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Re: How to handle a beggar want to stay in your temple?

Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2017 12:51 pm
by Swatantra
User156079 wrote:
Monks are prohibited to give their alms food to beggars afaik, i dont see why same would not apply to Monasteries and other requisites.
Why is this? Surely if someone needed that food more than they did, it would be metta or just plain decent to give it to the homeless person?
I understand that the food was given to them, but since it is now in their possession, isn't it up to the monk to decide what to do with it?
Loose yourself in serving others :heart:

Re: How to handle a beggar want to stay in your temple?

Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2017 12:55 pm
by lyndon taylor
Certainly at the Cambodian temple I lived at, alms food was distributed to the congregation, homeless or not after the monks had eaten, this is pretty standard practice at Therevada temples I have attended.

Re: How to handle a beggar want to stay in your temple?

Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 6:20 am
by SarathW
Some interesting discussion with great photos in SC.

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/wh ... onk/7900/8

Re: How to handle a beggar want to stay in your temple?

Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 6:29 am
by dylanj
The gift of shelter is mentioned again & again in the suttas.

The proper choice is to allow them to stay. How could one turn them away?

Re: How to handle a beggar want to stay in your temple?

Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2018 10:46 am
by manas
dylanj wrote: Fri Jan 19, 2018 6:29 am The gift of shelter is mentioned again & again in the suttas.

The proper choice is to allow them to stay. How could one turn them away?
So long as they were quiet and didn't disturb the monks' meditation practice, I would think it would be the right thing, to let them stay. However, if the place got noisy to the point that monks keen on the practice, ended up having to leave, what then? The monastery could become a homeless shelter if one never said no, then, no more monks, no more laypeople visiting...then? Would that be a good thing? Compassion needs to be balanced against Wisdom, I think I heard that said somewhere. Where would the limit be? One homeless person? two? twenty? How far would one allow it? I don't think the answer is completely clear cut.

:anjali: