Mettavalokanaya_Buddhist_Magazine_March_2019

“The
Meaningful
Monastic
Life”….
Normally, a man or women would
come to stay at a monastery
where they think they would
like to train. Sometimes they
visit several monasteries to find where
seems best. Most monasteries allow
someone to stay to see if they feel well
there initially for one week or two weeks.
If one feels inclined to stay and
enter into the training at a particularly
monastery, they should make their
aspiration known to the teacher, abbot
or abbess there. If it is agreeable to the
teacher and the monastic community,
the aspirant is welcomed to return. Upon
their return they undertake the eight
precepts (if they hadn’t already) as a prepostulant
or nekkhamma, normally with
an as yet unshaven head, wearing white
or black and white clothing. The prepostulant’s
eight precepts are the same
as the layperson’s five precepts plus
three additional renunciate precepts,
as well as the significant change in the
3rd precept from no sexual misconduct,
to brahmacarya or no sexual conduct
whatsoever. The fundamental Buddhism
is summarised by Shakyamuni in the
Dhammapada: Not to do any evil, To
cultivate good, To purify one’s mind,
This is the teaching of the Buddhas. It is
simple but not easy. When a kid is three
years old, he knows it. However, when
he is over 80 years old, he cannot really
practice it in his daily life.
Morality - Morality is the
preliminary stage on the path to
attain Buddhahood. It is a necessary
condition, though not sufficient, leading
to wisdom. It is absolutely essential for
enlightenment. Morality in Buddhism is
a rational and practical mode based on
verifiable facts and individual experience,
which is regarded as the one of the most
perfect moral code ever known in the
world.
What is the criterion of morality
according to Buddhism? In the
admonition given by the Buddha to
young Rahula, there is the answer. If
there is a deed, Rahula, you wish to do,
reflect thus: Is this deed conducive to my
harm, or to others’ harm, or to that of
both? Then is this a bad deed entailing
suffering. From such a deed, you must
desist. If there is a deed you wish to do,
reflect thus: Is this deed not conducive
to my harm, nor to others’ harm, nor
to that of both? Then is this a good
deed entailing happiness. Such a deed
you must do again and again. Thus, in
assessing morality, a Buddhist takes into
consideration of the interests of both
himself and others - animals not excluded.
To understand the exceptionally high
standard of morality, one can vigorously
study Dhammapada, Sigalovada Sutra,
Vyagghapajja Sutra, Mangala Sutra,
Mutta Sutra, Parabhara Sutra, Vassla
Sutra, Dhammika Sutra. Good deeds
are essential for one’s emancipation,
but when once the ultimate goal of holy
life or enlightenment is attained, one
transcends both good and evil. Morality
is a means to an end, but not an end in
itself.
Three Poisons / Three Evil Roots -
In Flower Adornment Sutra, it says that;
For all bad Karma created in the past,
Based upon beginningless greed, hatred
and delusion, And born of body, mouth
and mind,
I now repent and reform. It is
the well-known Repentance Verse in
Buddhism. In Buddhism, the distinction
between what is good and what is bad
is simple. It hinges on the intention
or motivation from which an action
originates. The deed which is associated
with greed / attachment, hatred / ill
will, delusion / stupidity is evil. Greed,
hatred and delusion are called the Three
Poisons or Three Evil Roots, which are
the primary source of all evil deed. It
is the Three Poisons that create all bad
Karma, resulting all kinds of suffering in
accordance with the Principle of Cause
and Effect. The Three Poisons are also
obstacles to the attainment of good
Karma. Thus we have to abandon them
by all means.
Greed - Greed is the cause of many
offences. The five greedy desires are:
wealth, sex, fame, eating and sleeping.
Greedy desire is endless and therefore
can never be satisfied. The lesser the
greedy desire, the happier and more
satisfied we are. The best prescription to
deal with greed is in giving away. Anger
- Hatred to people is another cause of
evil deed. We should not lose temper
and get angry when we are unhappy. We
should be calm and patient. Delusion - It
means the persistent belief in something
false and distorted. We have to observe
and think in an objective and rational
manner, so as to avoid prejudice and
misunderstanding. For instance, if
we don’t believe in cause and effect,
and then commit offence frequently
and heavily, we will suffer from the
retribution.
After staying for some time as a
pre-postulant (normally 2 weeks to 2
or 3 months), if both the aspirant and
the teacher as well as the monastic
community feel amiable about going
ahead, the aspirant may request
ordination as an anagarika. Anāgārika
means homeless one due to their having
left home life, sought refuge and being
accepted as postulants in the monastery.
In English we call anagarikas at this stage
“postulants, aspirants” or “candidates.”
Anāgārikā (with a long “a” at the end)
is the female form, anāgārika the male
form. The anagarika has a shaven
head, wears white robes and keeps the
8 precepts. The anagarika period is
normally around a year, but sometimes
can be as little as six months, or as long
as several years, depending on individual
circumstances.
As a postulant, one is still officially
a lay person, and as such still able to
use money, hold property and finances
and support oneself. Although normally
lodging and food are shared by the
monastic community with anagarikas at
a monastery, special health care needs,
travel (not related to the training) or
other such expenses, are still covered
by the anagarika herself. Most nuns
in Burma and Thailand, for whom
novice and full ordination has not
been available for some time, live as
anagarikas for short-term or long-term
monastic retreat in this way with the
“uposatha” eight precepts. Thai, Lao
and Cambodian angarikas are called
maechees and donchees. In Burma the
anagarikas may wear light-pink, peach
or dark-brown colored robes and are
called Sayalay or thilashin. A samaneri is
a female novice samana, or a samana-intraining.
A samana is a monastic recluse.
Samaneri is the female form of the word;
samanera is the male form.
After an average of a year as an
anagarika, with the approval of her
teacher, an anagarika may request the
samaneri pabbaja, the “going forth”
as a novice into the monastic life. If an
aspirant for novice ordination is under
the legal age of adulthood (or age 20),
she must have the permission of her
parents or guardians in order to receive
novice ordination. Novices undertake
the ten novice precepts, which include
8 precepts plus the additional precept
of not handling or keeping money. In
most forest monasteries, novices also no
longer drive cars. The novice precepts
and training are exactly the same for
male and female novice trainees. In
addition to the going forth, a novice
also takes “dependancy” upon the elder
Sangha member who will be her acariya
- her personal teacher, mentor and guide
through the ordination process.
Again, in the absence of
bhikkhunis, bhikkhus are both permitted
and enjoined by the Vinaya to give
both the novice and probationary
novice ordination to qualified women
candidates. In the currently (at least in
the West!) very rare event that a woman
has married very young, or become
a novice as a young girl, she might be
qualified to be ordained as a sikkhamana
from age 10 or age 18 respectively. For a
child bride, having proven her maturity
and responsibility by completing 2 vassas
of the sikkhamana training, she may be
fully ordained as a bhikkhuni even before
age 20. The Vinaya normally considers
age 20 to be the age of adulthood,
at which time one may, if having met
all requisite conditions, request full
ordination, the bhikkhuni upasampada,
from the monastic community. It is
noteworthy that, in some Thai, Korean,
Chinese and Tibetan tradition monastic
communities, women currently receive
and complete the sikkhamana ordination
and training for two years before fully
ordaining, no matter what their age. A
bhikkhuni is literally an almswoman or
female alms mendicant. Bhikkhuni is the
feminine form of bhikkhu.
“Women
upholding the
Dhamma”….
USA
Preceptor, The Chief
Founding Abbes of
Dhammadharini Monastery
& Senior Teacher in
Residence at Aranya Bodhi
Hermitage, California, USA
Most Venerable Bhikkhuni
Ayya Tathaloka Mahatheri
Sanghatheri,
16 l Mettavalokanaya l March l 2019 l www.mettavalokanaya.com www.mettavalokanaya.com l 2019 l March l Mettavalokanaya l 17