My monk teacher refused almsfood and handles money?

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Virgo
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Re: My monk teacher refused almsfood and handles money?

Post by Virgo »

lyndon taylor wrote:One of the points I am trying to make is that one persons edible partly brown banana, might be a rotten banana to someone more squemish like me, My own mom will eat what I consider rotten bananas and if I were to eat them they make me gag, so before we judge the monk in the OPs story we need to see the bananas and maybe estimate how many days if ever they will be eaten in, does anyone even consider they may have already had some fresher supply of less brown bananas, anyway if your going to take bananas to a monastery I suggest you buy them at the supermarket fresh the same day the way you would for your self, rather than decide they're getting old we'll just give them to the monks!!
Don't be hard to please bhikkhu. :anjali:

Kevin
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lyndon taylor
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Re: My monk teacher refused almsfood and handles money?

Post by lyndon taylor »

I'm not a monk anymore and I'm speaking entirely as a lay person about appropriate gifts to the monks, if leftovers is the absolute best you have to give then maybe, but have a little respect for the monks. they're asking you for very little, its seems the least you could do is give good food......This is not an issue of how the monks should behave but rather how the alms giving lay person should behave, as for the monks I'm not qualified to speak on their behalf.
18 years ago I made one of the most important decisions of my life and entered a local Cambodian Buddhist Temple as a temple boy and, for only 3 weeks, an actual Therevada Buddhist monk. I am not a scholar, great meditator, or authority on Buddhism, but Buddhism is something I love from the Bottom of my heart. It has taught me sobriety, morality, peace, and very importantly that my suffering is optional, and doesn't have to run my life. I hope to give back what little I can to the Buddhist community, sincerely former monk John

http://trickleupeconomictheory.blogspot.com/
Feathers
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Re: My monk teacher refused almsfood and handles money?

Post by Feathers »

I'm not suggesting you should give bad food to the monks - if I was somewhere where monks went on alms rounds I probably would set aside good food for them! But at the same time the monks should not be picky, unless it is actually a question of health - they shouldn't expect as their right the best food, which is what you seemed to imply in the apple situation.
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lyndon taylor
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Re: My monk teacher refused almsfood and handles money?

Post by lyndon taylor »

You have it backwards, the monk didn't choose which apple you gave him, you did, its a matter of respect, and I see a lot of disrespect for monks on these forums, I don't think any lay person quite appreciates just how difficult it can be to actually become a monk, even if its not for a whole lifetime. Before you criticize a monk for accepting money, when you use money every day, try being a monk in the modern world and not use money, then give your opinion, the monks are there to help you learn, the least you can do is show a little respect in return.
18 years ago I made one of the most important decisions of my life and entered a local Cambodian Buddhist Temple as a temple boy and, for only 3 weeks, an actual Therevada Buddhist monk. I am not a scholar, great meditator, or authority on Buddhism, but Buddhism is something I love from the Bottom of my heart. It has taught me sobriety, morality, peace, and very importantly that my suffering is optional, and doesn't have to run my life. I hope to give back what little I can to the Buddhist community, sincerely former monk John

http://trickleupeconomictheory.blogspot.com/
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Virgo
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Re: My monk teacher refused almsfood and handles money?

Post by Virgo »

lyndon taylor wrote:Before you criticize a monk for accepting money, when you use money every day, try being a monk in the modern world and not use money, then give your opinion, the monks are there to help you learn, the least you can do is show a little respect in return.
I did. The least monks could do is have a little respect for the Vinaya and follow the rules they vow to follow - and which they joyfully reaffirm fortnightly.

I lived as a bhikkhu in 2008 without accepting, keeping, or using money. It really wasn't that difficult. The difficult part was the celibacy, and especially not falling into sanghadisesa.

When I needed to go somewhere, I walked. If I needed a ride there were usually lay people that would give me one, and if I needed a cab, lay people would pay the driver up front or when I got to my destination. What else would a monk need money for nowadays? Food, requisites, shelter? Those are all donated...

Buddhist monks are not allowed use money. If they want to use money, they can be laypeople.

Kevin
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cooran
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Re: My monk teacher refused almsfood and handles money?

Post by cooran »

Thank you, Kevin. Ven. Dhammasiha at Dhammagiri Hermitage does not use money, and accepts only whatever food Dana is offered by devout lay people, and, if travel is needed, he is transported by lay people. A good monk should follow the Vinaya. He has my absolute respect.

With metta,
Chris
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Virgo
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Re: My monk teacher refused almsfood and handles money?

Post by Virgo »

cooran wrote:Thank you, Kevin. Ven. Dhammasiha at Dhammagiri Hermitage does not use money, and accepts only whatever food Dana is offered by devout lay people, and, if travel is needed, he is transported by lay people. A good monk should follow the Vinaya. He has my absolute respect.

With metta,
Chris
And mine too. Thanks for sharing that! :namaste:

Anumodhana

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appicchato
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Re: My monk teacher refused almsfood and handles money?

Post by appicchato »

...they're asking you for very little...
(Skillful) monks don't ask for anything...(water the exception)...
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Re: My monk teacher refused almsfood and handles money?

Post by Dr. Dukkha »

So I talked to the monk that refused the food.
He told me that food that you give to monk has to be special.
So he doesn't always accept leftovers.
And that he would prefer for me to give the leftovers to homeless people around the area.
Then he told me that he had nothing to eat tomorrow but still didn't regret his decision.

What do you guys think about this?
"There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting."
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Sekha
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Re: My monk teacher refused almsfood and handles money?

Post by Sekha »

That's BS. As others have said, a true monk accepts whatever is given, if it's allowable, of course.
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retrofuturist
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Re: My monk teacher refused almsfood and handles money?

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,
Sekha wrote:That's BS. As others have said, a true monk accepts whatever is given, if it's allowable, of course.
Especially so when you consider the traditional house-to-house alms gathering, where what is offered is very much leftovers, or a little extra that has been prepared for monks.

Lay followers offer alms/requisites, not a deluxe catering service.

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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kmath
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Re: My monk teacher refused almsfood and handles money?

Post by kmath »

Bhikkhu Pesala wrote:How to Tell the Difference Between a Monk and a Monkey

Offer some money and some bananas
  1. If he accepts the bananas and rejects the money, he's a monkey, not a monk
  2. If he accepts the money and rejects the bananas, he's not a scrupulous monk.
  3. If he accepts the bananas, and explains that money is not allowable for monks, he is a monk, not a monkey
  4. If he rejects the bananas and the money, and explains that money is not allowable for monks, and that bananas are only allowable at the right time, he's a monk, not a monkey.

:thumbsup:
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lyndon taylor
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Re: My monk teacher refused almsfood and handles money?

Post by lyndon taylor »

It seems some people have more respect for themselves and what they eat than they do respect for the monks and their diet. It is not really a lay followers place to be telling monks how to interpret the Vinaya, when the lay followers have no intention of following it themselves. Differing interpretations of the Vinaya have more to do with traditions within sects, and the interpretations of the monk elders, (the novice monks have little say in it) it is certainly not for the lay follower to be telling monks they should eat food that's going bad, and if you don't like the way one particular temple interprets the vinaya, find another one that will take your rotten bananas.
18 years ago I made one of the most important decisions of my life and entered a local Cambodian Buddhist Temple as a temple boy and, for only 3 weeks, an actual Therevada Buddhist monk. I am not a scholar, great meditator, or authority on Buddhism, but Buddhism is something I love from the Bottom of my heart. It has taught me sobriety, morality, peace, and very importantly that my suffering is optional, and doesn't have to run my life. I hope to give back what little I can to the Buddhist community, sincerely former monk John

http://trickleupeconomictheory.blogspot.com/
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appicchato
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Re: My monk teacher refused almsfood and handles money?

Post by appicchato »

...what is offered is very much leftovers, or a little extra that has been prepared for monks.
Not to quibble, but, at least in Thailand (in my experience (seven rains (and counting))), no 'leftovers' are ever offered...

It would also seem some people need to get a grip...
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Re: My monk teacher refused almsfood and handles money?

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,
appicchato wrote:Not to quibble, but, at least in Thailand (in my experience (seven rains (and counting))), no 'leftovers' are ever offered...
That's interesting to know, bhante. I was actually thinking of back in the Buddha's time when I wrote that, though I'm sure that even nowadays that in more impoverished or drought-affected areas, there's a need for both sides to be a bit more pragmatic.

Perhaps it depends on what we mean by "leftovers" because I wasn't inferring scraps off someone's plate or anything, for example... what differentiates "leftovers" from "pre-prepared meal"?

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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