou 7inds of #ansgssion I

A mon! who has trans&ressed the worldly prohibition with !nowled&e and-olition be$omes a shameless mon!1 %f he brea!s a moral prin$iple without!nowin& it( sometimes he falls into an offen$e a&ainst the Vinaya rule as he!nows the ob>e$t of his trans&ression1 Then he be$omes shameless too1=amples of these shameless offen$es are !illin&( ta!in& li;uor( dru&s( et$1 Heis &uilty on both $ounts( a worldly offen$e and a Vinaya offen$e1

Howe-er( brea!in& some trainin& rules o$$asionally does not amount to aVinaya offen$e1 Sin$e a mon! is free from any offen$e mentioned in theVinaya( he $annot be $lassified as shameless1

Most trainin& rules (skhiya) and prohibitions in the Mah-a&&a and

6Ga-a&&a Vinaya te=ts are not offen$es if one is unaware of them( e-en if onetrans&resses the rule1 %f one !nows the rule( but one is i&norant $on$ernin& theob>e$t( it is an offen$e a&ainst some rules( but not all1 %n brea!in& a rule whilei&norant of the ob>e$t( thou&h an offen$e is sometimes $ommitted( a mon! isnot thereby shameless1 An e=ample of this is a mon! drin!in& li;uor1 %f a mon!does not !now that he has ta!en li;uor( thin!in& it to be medi$ine( it is anoffen$e1 Howe-er( he $annot be $alled shameless e-en thou&h he $ommits anoffen$e1 %f a mon! !ills a sentient bein& not !nowin& it has life( he destroys life

unintentionally1 %n this $ase he does not trans&ress the Vinaya rule( and he isnot shameless either1

A mon! be$omes shameless only when !nowled&e of the rule and!nowled&e of the ob>e$t are both present1 %n brea!in& the rule with !nowled&eof the rule( but i&norant of the ob>e$t( he is not shameless1 Li!ewise( a mon!remains s$rupulous if !nowled&e of the ob>e$t is present( but he is unaware ofthe rule1 He does not be$ome a shameless mon!1 %f he !nows neither the rulenor the ob>e$t( and $ommits an offen$e( he $annot be $alled shameless1

The abo-e e=planation is &i-en to $larify the meanin& of 3intentionaltrans&ression of the Vinaya rules(5 and to show the $hara$teristi$s of ashameless mon!1

The se$ond fa$tor is !patti$ paig1hati,' whi$h means that whentrans&ressin& the Vinaya rules a shameless mon! $on$eals his fault1 6on$ealin&is $hara$terised by ten fa$tors as followsudi$e( bribery( and


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$orruption relate to offen$es only1 The Vinaya tea$hers say that these fourfaults arise only when one first brea!s a rule( then follows a wron& $ourse dueto bias1

Howe-er( the arisin& of this &uilt is -ery subtle1 %n $ases re;uirin& ade$ision of &uilty or not &uilty( both sides try hard to win the $ase( ;uotin&Vinaya( Sutta( and Abhidhamma1 Howe-er( it often happens that one side(thou&h !nowin& the $orre$tness of the other( does not admit it and $ontinuesto ar&ue to establish the fault of the opposite party1 This unfortunatebeha-iour arises due to pride( $on$eit( and atta$hment1 ne side( la$!in&humility( $laims its -iews to be a$$ordin& to Dhamma( thou&h this is

unwarranted1 Similarly( the other side( due to pride( ar&ues that an offen$e isno offen$e1 Some pro$laim no offen$e to be an offen$e1 By doin& so( ea$h side$ommits the e-il of false spee$h( or lyin&1 This is the offen$e of ta!in& a wron&$ourse1 This fault often arises when one ;uotes Vinaya( Sutta( andAbhidhamma for ones own ends in dispute( disre&ardin& the truth1 So falsespee$h is $lassified as a wron& $ourse1 This e=planation $on$erns the phrase!agatigamana&ca gacchati' ta!in& a wron& $ourse( the third fa$tormentioned abo-e1

?hen it $omes to $lassifyin& as s$rupulous or shameless( those who la$!!nowled&e of the Vinaya !eep only a few pre$epts1 So these mon!s ha-e little$han$e of be$omin& shameless1

Those who are well4-ersed in the Vinaya( attain eminen$e or$ons$ientiousness in morality1 Howe-er( if non4obser-an$e pre-ails amon&mon!s well4edu$ated in the Vinaya( the li!elihood of be$omin& shameless is&reat1 %f a mon!( who is well4trained in the Vinaya( a$$umulates manyfollowers and &reat material wealth( he $an do mu$h dama&e to the Buddhadispensation( unli!e an i&norant mon!1 This well4edu$ated mon! is li!e anarmed robber or thief who enters a treasure4house and steals its $ontents1

Here ends the se$tion on the $hara$teristi$s of s$rupulous and shamelessmon!s in brief1

!haracteristics of an "mmoral Monk

The te$hni$al term 3immoral (duss-lo)5 means a totally depra-ed mon!

who $ommits an offen$e of defeat (pika). The DuJJhadosa Si!!hpadastates 3%f a mon!( bein& an&ry( and wantin& to ma!e another mon! disrobe(falsely a$$uses him of defeat( he $ommits an offen$e re;uirin& a formal meetin&


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of the Sa2&ha15 He $ommits a serious e-il by his a$$usations a&ainst animmoral mon! who has $ommitted an offen$e of defeat1 %f a mon!( withoutthe aim of e=pellin& an immoral mon!( merely a$$uses or belittles him so thathis honour and power will be e=tin&uished( he $ommits an offen$e re;uirin&$onfession (pcittiya patti). -en if he abuses or spea!s ill of an immoralmon!( he trans&resses thepcittiyarule1

Accusation with !hares of Defeat

?ords spo!en a&ainst an immoral mon! with the followin& $har&es mean3spea!in& ill or a$$usation15

3.ou ha-e $ommitted an offen$e of defeat153.ou possess no moral $ondu$t15

3.ou are not a mon! at all15

3.ou are not a son of the Sa!yan $lan15

Su$h e=pressions used a&ainst a mon! are $har&es of defeat as mentionedin the $ommentary1

The term 3shameless5 (ala-) in$ludes an immoral mon! who has falleninto an offen$e of defeat1 Howe-er( the te=t says that a shameless onetrans&resses minor offen$es (dukkaa).So the term 3shameless5 $o-ers both&reat and small offen$es1 Therefore if a mon! spea!s ill of someone only as3shameless5 he es$apes the serious offen$e of Sa2&hdisesa1 As the Vinayate=ts and $ommentaries &i-e pre$ise e=amples( only those mon!s who ha-e$ommitted an offen$e of defeat should be $lassified as 3immoral15

Those mon!s who do not $ommit any offen$e of defeat( but who

o$$asionally brea! other pre$epts are not immoral mon!s( thou&h they areshameless if the re;uisite fa$tors are present1 Apart from offen$es of defeat(other offen$es do not $onfer immoral status( so 3shameless5 and 3immoral5mon!s are $learly ;uite different1 The way to distin&uish them has beene=plained already1

%n the Vinaya 6ommentary the term !dumma3k1 wi$!ed5 is used in thephrase !Dumma3k1na$ puggalna$ niggahya for the restraint of wi$!edmen15 So a shameless mon! $an also be $alled 3wi$!ed15 Amon& shameless

mon!s two distin$t types $an be defined< immoral and shameless (duss-la ala-)and ordinary shameless mon!s (samanya ala-).


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Accusation ith 8hags of Dfat '

%n the matter of offen$es of defeat one must $lassify a mon! as immoraland shameless1 %n $ases dealin& with other offen$es only the ordinaryshameless (samanya ala-)$lassifi$ation appears( whi$h is $alled 3wi$!ed15 /ora defeated mon! is definitely an immoral mon!( not >ust a shameless one1

The term 3wi$!ed5 has been e=plained in two ways in the Vimati !( aVinaya sub$ommentary1 %t says that after $ommittin& an offen$e of defeat amon! be$omes a totally bad one that is $ompletely without moral $ondu$t1%f a mon! brea!s only the other rules( partially he is &ood1 Total depra-ity$annot be assi&ned to him1 He is immoral only to some e=tent1 So he ispartially moral and partially immoral1 -en those mon!s who $ommit li&ht

offen$es of wron&4doin& or wron& spee$h( fall into the $ate&ory of immoral(duss-la).

%t is $lear( a$$ordin& to this sub$ommentary( that a mon! $an more easilybe$ome immoral than shameless1 So this e=planation is unreasonable1 Thise=planation is $ontrary to the tea$hin& of the &reat $ommentaries and famoussub$ommentaries( whi$h unanimously de$lare that an immoral mon! la$!smorality !duss-lassti niss-lassa duss-lo*ti' 7$ommentary on 6niss-lo*91 All the&reat Vinaya $ommentaries a&ree in $ommentin& on the words !asamao

asakyaputtiyo' from the DuJJhadosa Sa2&hdisesa pre$ept that an immoralmon! la$!s all morality1 So the Vimati !s words are a&ainst the spirit ofthe &reat $ommentaries and sub$ommentaries1 %t is not surprisin& that$ompetent Vinaya masters re>e$t this e=position of the Vimati !1

The term !duss-la puggala an immoral indi-idual(5 means one who hastrans&ressed a "r>i!a rule and so la$!s all dis$iplinary -irtues a defeatedmon!1 As lon& as this defeated mon! does not admit his offen$e and stillasso$iates with &enuine mon!s( a$$eptin& food and other alms( he isautomati$ally $lassified as immoral1 %f he $onfesses his fault( he immediatelyes$apes from the $ate&ory of immoral( and also from a mon!s status1

#eal $tatus of "mmoral Monks

An immoral mon!( at the time of his $onfession( be$omes free from thesti&ma of 3immoral5 by renoun$in& his mon!hood1 Howe-er( an immoralmon! may refuse to admit his &uilt( and $ontinue to li-e as a mon!1 %s he still a

mon!@ %s this immoral person still a mon! before the time of admission of&uilt@ The answer is that he retains the appearan$e of mon!hood( but with thesti&ma of immorality1 He is still a mon!( thou&h in appearan$e only1


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The answer is $orre$t1 -iden$e $an be found in the Vinaya "iJa!a1 %n theSa2&hdisesa rules an immoral mon! may $laim that he is still a mon!(althou&h he has $ommitted an offen$e of defeat1 %f he does not $onfess hisfault he is still in possession of !pai&&,'that is( he retains the idea 3% am amon!15 %f a mon! a$$uses him of defeat( without seein&( hearin&( or suspe$tin&anythin&( he is >ust as &uilty as if a$$usin& a s$rupulous mon!( and falls into aSa2&hdisesa offen$e1 %f a mon! ma!es su$h a$$usations re&ardin& an immoralno-i$e( he falls into an offen$e of wron& doin&1 This is the first proof of the$orre$tness of the answer1

%f a mon! dwells under the same roof for more than three ni&hts with a

layman or a no-i$e( he is &uilty of an offen$e of p$ittiya1 Howe-er( if he li-esin the same dwellin& with a fallen mon! there is no offen$e( so it as if he werea &enuine mon!1 The reason is that the outward si&n of mon!hood is stillpresent in the immoral mon!1 This is the se$ond proof for the $orre$tness ofthe answer1

%f a mon! abuses a layman or no-i$e( it is an offen$e of wron&4doin&1 %f amon! abuses a fallen mon!( who has not $onfessed his &uilt( the abuser fallsinto an offen$e ofpcittiya.%n this $ase abusin& a fallen mon! is e;ui-alent to

abusin& a &enuine mon!1 This is further proof of the effe$t of an immoral mon!$laimin& a mon!s status1

Keither a layman nor a no-i$e fulfils the re;uirements for $on-eyin& onespurity to the Sa2&ha (chanda9paisuddhi),Obut a fallen mon! does be$ause theoutward appearan$e of mon!hood is present1 This is yet another proof1

So it is $lear that althou&h he not a true mon!( an outward si&n (li3ga),oridea (pai&&)e=ists be$ause of the power of Vinaya1

Althou&h an immoral( fallen mon! has $ommitted one of the &ra-estfaults( if he still $laims that he is a mon!( his status is >ust li!e a true mon!1How is this possible@ This mon! re$ei-es the power and $ommand of theBuddhas Vinaya when( at the time of his ordination( he as!s for and re$ei-esthe robes from his pre$eptor1 This itself is a Vinaya power of the Buddha1Se$ondly( he has &one throu&h the fi-e Vinaya pro$edures( su$h as de$larationby the Sa2&ha (&atti) followin& rules laid down by the Buddha1 So( despite

O %f a mon! is too si$! to attend the Uposatha $eremony he must send his de$larationof purity and $onsent to the Sa2&ha throu&h another mon!1 7ed19


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Lgal 4tatus of :mmoal Monks O

brea!in& the &ra-est rule( he retains the outward appearan$e of mon!hood dueto the two features he re$ei-ed from the Vinaya pro$edure( and they retaintheir power until his -oluntary $onfession1

This is surprisin&( but $orre$t1 n$e a layman as!s for and re$ei-es robesfrom his pre$eptors a$$ordin& to the Vinaya rules( he immediately trans$endsthe lower status of a layman1 Upon ta!in& the three refu&es and a$$eptin& therobes in the way pres$ribed by the Vinaya( he immediately be$omes a no-i$e1This is due to the power of the Buddhas $ommand1 ust as!in& for andre$ei-in& robes ele-ates him to a hi&her status than a layman( e-en if he fails tore$ei-e the three refu&es for la$! of a suitable pre$eptor1 %f he remains in this

position( he is more honourable than a layman be$ause by this one pro$edurehe attains the features and status of one &one forth1

/or bhi!!hu ordination( four kamma%c re$itations+ are mandatory toa$hie-e the full status of a bhi!!hu1 .et e-en a sin&le kamma%cre$itation issuffi$ient to raise the $andidate to the status of a no-i$e1 He now a$hie-es(under the power of the Vinaya pro$edure and $eremony( the status of one&one forth1 As the kamma%c re$itations are $ompleted up to the fourthround( his &one4forth status is repeatedly established1 %f the pre$eptors( for

una-oidable reasons( stop their ordination pro$edure at the third re$itation(this person is mu$h hi&her in status than a no-i$e althou&h he la$!s fullbhi!!hu ordination1 He now re$ei-es the features or honours of a homeless lifepraised by the Buddha1 %f the fourth kamma%c re$itation is $ompleted( itraises him up to the full status of one &one forth( as a full bhi!!hu in theSa2&ha1

%f a no-i$e brea!s one of the ten trainin& rules for no-i$es( he destroysboth the maintenan$e of three refu&es and his status of a no-i$e1 Howe-er(while retainin& the robes( he $annot be $lassified as a layman1 He remains inthe position of a no-i$e1 n$e he dis$ards the robes( he is deemed to be alayman1

An offen$e of defeat $ommitted by a mon! destroys him as a &enuinemon!( but he does not fall into the $ate&ory of a no-i$e or a layman yet1 Hismon! status remains if he retains the appearan$e of this status1 n$e herenoun$es the appearan$e then he must be $lassified as a layman1 All tra$es of

mon!hood now disappear( e-en the outward si&n of wearin& the robe1

+ ne motion( followed by three announ$ements1


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An analo&y is &i-en here1 %f a s$rupulous mon! renoun$es his Vinayaobli&ations before the Sa2&ha in the proper way( he be$omes a layman a&ain1Similarly( a fallen mon! renoun$es his mon! status by dis$ardin& his robes(thereby be$omin& a layman in the full sense1 Due to the power of the Buddhas$ommand( this fallen mon! maintains his mon! status if he retains theoutward appearan$es of a mon!1 Howe-er( he is an immoral( fallen mon! dueto his serious fault1 ?hen he $onfesses his offen$es and renoun$es his outwardappearan$e( he be$omes a layman1 As a layman( he now es$apes from the$har&e of bein& an immoral( depra-ed mon!1 The main point here is that if hedoes not dis$ard his robes( e-en if he $onfesses his offen$e( we $annot $lassifyhim as a layman yet1

A$$ordin& to the Vinaya( if a mon! abuses a fallen mon! without >ust$ause( it is >ust li!e abusin& a s$rupulous mon!1 The resultin& offen$e is thesame as abusin& a s$rupulous mon!( and the a$$user $ommits a serious(sa3ghdissa) offen$e1 By understandin& this subtle point( it is $lear thatslanderin& a fallen mon! is worse than slanderin& a s$rupulous layman1 This isbe$ause the a$$used still $laims to be a mon!1 ,etainin& the outward si&n of amon! !eeps him under the power of kamma%cF thus he is still under the

power of the Buddha( Dhamma( and Sa2&ha too1 %t is not be$ause of hisserious misdeeds( but be$ause of the power of his ordination kamma%c(whi$h is under the sublime influen$e of the Triple 0em1 His a$$eptan$e of thisde$laration and his retention of the robe &i-e him these powerful refu&es1 Heretains a $ertain status1

Howe-er( these powerful refu&es $annot sa-e him from serious e-il!amma( and the resultant sufferin&1 By his $ommission of an offen$e of defeat(and his dis&ra$eful $laim to be a mon!( he &athers e-il !amma day by day1 %n

other words( his e-il !amma in$reases if he remains in these sa$red shelters1Moreo-er( those who abuse an immoral mon! a$$umulate serious e-il effe$tsthemsel-es( due to this aw!ward situation1 Those who appre$iate the power ofVinaya show respe$t to an immoral( fallen mon!( &ettin& &reat merit1 Thesethree effe$ts must be noted $arefully1


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$hould %ne A&oid $hameless and "mmoral Monks'

uestions two and three will be answered to&ether as they are related1 Letus re$apitulate the two ;uestionsun$tion $allin& forasso$iatin& only with the wise( the nature of &ood and bad persons is stressed1Here the Buddha tau&ht the nature of the pious and the impious1 %n this subtlematter one must ma!e distin$tions to !now the respe$ti-e basis of ea$h type1

1 Moral (sus-la)and immoral (duss-la).Q

)1 /oolish (bla)and wise (paita).

'1 A &ood man 7sappuisa) and a bad man (asappuisa).

Thus there are three pairs of persons with respe$t to their nature and$hara$teristi$s1

Q %n this $onte=t( Rimmoral also means Rshameless as it is opposed to Rmoral1 6f1 the

bodhisattas definition of moral (s-la%anta$)abo-e 7ed19

Q


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%n the Saraba2&a ta!a 76attalisa Kipta9 the Buddha distin&uishes threetypes1 Sa!!a( the !in& of the &ods( as!s in detail re&ardin& the nature of ea$hpersonal $hara$teristi$ as followsust prin$iples(

pra$ti$e truthfulness and show $i-ility( will ne-er lose honour andrespe$t1

?e $an summarise the abo-e $lassifi$ations on the basis of a-oidan$e ofimmoral deeds or offen$es1 These persons are moral persons as they possess the$hara$teristi$s of a moral person1

,e&ardin& the nature and $hara$teristi$s of a wise person( we must$onsider three fa$torsust as the moon is thebri&htest amon& the stars( amon& morality( honour( &oodness( and wisdom(wisdom is the $hief and best of all( be$ause all &ood $ondu$t( honour( and&ood $hara$ter must follow its lead15 %n other words all must follow the lead ofa wise man1

%n the te=t are other ;uestions and answers re&ardin& how to &ain wisdom(et$1( but we omit them here as they are not rele-ant1

Amon& the four &ood fa$tors mentioned abo-e( the first three are the mainpoints to remember in our dis$ussion of types of mon!s1 Amon& the first three(we may further distin&uish those who la$! morality as shameless or immoral( ase=plained earlier1 ne la$!in& &oodness $an easily a$$umulate the $hara$ter4isti$s of a shameless and immoral person too1 Due to la$! of wisdom one willta!e on the nature and $hara$teristi$s of a fool1 La$! of piety and respe$t willma!e one a bad person( ta!in& on the nature and re;uisite fa$tors of a badman1 Thus there are three pairsud&ement on a no-i$e or mon!1Let us &i-e an e=ample1 Durin& the time of British rule in Burma( the

&o-ernment $onferred administrati-e powers on Township ffi$ers1 Theseoffi$ers( after appointment( $ould try parti$ular $ases( pass >ud&ementa$$ordin& to spe$ifi$ rules( and pres$ribe suitable punishments1 %f they$ommitted some offen$es themsel-es( these offi$ers must( a$$ordin& to&o-ernment ser-ant $ondu$t rules( lose their offi$es( while other offen$esresulted in suspension of duties only1 These latter offen$es $ould be $ured by

the payment of fines1 The nature of ea$h offi$e( its powers( types of offen$esand appropriate punishments were published in the 6i-il Ser-i$e A$t1A$$ordin& to this A$t( a Township ffi$er automati$ally assumed powers$onferred by the 0o-ernment at his appointment1 ,e&ulations that would leadto his dismissal from offi$e only applied when he $ommitted spe$ifi$ offen$es1?hen he was dismissed( all his powers disappeared1 Some misdeeds( howe-er($aused him to pay fines( but did not lead to his dismissalF so he retained his

* 3% allow you( mon!s( to e=pel a no-i$e with Wany ofX ten faults1 He !ills li-in&bein&s( steals( is un$haste( tells lies( drin!s into=i$ants( $riti$ises the Buddha(Dhamma( or Sa2&ha( holds a wron& -iew( or sedu$es a nun15 7Vin1 i1 8O91


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offi$e and still tried the $ases of others1 The powers $onferred when assumin&offi$e( remained inta$t( thou&h he himself suffered fine4payin& punishment forsome wron&ful a$ts1 This e=ample is to $larify the different types of offen$es$ommitted by a no-i$e or mon!1

%n the Vinaya rules two main $ate&ories $an be seen1

1 4amdna s-la ne ta!es -ows and ma!es a determination to obser-ethe numerous pre$epts1 This is $alled 3underta!in& morality15 %t in$ludes therules underta!en impli$itly by performin& the ordination $eremony1

)1 4a$%aa s-la The life of a no-i$e or mon! $arries a moral duty ofrestraint1 This is $alled 3morality of restraint15 The restraint of the senses fromsensuality is a duty of -oluntary moral endea-our1

n$e a no-i$e ta!es the three refu&es in the proper way( he automati$allyfulfils 3underta!in& morality5 with this formal a$t1 Howe-er( 3morality ofrestraint5 needs the effort to obser-e a pre$ept when a $han$e to brea! ito$$urs1 /or this type of morality( a no-i$e must $ulti-ate the $onfiden$e andwill to pra$tise the tea$hin&1 Then he must refrain from brea!in& a parti$ularrule if a $han$e to brea! it o$$urs1

As mentioned already( there are two types of purifi$ation or punishmentfor a no-i$e1 %f he brea!s a rule deser-in& e=pulsion( he automati$ally forsa!esthe Three ,efu&es( and all pre$epts that he had underta!en are thereby &i-enup1 Kot a sin&le trainin& rule remains inta$t1 %f he trans&resses a rule that $allsfor punishment or purifi$ation( he retains the -irtue of ta!in& the Three,efu&es( and he still obser-es the pre$epts1 -en brea!in& of a pre$ept in this$ase does not destroy his underta!in&1 He retains the no-i$es pre$epts andstatus1 He has only bro!en and defiled his restraint( not his underta!in&1 So if

he obser-es the pres$ribed punishment for purifi$ation( his purity of restraint isre4established1

%n the $ase of a mon!s pre$epts( he re$ei-es them all as soon as the fourthkamma%c re$itation is $ompleted in the ordination hall1 He automati$allyunderta!es the mon!s pre$epts by followin& the ordination pro$edure1 As forthe purity of restraint( it is the same as for a no-i$e1 He must train himself inthe morality of restraint1

%f a mon! brea!s one of the four rules of defeat( all the pre$epts he hasunderta!en are automati$ally lost1 Kot a sin&le pre$ept or dis$ipline remainswith him1 Howe-er( if he brea!s any rules other than those of defeat( he has


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an ordinary mon!@ %t is due to the Vinaya pro$laimed with the supremeauthority of the mnis$ient Buddha1 ne $an therefore realise that the powerof Vinaya is imponderable and boundless in s$ope and e=tent1 The Buddhassupreme power( immeasurable wholesome !amma( and omnis$ien$e manifestthemsel-es in layin& down these uni;ue Vinaya rules1 They ha-e effe$ts fore-ery mon! in the Buddhas dispensation1

Another $ase should be mentioned in this $onne$tion1 A >unior mon! byone hour Wor one minuteX must show respe$t to a senior1 A >unior mon! who isan Arahant must pay respe$t to and worship a senior mon!( who is still >ust anordinary person1 Howe-er senior she may be( an Arahant nun must worship a

mon! who is an ordinary person1 Thus a Koble ne of si=ty rains must re-erean ordinary mon!1 ?hy@ These dis$iplines and modes of $ondu$t arepro$laimed by the mnis$ient Buddha with his full authority( whi$h isin$omparable1 They are !nown as !npa&&atti' rules made by the supremeauthority and boundless $ompassion of the Buddha1

This power that pre-ails in the Vinaya( and all other Dhamma powers ofthe Buddha are uni;ue1 The Vinaya and Dhamma ta!e the pla$e of theBuddha after his demise( as he de$lared in the Mahparinibbna Suttae$t of worship be$ause the Buddhas reli$s are enshrined there1


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#h /ofundity of th inaya ''

Due respe$t must be paid to the reli$s enshrined therein( whi$h represent theBuddha( e-en if the pa&oda is made of unworthy materials1 %f disrespe$t isshown e-en to this type of pa&oda( one a$$umulates unwholesome !amma1

-en if the pre$in$ts of a pa&oda are littered with dust( &arba&e(e=$rement( et$1( the pa&oda itself remains worthy of deep respe$t1 So e-eryoneshould bow their heads in showin& due respe$t to the reli$s( whi$h are$ertainly worthy of honour1 %f one shows disrespe$t on seein& a pa&oda with allsorts of rubbish nearby( one a$$umulates unwholesome !amma1

Similarly( an ordinary mon! possesses millions of Buddhas in his person(thou&h his mind is littered with thousands of mental defilements( li!e &arba&e

near a pa&oda1 As lon& as a sin&le Vinaya pre$ept still e=ists in his person( he isentitled to be worshipped by a lay Arahant1 The innumerable Vinaya pre$eptsthat e=ist in his person represent $ountless Buddhas1 Thou&h he is not freefrom Vinaya faults( he is li!e a pa&oda1 So a lay Arahant must re-ere him forthis reason1

%f de-otees $onsider this matter $arefully( they will realise the $ountlessVinaya rules obser-ed by an ordinary mon!1 Moreo-er( they will appre$iateand re-ere the power of the Buddha( who is fully entitled to pro$laim Vinayarules and re&ulations( and appropriate pro$edures for their purifi$ation1 The$ommandin& power of the mnis$ient Buddha shows its &reatest effe$ts in theSa2&ha established by him1 The power of the Vinaya is -ery profound( and ishard to understand by an ordinary de-otee or unedu$ated layman1 Ko one $anfully fathom the si&nifi$an$e of the Vinayas power1

Those laymen who ha-e not yet realised nibbna( should e=aminethemsel-es to appre$iate their own $hara$teristi$s and status1 %f they refle$t

wisely they will willin&ly pay due respe$ts to mon!s( e-en if they are shameless1All mon!s ordained properly in the Sa2&ha under the authority of themnis$ient Buddha are entitled to re$ei-e worship and respe$t from the laity1So an intelli&ent layman will pay respe$t( &i-e almsfood( and show deferen$e(e-en to a shameless mon!1 As always( -i&ilan$e is essential for the profundityof the Buddhas rules and their wide4ran&in& effe$ts to be realised1

-en in an immoral mon!( part of the Vinayas power and its effe$ts stille=ist( thou&h he has destroyed his underta!in& of the pre$epts by $ommittin&

an offen$e of defeat1 %f a s$rupulous mon! a$$uses him of defeat without proof(or at least $ir$umstantial e-iden$e( it is >ust li!e a$$usin& an inno$ent mon!1


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So one who a$$uses an immoral mon! falls into a serious offen$e re;uirin& aformal meetin& of the Sa2&ha1 The Vinaya te=t and its $ommentary e=plainthis in detail1

6onsiderin& these fa$ts in the Vinaya "iJa!a( one should appre$iate theVinayas power that still pre-ails in an immoral mon!1 Therefore( in dealin&with an immoral mon!( one must $onsider only the power of the Vinaya(fo$usin& on the ordination pro$edure he has under&one1 %f these fa$ts andpowers of the Vinaya are !nown and understood( a lay person will be able toobtain the auspi$ious blessin& of honourin& the worthy as tau&ht in theMa2&ala Sutta1 ne should fo$us ones mind only on the mar-ellous power

and si&nifi$an$e of the Vinaya that pre-ails amon& the mon!s( e-en in theperson of an immoral mon!1

This is $orre$t1 An immoral mon! retains the powerful influen$es of theBuddha( Dhamma( and Sa2&ha e-en after his downfall1 So these three sa$redauthorities be$ome ob>e$ts of worship in an immoral mon!1 De-otees should$on$entrate on these worthy thin&s only1 This proper relationship between thelaity and mon!s a$$ords with other tea$hin&s of the Buddha1 Therein hee=horts the laity to honour the Dhamma by re-erin& the wise( intelli&ent( and

learned mon!s as they represent the !nowled&e of Dhamma( thou&h they mayla$! some purity in their $ondu$t1 So a wise de-otee ob>e$ti-ely fo$uses hismind only on the mon!s learnin& and nothin& else1

The $ase of lay people who do not !now that a mon! is immoral isinterestin&1 Thin!in& him to be a s$rupulous mon!( they offer almsfood andpay him sin$ere respe$t1 The ob>e$t of their worship and respe$t is morality(yet this mon! has no morality whatsoe-er1 %n this $ase they obtain suitablemerits for their respe$tful attitude and re-erential a$ts( thou&h the mon!(bein& without morality( $annot symbolise a s$rupulous mon! at all1 So there isno 3re$ei-er5( as it were1 -en in this $ase one should not hastily >ud&e su$hofferin&s and respe$t as totally useless1

The reasons for this $aution $an be !nown from an$ient pre$edents( li!ethe $ase of in& Saddhtissa in an$ient Sri Lan!a1 6ases li!e this pro-ide&uidan$e for &ood deeds by the laity1

The 1isdom of Kin $addh+tissan$e( in& Saddhtissa( !nowin& a mon! to be shameless( $ontrolled his

mind and reformed his attitude to perform an a$t of re-eren$e to this


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#h Bisdom of 7ing 4addhtissa 'O

shameless mon!1 ne day he went round the royal $ity sittin& on his elephant1%t happened that a shameless mon! was fishin& in the royal pond when the!in& and his retinue arri-ed at that pla$e1 As soon as he saw the royalpro$ession( he dropped his hoo! and line( $ame up to the ban! and sat ;uietlyunder a tree1 Seein& this beha-iour( the !in& wanted to offer almsfood to themon!1 n returnin& to his pala$e( before ta!in& his meal( he ordered fine foodto be sent to the shameless mon!( be$ause he remembered the $han&edbeha-iour at the time of his en$ounter1

?hen the ministers arri-ed near the pond to offer the royal food( theshameless mon! was fishin& a&ain1 As soon as the !in& and his retinue had left(

he resumed his fishin&1 Seein& this( the ministers de-otion and $onfiden$edisappeared1 As they saw this e-il beha-iour in the first pla$e they did notwant to offer the almsfood1 nowin& that the ministers had seen him( themon! instantly dropped his hoo! and line and sat ;uietly under a tree1 Theministers had seen that he was shameless and so did not offer the royalalmsfood to him1 They returned to the pala$e and reported the matter to the!in&1 The !in& as!ed whether they had offered the royal almsfood( they repliedthat they did not do so as the mon! was shameless1

Then the !in& ;uestioned them about the beha-iour of the shamelessmon! when he saw them approa$hin&1 The ministers replied that he instantlydropped his fishin& ta$!le and sat ;uietly under a tree1 The !in& remar!ed thatthe mon! had forsa!en his shameless beha-iour and shown moral shame anddread at that time1 These &reat -irtues( moral shame and dread( are two of these-en states possessed by all &ood persons( and are treasured by the wise1 The!in& as!ed the ministers the $ost of a royal brea!fast1 After the ministersreported the $ost of the food( he said that moral shame( dread( and remorse

were more -aluable( and were worthy of respe$t as they were true ri$heswithin the heart1 He a&ain ordered them to offer the royal food to theshameless mon! in -iew of these essential &ood fa$tors found in him at onetime or another1 The ministers then offered the royal food with due respe$tand honour1 They had $han&ed their attitude1

in& Saddhtissa( bein& intelli&ent and wise( possessed the powers of$onfiden$e and wisdom( so he $ould show respe$t e-en to a shameless mon!1

Somehow he sou&ht and found a few -irtues in a shameless mon! and hismind was fo$used on these sele$t noble states( whi$h he re-ered1 By instantlyshowin& shame and dread this shameless mon! showed the $hara$teristi$s of a


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&ood mon!( thus be$omin& worthy to re$ei-e the royal almsfood1 Althou&h there$ipient was shameless( the noble attitude and $on$entration on a few noble-irtues raised the !in&s offerin& in status to the blessin& of honourin& theworthy1 The !in&s wholesome attitude was a &reat blessin&1 See!in& -irtuese-en in a shameless mon! he follows this in>un$tion from the Ma2&ala Sutta1


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$hould %ne 1orship $hameless and "mmoral Monks'

3Should a person( !nowin& a mon! to be shameless or immoral( payrespe$t and show deferen$e by &reetin&( bowin&( et$@ Does he or she&et the blessin& of re-eren$e (ga%a ma3gala),whi$h says that oneshould pay respe$t to the worthy@ Does this beha-iour a&ree with thetea$hin& that one should pay respe$t only to those who possess &ood$ondu$t@ The te=t referred to is in the osala SaPyutta1 Byworshippin& shameless and immoral mon!s does one a$$omplish areliable refu&e@ indly &i-e e-iden$e or $ase histories to pro-e one way

or the other the a$t of honourin& bad mon!s15

The methods for distin&uishin& shameless and immoral mon!s ha-ealready been &i-en1 %n the matter of showin& re-eren$e( the $ase is the same asthe a$t of honourin& the worthy ones1 So the fifth ;uestion is the same as thefourth1

Howe-er( some $larifi$ation will be &i-en here in $onne$tion with the te=tin the osala SaPyutta 7Dahara Sutta( S1i1Q*91

!>hua3gama$ p%aka&ca, khattiya&ca yassasina$C>hikkhu&ca s-lasampanna$ sammad%a samca.'

The abo-e te=t means that to a-oid disad-anta&es now and in the future(one must show due respe$t towards four types of persons1 ne must a-oiddisrespe$t to li-e safely1 This !ind of s!illed beha-iour is $alled !sammad%asamca $i-ilised manners15

Four ,eins 1orthy of 2espect

ne must show respe$t to a poisonous sna!e( a monar$h with his retinue(a mon! of &ood moral $ondu$t( and a fire1 By respe$tin& these four( one a$ts ina $i-ilised manner( that is( by showin& due respe$t1

The essential points for treatin& ea$h of them properly are as followsun$tion to show $i-ilised manners(whi$h means to treat all with due respe$t1

The other reason for the !in&s $ondu$t was due to State "oli$y1 %n his!in&dom there were numerous followers of these hereti$al tea$hers1 %f thesepeople !new that the !in& had ne&le$ted and sli&hted their tea$hers( theymi&ht $reate disunity or insti&ate rebellion1 To unify his $ountry( the !in&worshipped these se$tarians and hereti$s for the sa!e of national unity1 Thiswas done to &i-e pea$e and happiness to a lar&e number of belie-ers of otherse$ts1 This is also an auspi$ious deed1


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$hould %ne !riticise $hameless and "mmoral Monks'

3?hen a person( !nowin& a mon! to be shameless or immoral( spea!sill of him or $ondemns him( either dire$tly or indire$tly( does heattra$t the ten e-il results@By doin& so( is he free from e-il or not@5

Those who slander or $ondemn others with harsh words $ommit seriouse-il only if a Buddha( "a$$e!a Buddha or Koble ne are ob>e$ts of their$ondemnation1 %n the Dhammapada it saysust temporary morality1 Howe-er if they de-elop wisdom toa$hie-e stable morality( they &et a wholesome deed that has ne-er arisen

before1 a$h pre$ept $an be $lassed as 3temporary5 or 3stable15 So one shouldrefle$t deeply on the true nature of the &ood deeds that ha-e already arisen inoneself1

The Most /rent Task

Today( e-ery ordinary person possesses the fi-e mental hindran$es to a&reat e=tent1 Due to their power( many people brea! rules of dis$ipline anduni-ersal moral prin$iples( as they did in the past1 These are symptoms of

modern times1 The ma>ority of Buddhists( thou&h belie-ers who a$!nowled&ethe importan$e of insi&ht( still maintain the hindran$es in their hearts1 -enmost Dhamma tea$hers( thou&h they tea$h the true Dhamma re&ardin& lifesthree $hara$teristi$s( $annot eradi$ate these fi-e hindran$es $ompletely1Defilements still arise in their hearts( so they la$! insi&ht into impermanen$e(unsatisfa$toriness( and not4self1 The only way to o-er$ome these moral failuresand inherent wea!nesses( is to pra$tise $on$entration (samatha)a$$ordin& tothe tea$hin& of the Buddha1 ?ith this mental dis$ipline( the wa-erin& mind

and distra$tin& thou&hts are inhibited1 Then the mind $an be turned towardsinsi&ht pra$ti$e( whi$h re-eals the uni-ersal $hara$teristi$s of impermanen$e(unsatisfa$toriness( and not4self1

The troublesome mental hindran$es should be suppressed by means of!asina meditation( $ontemplation on the foulness of the body( or some othermeditation1 This moral effort to suppress e-il thou&hts is $alled $on$entrationor tran;uillity (samatha).Tran;uillity of mind fi=ed on a sin&le ob>e$t is the&oal at this sta&e of mental de-elopment1 The ne=t sta&e aims to penetrate the

true nature of the fi-e &roups of e=isten$e( or the mind and body1 This wisdom


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$an see the impermanent( unsatisfa$tory( and insubstantial nature of e=isten$ewith insi&ht1

These two features( $on$entration and wisdom( e=ist while the Buddhasdispensation lasts1 This pra$ti$e and its &oal help all de-otees to &et rid ofpersonality -iew the persistent belief in a soul( the do&ma of self4-iew( self4$entredness( base e&oism1 All ordinary persons( sin$e they still belie-e in a soulor self( are under the influen$e of i&noran$e and $ra-in&1 By destroyin& thiswron&4-iew of a permanent self( one also destroys( in due $ourse( all i&noran$eand $ra-in&1 As lon& as self4-iew remains in the heart( one $annot $ompletelyes$ape from the sti&ma of bein& shameless and immoral1 Thou&h one attains

morality( one $an maintain it only for a short duration due to self4-iew1 nefails to attain stable( natural morality due to this wron&4-iew1 This failure toattain natural and stable morality is to be feared1 Those who( without ri&ht-iew( attain morality and &oodness( will $ertainly !ill an Arahant in futureli-es( or $ommit the &ra-est e-ils su$h as !illin& their mother or father1Moreo-er( due to self4-iew they will $han&e their faith in -arious ways(a$$eptin& eternalisti$ or nihilisti$ -iews1 The uni-ersal ways of most ordinarypersons are li!e this1 They $annot safely say that they will always refrain from

!illin&1 Their mental pro$esses remain wide open to -arious types of &ood ande-il !amma1 Both tenden$ies e=ist in e-ery ordinary person who is not a Koblene( and has not realised the /our Koble Truths1

Therefore the most ur&ent tas! for e-eryone is to stri-e for the finalliberation from shamelessness and immorality( to attain stable and naturalmorality1 Startin& from this present life durin& the Buddhas dispensation onemust arouse the unarisen wholesome deeds of $on$entration and insi&ht withfresh( -i&orous moral effort1

This se$tion e=plains the nature and $ase of unarisen wholesome deeds1Here ends the ways to pra$ti$e the four &reat moral efforts (sammappadhna).

%f one wishes to blame or to $riti$ise shameless or immoral mon!s inimpersonal terms( one must spea! within the meanin& of the four &reat moralefforts1

The $orre$t way to blame a bad mon! is as followsust li!e this immoral mon!1 Self4-iew must be eradi$ated by wisdom1 %n these ways one must $onsider thewholesome states not yet arisen1 %f these $onsiderations are made( one ispartially followin& the pra$ti$e of four ri&ht efforts1

The e-ils of bein& an ordinary person are too numerous to $ount( soinnumerable dan&ers e=ist too1 Seein& the e-ils and dan&ers of an ordinary

person( a far4si&hted person &ets moral dread and a sense of ur&en$y1 His mindalways in$lines towards $on$entration and insi&ht meditation to o-er$omemoral wea!nesses( whene-er he sees the faults of others1 He uses these fa$tsfor self4e=amination and self4reform( and stri-es earnestly to eradi$ate thesedefe$ts in himself1 So e-erythin& helps him to obtain earnestness and spurs himto a$tion1 This superior way of self4reform throu&h far4si&hted trepidation isthe way of noble persons li!e bodhisattas( sa&es( and all $i-iliCed persons1 Thisis the an$ient( noble way of self4analysis1

This path to deli-eran$e is e=$ellent1 All bodhisattas( in their final li-es(ha-e to see an old man( a si$! man( and a dead man as uni-ersal si&ns for all1This &i-es them a sense of ur&en$y and spurs them to renoun$e the world1This noble renun$iation is possible be$ause they apply these hard realities tothemsel-es and refle$t on them wisely1 So they obtain &reat dread of worldlye=isten$e( for the world is full of terror( whi$h $an be re-ealed by insi&ht1

The $ase of Venerable ,e-ata thera illustrates this point -ery well1 ,e-ata(

the youn&est brother of Venerable Sriputta( was persuaded by his parents andrelati-es to marry youn& to a-oid be$omin& a mon!1 ?hen the marria&e$eremony was about to be&in( ,e-ata was told to pay homa&e to the elders1


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Attack ;nly @nholsom 4tats OQ

The old people blessed him with the $ustomary words of 3lon& life15 ?henyoun& ,e-ata saw an old( de$repit lady( he e=perien$ed moral fear as he !newhe must meet this fate too1 He applied the hard fa$ts of life to himself basedupon the sufferin& of others1 0ainin& far4si&hted trepidation( he renoun$ed theworld and be$ame a mon!1

Li!ewise( whene-er one sees others faults( one should apply them tooneself to $reate moral dread and a sense of ur&en$y1 By followin& theseimpersonal methods of $riti$ism and blame( when one hears about or meetsshameless or immoral mon!s( one pra$tises the four &reat moral efforts withattendant benefits1

The Dhamma $a4&ea Method of ,lamin

?e ha-e &i-en &uidelines for $orre$t $riti$ism of shameless or immoralpersons without personal referen$es1 Here we will also mention the way ofblamin& e-en with personal atta$!s1 %n this method one $an e-en mentionnames when ma!in& $ondemnation( but two fa$tors must a$$ompany this typeof blamin& with personal referen$e1 ne is that a person spea!in& ill of othersby name must possess the attitude $alled !Dhamma sa$%ga.' The other

mental attitude is $alled 3Moral fear15 These attitudes( fear of unwholesome4ness and moral fear( will free a person from faults when he $ondemns others byname1

An e=ample will $larify this point1 %f a mother sees her son playin& withfoul thin&s su$h as e=$rement( she will instantly run after him to remo-e thesedirty thin&s from his body1 ?hile she hates e=$rement on the body of her son(she still lo-es him and !isses his $hee!s se-eral times1 She only washes awaythe foul thin&s from his body by tou$hin& them and throwin& them out1

Althou&h tou$hin& e=$rement is not praiseworthy( out of lo-e and$ompassion( she does it1 Althou&h she throws away the e=$rement( she doesnot throw away her son1 She washes his body( be$ause she hates foul thin&sonly( not her son1

Li!ewise( if one sees or hears about anyone doin& e-il deeds one mustthin! thus( 3My relati-es ha-e foul( impure thin&s on their bodies( they aredefiled by filth1 How pitiable they are1 Due to delusion they are eatin&

e=$rement and are $ontaminated with foul thin&s15 Su$h lo-in&( helpfulthou&hts arise in a &ood person1 All human bein&s are brothers and sisters e-enwhen they do &reat or small e-ils1 So a $riti$ who see others serious $rimes


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must repro-e the immoral a$ts without hatred1 ?ith $ompassion he must helpothers to remo-e their faults if possible1 %f all ones efforts are futile( one must$ulti-ate $ompassion or e;uanimity( as a mother( after repeated unsu$$essfulattempts to res$ue her son from a well( shows $ompassion and e;uanimityuntil the end1

Similarly( a tea$her or a friend must instru$t( &uide( and train a waywardpupil or a bad mon! with &reat $ompassion and wisdom1 After se-eralattempts fail to produ$e positi-e results( $ompassion is the best $ourse( thene;uanimity at last1 The important point is that an&er( resentment( ill4will( orremorse must not be allowed to intrude1 ne must repro-e the e-il a$ts( or

unwholesome states only1 ne should $ondemn bad a$tions without personal&rud&e( without hatred1 %n this way a $riti$al tea$her or a ri&hteous lay personwill obtain wholesome !amma in s$oldin&( admonishin&( or repro-in& others(e-en with personal referen$es1 Unwholesome moti-es are absent in followin&this method of dire$t $riti$ism1 ne should not &et an&ry be$ause of otherse-il deeds1 This e=plains the $orre$t way of wise $ondemnation( whi$h must bemade s!ilfully1


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!an A $hameless Monk ,ecome $crupulous'

3%f a shameless mon! be$omes afraid of sufferin& in saPsra( or if hea$;uires moral dread( how $an he be$ome a s$rupulous mon!@ %s itpossible for him to be$ome a s$rupulous mon!@5

There are two types of s$rupulous mon!s< a temporarily s$rupulous mon!(and a naturally 7stable9 s$rupulous mon!1

How one $an attain temporary morality has been e=plained in the firstanswer1 ?ith re&ard to $omplete moral attainment( the answer was &i-en in

the reply to the si=th ;uestion1The essential point is this< attainment of temporary morality is $on$erned

with &ood thou&ht4moments1 Thus a mon! be$omes shameless if hedeliberately brea!s a Vinaya rule in full !nowled&e of it1 At this time he is ashameless mon!1 %f he purifies his offen$e in the proper way he a&ain be$omesa s$rupulous mon!1 -en the arisin& of the intention to purify his mis$ondu$tor trans&ression ma!es him s$rupulous a&ain1 So his moti-ation is $ru$ial1

Althou&h he is free from any offen$e or &uilt due to his reformed mind anda$ts of $onfession( he still possesses only temporary morality1 So the ne=t sta&eis more important1 This is the stable sta&e due to the $omplete elimination ofself4-iew1 The destru$tion of self4-iew is essential to be$ome a naturallys$rupulous mon!1

%n the ;uestion the terms( 3a &ood person5 (sappuisa) and 3shameless5(ala-)are used1 He is $alled 3s$rupulous5 if he purifies the e-ils that arise atthe body door and -o$al door only1 A &ood person or a &ood mon!( in the

te$hni$al sense( means one who has purified his mental door( that is( he hasa$hie-ed mental purity too1 Thus the mere attainment of s$rupulous statusdoes not si&nify 3a &ood person(5 a mentally purified one1

The essential point is that the Vinaya rules( if obeyed( &uard a&ainst e-ilsin the physi$al and -o$al spheres only( whi$h are &ross1 "urifi$ation of themental sphere is not tau&ht in the Vinaya and no offen$e arises if only mentale-ils appear1 The Vinaya te=t de$lares that there is no offen$e in the mind

OI


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door1 Ko form of $onfession is found in the Vinaya for mental wron&s1 Korules for mental dis$ipline are &i-en in the Vinaya1

So e-ery mon!( if he learns and pra$tises the Vinaya rules -ery $arefully(obtains physi$al and -o$al &ood $ondu$t1 By abandonin& these &ross e-il thin&sone be$omes s$rupulous1 Howe-er( innumerable faults and mental defe$ts(whi$h are not Vinaya offen$es( remain to be eradi$ated1 They are e-il(uns!ilful states1 A &ood person needs to pra$tise the -irtues of a &ood person(whi$h % ha-e mentioned earlier1 nly when these fa$tors pre-ail $an a mon!or layman be $lassified as a &ood person1


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$hould #ay Persons #earn the 0inaya'

3Should lay persons learn the Vinaya@ Does this a&ree with theMa2&ala Dhamma that ad-ises one to be well4trained in dis$ipline(%inayo ca susikkhito)0?hat are the &ood or bad results of this a$t@indly &i-e e-iden$e or e=amples to pro-e a definite point1 Should amon! tea$h the monasti$ dis$ipline to a lay person@ ?hat are the&ood or bad results of this@ "lease &i-e some e-iden$e15

%n the Ma2&ala Sutta the Buddha tea$hes that one should be well4trained

in Vinaya1 The meanin& of this Ma2&ala Dhamma is that laity should learn alay persons dis$ipline properly( that is( to learn it wisely1 /or laity there aredis$iplinary rules to learn $i-ility and &ain prosperity( su$h as the$hara$teristi$s of a &ood man( the uni-ersal $ode of ethi$al $ondu$t( the rulesof a householder( et$1 They should be learnt and pra$tised wisely1

/or mon!s( too( there are Vinaya rules to !now and obser-e so that thefa$tors of a s$rupulous and &ood mon! will be a$hie-ed in full1 The aim oflearnin& dis$ipline is to ma!e one a s$rupulous( modest( and &ood mon!1 So

the mon!s $ode of $ondu$t is for homeless persons( but it is different from thehomeless lay persons $ode of $ondu$t (Angika inaya).a$h &roup mustfollow the appropriate $ode of $ondu$t1 Householders must follow their rulesto be$ome moral and &ood( and mon!s must follow their Vinaya withouttrans&ressin& any rule( whether partially or $ompletely1 Ko taint should beo-erloo!ed1 This means the $orre$t and full obser-an$e of Vinaya so that thebenefits in this life and hereafter are a$hie-ed in full1 Sin$e blessin&s arise formon!s it is $alled a blessin&1 The te=t does not mean that laity should learn

mon!s Vinaya to obtain blessin&s1The term 3well4trained in dis$ipline5 is e=plained in the $ommentary on

the Ma2&ala Sutta as follows< 3There are two !inds of Vinaya( one for laityand the other for mon!s1 The lay Vinaya means a-oidan$e of the tenunwholesome !ammas1 A lay person shuns these ten e-il !ammas with a pureheart and humble attitude1 ?ith the aim of not spoilin& his morality herespe$tfully obser-es the trainin& in full1 This is the meanin& of the term Rwell4

trained15

+


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,e&ardin& the mon!s Vinaya( the $ommentary e=plains that a mon! mustobser-e the se-en $lasses of rules with $omplete $onfiden$e1 %f he has nodefe$ts he &ets the honour of pra$tisin& well1 Moreo-er he be$omes trulylearned by this means1 Besides the se-en $lasses of offen$es( the rules formon!s in$lude the morality of fourfold purifi$ation1 By obser-in& these fourtrainin&s a mon! $an rea$h the hi&hest sta&e of san$tity( the perfe$t purity$alled Arahantship1 %f one dili&ently pra$tises the rules to rea$h this noble aim(one is $alled 3well4trained15

So the $ommentary $learly shows that a lay person must learn a laypersons Vinaya1 /or mon!s there is the $ode of $ondu$t des$ribed in the

Vinaya "iJa!a1 %f lay people and mon!s both learn and pra$tise their respe$ti-e$odes of $ondu$t they are $alled 3well4trained in dis$ipline15 The ad-i$e in theMa2&ala Sutta does not $on-ey the sense that laity should learn the mon!sVinaya1 The term 3well4trained5 does not mean mere a$ademi$ study1A$ademi$ !nowled&e is useless in this sphere1 ?hat 3well4trained5 means hereis that a mon! dili&ently follows the Vinaya rules in pra$ti$e1 So 3to be well4trained5 also means 3to be learned15 The main point is that without followin&the Vinaya rules de-otedly one does not deser-e to be $alled 3learned15 Mere

a$ademi$ !nowled&e be$omes useless if it is not put into pra$ti$e1The dis$ipline for lay people is $learly mentioned in the Sutta "iJa!a1 %n

brief( a lay person must shun ten unwholesome !ammas and $ulti-ate tenwholesome !ammas1 The ten unwholesome !ammas are $alled !dasa akusalakammapath.' The ten wholesome !ammas are $alled !dasa kusalakammapath.' Here the words 3well4trained in dis$ipline5 en$ompass twofa$tors< purifi$ation of defilements( and de-oted pra$ti$e of moral dis$ipline1These two essential fa$tors should be learned and pra$tised by the laity1

As re&ards the fa$tor of 3purifi$ation of defilements5 one should study theBoo! of Tens in the 0radual Sayin&s to !now the pra$ti$al si&nifi$an$e indetail1 The "Gi te=t in the A2&uttarani!ya e=plains the four fa$tors ofdefilement for brea!in& the first pre$ept1 3ne !ills by oneself1 ne ad-ises(ur&es( or in$ites others to !ill1 ne spea!s in praise of !illin&1 ne $onsents tothe a$t of !illin&15 The first two fa$tors are ob-ious and need no e=planation1

% will e=plain the fa$tor 3ne spea!s in praise of !illin&15 %n Buddhism(

e-ery ethi$al pre$ept and moral duty is a profound matter to !now and pra$tisewith wisdom and insi&ht1 An ordinary person( seein& how ri$hes in$rease forthose who ma!e their li-elihood by sellin& meat often spea!s in praise of these


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4hould Lay /sons Lan th inaya0 +'

men be$omin& ri$h1 Some may utter words in support of !illin&1 Su$h praise of!illin& amounts to two defilements of his morality1 The person brea!s the non4!illin& pre$ept and defilements also arise1 %f another person( on hearin& praisespo!en( follows the o$$upation of a fisherman or slau&hterman( one whopraises their a$tions trans&resses the pre$ept that says 3% underta!e to abstainfrom !illin& li-in& bein&s15 -en thou&h he does not a$tually do the !illin&( hehas e=pressed appro-al of !illin&( and his moti-e is to prompt others to !ill1 So(li!e the !iller himself( the supporter is also &uilty of !illin&1

Howe-er( mere praise without in$itin& others only amounts to thedefilement of morality( e-en thou&h another person may follow a wron&

o$$upation or do unwholesome deeds1 %n this $ase( one who praises the a$tmerely defiles the pre$ept1

The fourth fa$tor is bein& pleased or e=pressin& appro-al when one hearsabout the !illin& of murderers( or robbers after their arrest( or if they are !illedwhile bein& arrested1 %t also means bein& pleased about the !illin& of wildti&ers( elephants( sna!es( et$1 ther $ases in$lude< satisfa$tion on hearin& newsabout the death of ones enemies1 Lon&in& for the destru$tion of bu&s( $o$!4roa$hes( flies( ants( rats( or other pests also means defilement of ones pre$epts1

Some people are pleased when animals are !illed( be$ause they are &luttonous1They willin&ly e=press support and pleasure at the !illin& of animals1 Thou&hthis does not amount to !illin&( they taint themsel-es with appro-al( whi$hspoils the moral pre$ept1

Some people &i-e an e=$use and e=press en>oyment by sayin& that themeat and fish are for alms&i-in&1 ne should analyse ea$h $ase $arefully to!now its true nature1 ne must $onsider the state of mind1 Those who e=pressappro-al of !illin& for almsfood or a feast should e=amine their moti-es1 These&rey areas need s$rupulous $onsideration1

/or $eremonies and festi-als some !ill the animals themsel-es( some ta!edeli&ht in it( and others praise these a$ts1 Some mon!s( who want to eat &oodfood( hope for it1 So !illin& by indire$t orders is done to satisfy the wishes ofmon!s and &uests1 But$hers and fishmon&ers wait for this indire$t si&n fromthe ser-ants of donors who wish to feed thousands with suffi$ient meat andfish1

The fa$tors for &uilt re&ardin& the pre$ept of not !illin& are listed in the$ommentary1 %t is stated that one of the fa$tors of &uilt is 3&i-in& indire$t si&ns(


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+N A Manual of th Dhamma

or hintin&15 So in the abo-e instan$es( ser-ants of the donors either brea! thepre$ept or defile it1 As for the $ommission of e-il !amma 7that leads to hell9one must $onsider all the fa$tors of a parti$ular $ase1 Some borderline $ases arediffi$ult to >ud&e de$isi-ely1

%f the ser-ants are &uilty of full trans&ression( donors $annot be free frome-il !amma( and re$ipient mon!s and &uests also $annot be free from blame1 %fmeat is doubtful on three $ounts< seein&( hearin&( or suspe$tin& the a$t of!illin&( mon!s must not eat it1 To be allowable within the Vinaya rules( meatmust be free from all three fa$tors1 %f a mon! !nows that an animal was not!illed for him( he has no doubt( and so this meat is pure in all three ways1 nly

this type of meat and fish is allowed by the Buddha1 %f a mon! eats meat whenhe is doubtful about its ori&in( it is a Vinaya offen$e1 Those who offer su$hdoubtful almsfood( re$ei-e mi=ed results if they mi= &ood and bad !ammas intheir meritorious deeds1

Mi5ed Kammas (i&e Mi5ed 2esults

As mentioned earlier( one who does deeds with mi=ed moti-es &ets mi=edresults1 Due to his &enerosity he &ains wealth( influen$e( and power1 Howe-er(

due to the a$$ompanyin& unwholesome !amma he suffers untimely death1in&s slay him to $onfis$ate his immense wealth( his property is stolenfre;uently( his house is burnt down( or he suffers from -arious diseases1 ?hy isthis@ ?hen he performed &ood deeds it was asso$iated with someunwholesome !amma1 So an unblemished result is not possible for a wholeseries of li-es1 This type of !amma is a mi=ture of bla$! and white1 %n otherwords( su$h moral deeds ha-e been planted with poison at their bases( so tospea!1 So the four fa$tors of the immoral deed of !illin& will be present in su$h

a deed1 ne should note that if only one fa$tor is present( morality is stained(whi$h is the minimum bad effe$t1 Moreo-er a person destroys the fa$tor ofbein& well4trained in dis$ipline1 That is why the $ru$ial words( 3?ell4trainedmeans purifi$ation of defilements( and de-oted pra$tise of moral dis$ipline5Oare used in the Ma2&ala Sutta $ommentary1

A lay person must obser-e the fi-e moral pre$epts to the best of his or herability1 He or she must !now the nature and fa$tors of e-il and &ood deeds in

O !#attha asa$kilspaanna cagua%a%atthnna.'


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dili&en$e1 This ethi$al $ondu$t was pres$ribed for the laity by the Buddha( sothey do not need to learn the Vinaya for mon!s1

Howe-er( wise lay persons who want to promote the Buddhas tea$hin&s(and are well -ersed in their own dis$ipline( do need to learn the mon!sVinaya1 ?hy@ Those who are well4trained in the householders dis$iplinebe$ome truly &ood people( so their minds and moti-es are &ood1 %f they arewell $ontrolled by the lay persons dis$ipline( after learnin& the mon!s Vinaya(they will not use their !nowled&e unwisely1 They will not defile themsel-eswith impure physi$al( -o$al( and mental a$tions1 They will not a$$umulate e-ilmoti-es and e-il !ammas be$ause of this new !nowled&e1 %n the $ommentary

it is mentioned that a wise( learned brahmin( after listenin& to the mon!sVinaya rules in detail( de-eloped a $lear mind and stron& faith in the Sa2&ha1He appre$iated the power and si&nifi$an$e of the mon!s Vinaya as $learunderstandin& had re-ealed its profundity1

ne day a de-oted brahmin heard the mon!s re$itin& their Vinaya rules1Appre$iatin& the benefits of these numerous rules he entered the Sa2&ha1Thus ones own attitude and moti-e are $ru$ial to e-aluate the !nowled&e ofVinaya rules and the di-erse $ondu$t of mon!s1

The way for a lay person to study the Vinaya is first to learn and pra$tisethe lay persons Vinaya( whi$h &i-es $ulture( wisdom( and !nowled&e1 A layperson must be dedi$ated to obser-in& lay ethi$s with perfe$t inte&rity1 %finte&rity is la$!in&( a lay person( thou&h learned in ethi$s( be$omes a hypo$ritewith sham morality1 He or she be$omes a bad person1 This type of lay person(who learns the mon!s Vinaya( will de-elop a fault4findin& attitude1 Seein&only the offen$es and wea!nesses of mon!s( he or she will blame( slander( andabuse them1 So there is no benefit for su$h a lay person in learnin& the mon!sVinaya1 Sin$e he or she fails to learn and pra$tise the lay persons Vinaya well(he or she la$!s fundamental -irtues and a s!ilful mental attitude1 So it is futileto learn the mon!s Vinaya( sin$e he or she will $riti$ise the $ondu$t ofwayward mon!s( interferin& in the affairs of others1 Su$h a person who ;uotesthe Vinaya te=ts and blames the mon!s( ma!es e-il !amma be$ause he or shela$!s the -irtues of a &ood and moral person1 Due to these defe$ts he or sheta!es a superior stan$e( utterin& words of $ondemnation and slander1 Thus(

&ra-e e-il !ammas result from his or her learnin&1Seein& only the bad $ondu$t of a wayward mon!( he or she blames him(but this &i-es bad effe$ts1 6on$entratin& on the faults of others( he or she fails


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MiEd 7ammas ustas if they a$$used a s$rupulous mon!1 Mon!s &et an offen$e of Sa2&hdisesa(whi$h is -ery &ra-e1 The Vinaya te=t de$lares( !Asuddha hotipuggalo a&&ataa$

pika$ sammpanno.' The meanin& is that those who a$$use mon!s ofimmorality are themsel-es impure1 The term 3immoral5 means( in the finalanalysis( $o-etousness or &reed( ill4will( and wron& -iew1 Akhanti meansimpatien$e or surliness1A&ameans i&noran$e or delusion (moha). 7ossaameans laCiness or moral sla$!ness1 Muhasatimeans la$! of mindfulness orla$! of $lear $omprehension1


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:7 Morality !oncernin 2e;uisites

A mon! must refle$t when usin& food( robes( dwellin&s( and medi$ines

with the abo-e three fa$tors1 ?ise refle$tion should be pra$tised so that as!ilful attitude and $lear $omprehension arise1 To pra$tise morality is diffi$ultand profound1 ?hy@ By usin& a rosary( a mon! normally refle$ts wisely on thefour re;uisites( thus purity of this morality is &ained1 ne mi&ht thereforethin! that this is easy1 Howe-er( mere $ountin& of beads and re$itation of &oodwords and thou&hts are not suffi$ient to fulfil this morality1 Mere awareness or$orre$t mindfulness on the four re;uisites( thou&h ne$essary( is not enou&h1/or a mon!( subtle atta$hment or $lin&in& to robes( food( and dwellin&s are

diffi$ult to eradi$ate( despite re$itations( $ountin& of beads( and ri&htthou&hts1 A mon! needs -ery stron& mindfulness and insi&ht to abandon thissubtle $ra-in&1 So whene-er he uses the four re;uisites he must de-elop thepower of $onsideration to the full with $omplete awareness1 nly when thefour types of atta$hment $ease( is this morality satisfa$torily attained1 "urity isobtained on the use of thin&s after strenuous noble efforts1 Hen$e $ustomary$ountin& of beads and mere -erbal repetition $annot fulfil this morality1 Hemust $on$entrate on the full meanin& and si&nifi$an$e of the "Gi te=ts for the

arisin& of $lear !nowled&e1 %f this !nowled&e fails to arise( morality $on$ernin&re;uisites is not attained1 La$!in& this deep insi&ht( four types of atta$hmentpre-ail in the heart1

ne $an !now whether this morality is attained or not by obser-in& thebeha-iour of a mon!1 A mon! who attains this moral purity has no atta$hmentor &reed1 He will not a$$umulate possessions( wealth( or property1 He will note=hibit atta$hment to lay supporters1 He will li-e in any type of monastery( ine-ery season( under diffi$ult $onditions1 He will a$$ept ra& robes( alms food(

dwellin&s under a tree( and putrid medi$ines( all of whi$h were hi&hly praisedby the Buddha( thou&h they are $oarse types of simple li-in&1 %f a mon!$hooses and sele$ts only &ood monasteries( eats only &ood food( hopes for only&ood dwellin&s( and lon&s for them( he fails to a$hie-e this sublime morality(and is impure in this respe$t1 So a mon! must !now the fa$tors leadin& to theattainment of this important morality and pra$tise -i&orously andsystemati$ally to &et the ne$essary fa$tors of a$hie-ement1


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1hat Are the Effects of Transressin Morality'

3Amon& the four purifyin& morali

a manual of the dhamma

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