Without and within

What does Buddhism have to say about human sexuality?

What does Buddhism have to say about human sexuality? As human sexuality is such a strong and potentially disruptive force in human relations, the Buddha taught that it needs to be governed wisely. Lay Buddhists undertake a moral precept requiring them to refrain from all illicit forms of sexuality; the precept emphasizes adultery, but includes rape and sexual harassment. Buddhists are encouraged to take care of their senses and not indulge in sights, sounds, odors, tastes and toughing that over-stimulate sexual desire. The desire for sexual pleasure can, when indulged in blindly, lead to much suffering, and in some cases […]

What is the Buddhist attitude to women?

What is the Buddhist attitude to women? First and foremost, women are viewed as human beings subject to birth, old age, sickness and death: beings prone to suffering and with the ability and opportunity to transcend it. The Buddha made it very clear that the capacity for enlightenment is not gender-based. It is present by virtue of a human birth and women are viewed as having the same spiritual potential as men. In light of this view of their spiritual capacity, the Buddha gave women who wished to devote themselves wholeheartedly to his training the opportunity to become monastics. He […]

Why has so much blood been shed in the name of religion? Has Buddhism contributed to the carnage?

Why has so much blood been shed in the name of religion? Has Buddhism contributed to the carnage? Human beings need their lives to make sense, to have meaning and purpose. Religions appear to meet this need. As a consequence, most people adopt a set of religious beliefs or dogmas as a framework within which to understand their lives. But as there are number of belief systems, and each one tends to assert that it alone is the possessor of truth, the age-old conflict between belief systems and the passions they engender is inevitable. Despite all of the “religious” violence […]

Why do monks in Thailand receive offerings from women on a piece of cloth rather than directly from their hands?

Why do monks in Thailand receive offerings from women on a piece of cloth rather than directly from their hands? This practice was not laid down by the Buddha, and is not followed by monks in other Theravada countries. It is a convention (possibly copied from Khmer court ritual) that was adopted by the Thai Sangha some hundreds of years ago in order to maintain the formality of relations between monks and laywomen. Giving, by its nature, creates a certain sense of intimacy between the one who gives and the one who receives. By accepting offering on a cloth, the […]

Isn’t it better to work to make society a better place than to leave it in order to become a monk or nun?

Isn’t it better to work to make society a better place than to leave it in order to become a monk or nun? The monastic order is linked to society at large by a complex web of relationships. It might better be considered as one special part of society rather than a body outside of it altogether. Becoming a monastic does not entail cutting off all ties with the world, but of adopting a new relationship to it. Monastics uphold the integrity of the Buddha’s teachings, preventing them from becoming diluted or distorted. They put the teachings into practice and […]

Can buddhist women become monastics?

Can women become monastics? Yes, women can lead a monastic life, dedicating their lives to the study and practice of the Buddhist teachings, but not in quite the same way as the nuns of earlier generations. Unfortunately, the original nuns order, the Bhikkhuni Sangha, became extinct more than a thousand years ago. The prevailing (although not unanimous) view in Theravada Buddhist countries is that reviving the bhikkhuni order is not possible, as the requirements for bhikkhuni ordination laid down by the Buddha can no longer be fulfilled. Theravada being a tradition that defines itself by its conservative attitude to the […]

As monks lead such secluded lives, how qualified are they to give advice to lay people on their family and work problems?

As monks lead such secluded lives, how qualified are they to give advice to lay people on their family and work problems? People from every social class and livelihood, old and young, male and female, go to visit senior monks. People discuss their lives and problems with these monks in the same way that people in the West might talk to a priest or therapist. As a result, such monks tend to have a good grasp of the kinds of issues facing their lay disciples. A life devoted to understanding of the human mind means that senior monks, particularly the […]

What monks do every day?

What do Buddhist monks do all day? The daily life of the monks depends on the kind of monastery they live in, and the stage of their monastic career. In the monasteries situated in the villages, towns and cities of Thailand, monks attend morning and evening services, go on almsround in the early morning, and spend the rest of their day studying, teaching or performing ceremonial duties. Generally speaking, meditation practice does not constitute a major part of their life. Monks in these monasteries take two meals a day, the first after almsround and the second at around eleven a.m. […]

Do Buddhist monastics take lifetime vows?

Do Buddhist monastics take lifetime vows? Entering the monastic order entails making a commitment to monastic training that is left open-ended. Privately, a monk might make a vow to remain in robes for the rest of his life, but it is not expected of him. In fact, the majority of those who enter the order eventually leave it. Temporary ordination has long been a key feature of Thai Buddhism. Traditionally, young men have become monks for the three-month rainy season retreat (vassa), which is held between the full moons of July and October. The value of this custom lies firstly […]

What does “tudong” mean?, What is a “tudong monk”?

What does “tudong” mean? What is a “tudong monk”? The [Thai] term “tudong” is derived from the Pali term “dhutanga” and refers to thirteen practices allowed to the Sangha by the Buddha that “go against the grain”. This list of ascetic practices includes eating one meal a day, eating all food from almsbowl and living at the root of a tree, and concludes with the most demanding: abstaining from the posture of lying down. The tudong practices play a prominent role in the forest monasteries of northeast Thailand, and many are embedded in a daily life of the monastic communites. […]

Is it necessary to join the monastic order to realize enlightenment?

Is it necessary to join the monastic order to realize enlightenment? The Sangha was established by the Buddha specifically in order to provide the optimum conditions for those men and women wishing to commit themselves wholeheartedly to his path of awakening. For this reason, the Sangha is the most supportive vocation for those truly serious about Buddhist practice. However, not everyone is suited to monastic life, and many people serious about Buddhist practice have obligations that make ordination impossible. Fortunately for those who cannot or do not wish to lead a monastic life, following the path to enlightenment as a […]

Why did the Buddha allow monks to eat meat?

Why did the Buddha allow monks to eat meat? The first and most important reason is that eating meat is not, in itself, considered blameworthy. The Buddha allowed monks to eat meat if they had not seen, heard or suspected that any living beings had been killed specifically to make the dish for them. In such a case, having made no direct contribution to the death of the creature, monks made no kamma by consuming its flesh. The Buddha neither forbade monks to practice vegetarianism, nor praise it. His teachings on food focused on the importance of eating easily digestible […]

What is the purpose of almsround?

What is the purpose of almsround? Buddhists consider that the work of monastics (the study, practice and teaching of Dhamma) is so important that they should be free to pursue it without concern for basic material necessities of life. Householders believe much merit is acquired by offering material support to the Sangha. The Buddha designed the monastic discipline in such a way as to prevent monks from completely cutting themselves off from the world. The training rules dealing with food play a major part in fulfilling this aim. One rule, for example, stipulates that monks may only eat food that […]

What is the purpose of the monastic celibacy?

What is the purpose of the monastic celibacy? The sangha was established by the Buddha for those wishing to devote themselves single-mindedly to his path of awakening. The Buddha designed monastic life to be one of radical simplicity, with the minimum amount of unnecessary distraction. Romantic attachments, sexual relationships, and their usual outcome –parenting- are all incompatible with the training he devised. They would also compromise the symbiotic relationship between the mendicant order and society at large which the Buddha envisaged. The Buddha discovered that the more subtle forms of happiness and the experience of true well-being are rarely accessible, […]

What is the Vinaya?

What is the Vinaya? The Vinaya is the name given to the compendium of training rules, protocols, procedures and duties laid down by the Buddha for the monastic order. The Vinaya is intended to maintain harmony within amongst monastic communities and to create the optimum conditions for the practice of Dhamma by each individual monk. The heart of the Vinaya is the Patimokkha, the 227 rules which constitute the basic code of discipline. The Patimokkha is divided into a number of sections. The first consists of four expulsion offenses: sexual intercourse, stealing, killing a human being, making bogus claims of […]