BUDDHIST MONASTIC CODE I

Nissaya Chapter 2"Ācariyo me bhante hohi; āyasmato nissāya vacchāmi,"which means, "Venerable sir, be my teacher; I will live in dependence on you."(Mv.I.32.2)Duties. The Mahāvagga (I.25.6; 32.1) states that a pupil should regard his mentor asa father; and the mentor, the pupil as his son. It then goes on to delineate thisrelationship as a set of reciprocal duties.The pupil's duties to his mentor fall into the following five categories:1. Attending to the mentor's personal needs. The Mahāvagga goes intogreat detail on this topic, giving precise instructions dealing with everyconceivable way a pupil can be of service to his mentor. The Vinaya-mukhatries to reduce these duties to a few general principles, but this missesmuch of what the Mahāvagga has to offer, for the details are what show fineexamples of mindfulness in action — the best way to fold a robe, clean adwelling, and so forth — as well as indications of how one can use thisaspect of one's training to develop sensitivity to the needs of others. Still,the detailed instructions are so extensive that they would overburden thediscussion in this chapter, so I have saved them for Appendix X. Here I willsimply give them in outline form. The pupil should:o a. Arrange his mentor's toiletries for his morning wash-up.o b. Arrange his seat and food for his morning conjey (if he has any)and clean up after he is finished.o c. Arrange his robes and bowl for his alms round.o d. Follow him on his alms round, if the mentor so desires, and takehis robes and bowl when he returns.o e. Arrange his seat and food for his alms meal and clean upafterwards.o f. Prepare his bath. If he goes to the sauna, go with him and attendto his needs.o g. Study the Dhamma and Vinaya from him when he is prepared toteach. (The Mahāvagga describes this as "recitation" and"interrogation." Recitation, according to the Commentary, meanslearning to memorize passages; interrogation, learning to investigatetheir meaning.)o h. Clean his dwelling and other parts of his dwelling complex, suchas the restroom and storage rooms, when they get dirty.2. Assisting the mentor in any problems he may have with regard to theDhamma and Vinaya. The Mahāvagga lists the following examples:o a. If the preceptor begins to feel dissatisfaction with the celibate life,the pupil should try to allay that dissatisfaction or find someone elsewho can, or give him a Dhamma talk.o b. If the preceptor begins to feel anxiety over his conduct withregard to the rules, the pupil should try to dispel that anxiety or findsomeone else who can, or give him a Dhamma talk.11