The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart.
16 March 2024
“The only duty for monks is to cultivate the Dhamma in their hearts.”
I was lucky that I didn’t have any obligations when I graduated from university. I didn’t have a proper job yet. The job that I had wasn’t what I wanted to do but I had to do it to earn my living. So I didn’t care about it when I had to quit.
When I ordained, I also didn’t have any money or possession, so there was nothing to regret.
So it was quite an easy decision as I was carefree—having gained and collected nothing—and I had nothing to lose. There were no concerns: nothing to hold me back to a lay lifestyle. With my conviction that it was the right path—one on which I would be able to practise fully—there was only hope that lay ahead.
People who enjoy meditation will think that being a monk is the best thing.
The Buddha really set out this path as there is no other obligations for monks. If you look into what the Buddha taught, you’ll see that he taught us to only focus on cultivation through practice: to develop and maintain precepts, concentration, wisdom and nothing else.
But these days, monks don’t seem to heed his words or the right thing anyway. They have so many obligations, including group chanting and building things. All these things weren’t the main duty during the Buddha’s time; the main duty for monks was cultivation through practice. The Buddha never built a monastery, not even one. If it were a monk’s duty, who would be able to compete with him? He could have built as many monasteries as he liked, but it was not for monks to do.
The only duty for monks is to cultivate the Dhamma in their hearts.
Monks are to live rough or make do with whatever is available. If nobody is willing to build a hut for you, the Buddha taught us to reside under a tree, in an abandoned place, or in a quiet and private cave. These are the kind of places that monks should live in. Robes are also to be sewn from left-over garments and frayed pieces and then dyed.
However, it is very different these days. Nowadays, monks and novices are very caught up in materialistic things and rituals to the extent that they’ve forgotten the essence of Buddhism. It is rather difficult for anyone’s mind to penetrate the true Dhamma; it is impossible without real determination and proper understanding.
Monks don’t even know why they ordain to begin with these days. They ordain as a rite of passage or as a custom. They may enjoy the lifestyle and stay on as monks, thinking that they would contribute by building things. But they don’t really study or practise. They may study only to memorise certain things to be able to parrot them to others. They may even reach the highest level of study but never put it into practice themselves.
The knowledge remains just on a piece of paper, nothing more than a certificate. Within their hearts remain all the defilements.
By Ajaan Suchart Abhijāto
Youtube: Dhamma in English
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g
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