The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart.
1 May 2025
"Why can't monks cook for themselves?"
Question: Why did the Buddha let them go out to beg for food? Why can't they cook for themselves? I pay my respects.
Phra Ajarn: Because it will eliminate the desire to eat this and that. If we let monks cook, one day they won't have to study the Dhamma, practice the Dhamma, or sit around thinking about what to eat for the next meal.
We have to be content with little, be happy with what is happening, and then we won't waste a lot of time. At most, it will only take an hour to go out to beg for alms, and another hour to come back and eat. And there will be no need for a kitchen, no need for pots, and nothing else to be complicated.
Because the Buddha wanted monks to do only one thing: to practice the Dhamma. As for feeding their stomachs, this is a trick for the laity to make merit.
Those who don't have the opportunity or reason to do so, when there are monks, they have to do it. They have the opportunity to make merit. As for the monks, they get food and diligence. They eliminate laziness because they have to go out to beg for alms.
Phra Ajarn Suchart Aphichato
Wat Yanasangwararam, Chonburi Province
By Ajaan Suchart Abhijāto
Youtube: Dhamma in English
