Upload
face2faithadmin
View
183
Download
5
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
As you can see from my Orange Robe, I am a
Bhikku, or monk in the Theravada Tradition of
Buddhism.Theravada means “The way of the elders”, and
is the oldest form of Buddhism, that
emphasises that, in order to become
enlightened, one must live as the Buddha did,
as a homeless wanderer, with few possessions.
Theravada Buddhism is practised in
countries all over the far east, as well as Sri Lanka, and
has also travelled to Britain and the USA
As Bhikkus we are members of the Sangha – the community that is working
towards enlightenment. Living in a community is important for us, as it helps us get closer to enlightenment – we live in
a disciplined way that reduces attachment, and we are surrounded by people who are all working towards the
same goal.
In the monastery we spend a lot of
time concentrating upon our own meditation
practice. The Buddha taught
that this was very important to reach enlightenment, so as bhikkus we are able to have lots
of time to concentrate on
this.
Another important part of our daily routine is Puja – this is
not really worship, as the Buddha is not a
God, but is a way of offering
respect to the work that he did,
and his teachings, that
will help us achieve
enlightenment.
One way that we can show respect for the Buddha’s
teaching is by looking after the beautiful Rupas (images) of the Buddha, that we have here in the
temple, to remind us what we are
working towards.
A great way to show your respect to the Buddha, and what he achieved, is to
make an offering – I give flowers and incense. Anyone
can do this, not just bhikkus.
Another important part of our job is to look after the laity – we help them
celebrate their weddings & funerals, we teach them the Dharma,
and how to meditate, and we lead Puja for
them.
Monks are very visible in our society, as they
go out on the alms round every day. As well as supplying the food for the monks,
this gives us an opportunity to remind the laity (people who are not monks) that
there are people who are working hard at
becoming enlightened.
Here in Thailand, it is easy to remember that there are people who have chosen to live as bhikkus, and
work at their enlightenment – you will see us every day, even in the cities!
Living as bhikkus we are concentrating
on the dharma, so we don’t have time to
grow or prepare our own food. We go out on
the Alms round every day, to
collect offerings of food from the
laity
It is important for members of
the laity to provide for the bhikkus – not
only do we gain merit by this
selfless giving (which may help
us towards enlightenment in future lives), but
we also show that we value the bhikkus’
presence in our society!
We think it is important to look after the bhikkus, so we place food
in their alms bowls when we visit the temple every day, as
well as giving to monks on the alms round.
As well as meditating, and
doing Pujas, a lot of our time is spent
studying – we have to know the
Buddha’s teachings really well, so that
we can teach people. I’m reading
the Dhammapadda, which is a book of
the Buddha’s teaching.
And I’m studying the Vinaya Pitaka,
which contains all the rules on how we should live as Monks – there are a lot to
learn, and I’ve got to learn them all, as we chant them together on Uposatha Days.
I’m still learning the chants that we have to sing in the daily puja,
and the ten precepts – the basic rules that we
have to follow as bhikkus.
I remember when I first became a
bhikku, as a young boy.
You have to be in good health,
without dependents, and without debts, if
you want to enter the Sangha.
My parents gave me the five things that would be my only possessions
in the Sangha
My robe
A Razor to shave my
head
My Alms Bowl
A Water Strainer
A Needle &
Thread
My head was shaved, so that I would no
longer be attached to my appearance, and to help remind me that I was now part of the
community
I received my new robe – it was hard to
get used to wearing it at first, and it felt
funny to look exactly like everyone else!
We all lined up with our new robes, and
offerings, to pay our respects to the Abbot
of the monastery.
We did the “taking refuge” ceremony in
front of the Abbot, and then promised to obey
the monastic rules.
“I go to the Buddha for refuge, I go to the Dharma
for refuge, I go to the Sangha for refuge. I go to
the Buddha for refuge, I go to the Dharma for refuge, I
go to the Sangha for refuge. I go to the Buddha for
refuge, I go to the Dharma for refuge, I go to the Sangha for refuge”.
Learning all the rules & ways of life was hard work for the first few months.
We are very lucky that we have the time and space to practise the dharma. The
monastery is a peaceful, calm place where it is easy for us to meditate – having that quiet
place, and the support, makes it easier to meditate.