01. Monastery – Discipline

By Luang Pu Thate Desaraṅsī

September 15, 1963, Evening (Instruction for Buddhist monks and novices) at Wat Charoen Samanakit, Phuket

Today we begin a new chapter of teaching. Let everyone strive to make their minds new, so that you may listen to new teachings. Old things tend to become dull. An old person, an old mind, holds no value and lacks luster.

The training and cultivation according to the Buddha's teachings – initially, everyone comes to the monastery to listen to sermons, hear the Dhamma, observe the precepts, and ordain in this Dhamma-Vinaya (Doctrine and Discipline) precisely to train their body, speech, and mind correctly according to the Buddha's teachings. This is because one understands that the teachings of Buddhism are good, reasonable, and trustworthy.

Now, much time has already passed; only a few days remain until the end of the Rains Retreat (Vassa). As for our training and cultivation mentioned, have we now collectively examined the results? Has anyone gained anything as a reward? Not only for this year specifically, but even for those who have been training for many years, examine whether our training and cultivation have been worthwhile.

Generally, for a person who will enter to study, train, and seek knowledge and virtue in any institution, they must first decide for themselves whether the institution they will enter for training is good and capable of imparting the knowledge and virtue they desire. Buddhism, in particular, is an excellent institution. It is not merely capable of providing us with knowledge and skill for living happily and comfortably, but it can also enable those who understand and practice accordingly to realize the truth, attaining the paths, fruits, and Nibbāna. Buddhism is therefore a supreme institution, a center of culture and morality, sustaining right livelihood, with happiness as its reward. Having understood this clearly, one generates faith and strives to train in this Buddhism.

However, once entered, if one does not act well, not in line with the original intention and aspiration – for example, not being intent on training and studying to understand the principles of Dhamma, instead coming to destroy the customs, rules, regulations, and discipline established by the elders, being stubborn and violating them, bending those rules to suit one's own defilements and desires – this is contrary to purpose. Not only does it destroy a noble and highly revered institution, but it also reflects negatively, causing damage and trouble for many people. It is similar to being hungry, seeing someone selling poison, and mistaking it for delicious snacks to satisfy hunger. Only after buying and consuming it do you realize it wasn't a snack, but poison meant to kill.

One should observe within one's own mind. Then you will know whether you have entered to train in the Buddha's teachings with pure sincerity, or whether you have come to undermine this noble and highly revered institution. You can know this from the following considerations:

When teachers, mentors, fellow celibate companions, or anyone else with good intentions advises or admonishes you about what is good and proper to bring you in line with the Dhamma-Vinaya, or when you see or hear the rules, regulations, customs, observances, and Dhamma-Vinaya, if it causes you to feel discouraged, burdened, resentful, angry, displeased, to the point of transgressing and violating them, then understand that this is undermining, not upholding and promoting.

But if, when teachers, mentors, fellow celibate companions, etc., with good intentions advise us on what is good and proper to align our conduct with the Dhamma-Vinaya, or when we see or hear the rules, regulations, customs, and observances established by the elders, it increases our faith, shows our satisfaction, and we desire to practice correctly, asking those who know to guide us in practice, without stubbornness, conceit, or self-importance – these are the signs of one who has ordained to train and cultivate, solely to promote, uphold, and glorify Buddhism. It is like a person seeking valuable treasure. If someone, even a leper without a home, points out a place with valuable minerals, such as gold and gems, that person would not feel disgust towards that leper. The joy and delight in receiving that information, even without yet seeing the treasure, would be immeasurable.

Consider this well: The Dhamma-Vinaya, rules, regulations, customs, and observances were all established to serve as tools for training and cultivating our body, speech, and mind, to gradually improve them. They were established long ago, even before we came to train. We willingly had faith, seeing that it was a good and correct path, and therefore entered this training without being forced. But after entering and training, we act perversely. No matter which way we look, whatever we see or do, everything seems poisonous and oppressive towards us alone, in every way. When teachers and fellow practitioners advise us, it feels like being stabbed in the chest. We ordained to train, seeking goodness and happiness as a reward, but ordaining like this, we instead fall into hell while still alive – a pitiful state from which no one can help us.

What has been presented is for those within, those closely involved, to help examine whether there is anything lacking in our training and cultivation that should be corrected. Let us help improve and rectify things for the better. If anything is correct, then let us help promote it to grow and last long. Do not abandon the responsibility solely to the teachers and mentors who are the leaders; it burdens them. The burden of being a leader is not just about administration; it is immense.

Especially regarding monks, the burden is too great to fully describe. Monks are the center of everything, both good and bad. If they don't manage the monastery well, if they don't train disciples and lay followers well, if they don't manage or maintain the monastery well, if they don't comply with the wishes of the lay supporters and villagers, if they can't serve them due to poor health or other necessities – they are disliked. If they please the lay supporters and villagers but go against policies and the Dhamma-Vinaya, then by doing so, they cause their own decline, loss, defilement, and harm to Buddhism. Especially regarding the training of lay supporters and Buddhists with good intentions, sometimes not only do they refuse to listen and comply, but some even become angry, looking for faults and making various accusations. Truly, this is the karmic burden of a leading monk.

Therefore, some senior monks, being lazy and unwilling to accept this karmic burden, let go, relinquish responsibility, and ignore matters because they see it as not worthwhile. Ultimately, this noble and honorable Sangha institution will have only degenerate members residing in it, causing intellectuals to become weary and lose respect. Those who behave degenerately are truly creating bad kamma, causing destruction for themselves and the community. Monks who are steadfast in morality and good discipline, seeking progress for themselves, unable to tolerate the situation, find ways to save themselves, abandoning the messy and negligent companions to trample upon the Dhamma-Vinaya according to the nature of evil people. This truly constitutes unknowingly undermining Buddhism.

Now, let us all examine our own conduct and minds: Since we have ordained and entered training in this Buddhism, have we come to promote and glorify it, in line with the faith we initially had before we entered training? If we have come to be enemies undermining Buddhism, this noble and highest revered institution of ours, then we are considered to be creating terrible bad kamma. Buddhism is an excellent thing, manifest to the world for over two thousand years. If we sincerely incline our body and mind with faith and practice correctly, we will find joy in being one person who has helped uphold and support Buddhism.

When we enter to study and train in any institution, whether Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, or any other school of study, do not drag the precepts, rules, regulations, customs, etc., of that institution to fit your own defilements, or amend those rules to suit your own preferences, setting yourself up as a teacher in their place. A person who acts like this will stunt their own growth and progress, ultimately becoming a person at odds with the world, with no place to belong.

Examples can be seen in some people who observe precepts:

1. Abstaining from killing living beings. But when seeing a poisonous dangerous animal, even though that animal hasn't harmed anyone, they destroy and kill it to prevent it from harming others. This is considered dragging the precept to fit their own defilements. It is not in line with observing the precept to abandon coarse defilements. Those with defilements often act differently from others. They cheat, steal, oppress, and harm others without shame, thinking it is their own virtue.

2. Abstaining from stealing what others have not given. But in some cases, when an opportunity for great gain appears, they cannot resist, cheating or stealing just once. Thinking, "Once rich, I won't have to suffer," they then start observing precepts anew to cleanse themselves. This is thinking only of gain without consideration for others. Doing meritorious deeds and observing precepts to cleanse away evil is like using oil to wash off mud.

3. Abstaining from sexual misconduct. But sometimes, unable to restrain the mind because the other party entices them into infatuation, and after the transgression, they blame each other, each claiming their mind was pure but the other led them astray. Having transgressed together, neither admits fault. Sexual misconduct is not something ordinary humans transgress easily, unlike animals for whom it is natural. Yet even humans cannot keep their eyes from wandering, let alone speak of intentional transgression.

4. Abstaining from false speech, from saying things that are untrue. But human deceit and cunning are abundant. If not lying, then deceiving. If not deceiving, then instigating. If not instigating, then slandering, gossiping, speaking sarcastically and taunting, finding ways to prevent others from living in peace. Such humans are in hell wherever they go; it is truly sinful.

5. Abstaining from intoxicating drinks and drugs. But when fond of it, they make excuses – for friends, for society, to aid digestion, for health reasons. Ultimately, after drinking, they say they didn't cause trouble for anyone, so it's probably not sinful. All such cases are dragging the precepts to fit their own defilements, forcing the precepts to surrender to their desires.

Similarly, for those ordained in this Dhamma-Vinaya, who ordain and cause trouble within the community, becoming monks and novices who clutter the monastery, they all force the Dhamma-Vinaya, rules, regulations, etc., to surrender to their desires. Ordaining like this solely undermines and destroys Buddhism. It is very sinful. Those who do evil deeds, who do only bad, cannot tolerate seeing others do good. They find ways to obstruct in every way, afraid that their own evil will be overshadowed and revealed. When repeatedly advised and admonished by well-meaning monks or teachers, they consider them fussy and annoying, thinking, "Everything is wrong, what more do you want?" They haven't even examined themselves to see what they are like. They are newcomers, not yet knowing the Dhamma-Vinaya, yet unwilling to come and study, learn, and practice following the elders. When the elders provide training, they become displeased. Why is this? Because those who come to ordain and train in the monastery do not first leave their defilements outside the monastery. They bring all they have along with them.

Training and study in Buddhism is a method for gradually eroding and cleansing one's own defilements until they eventually diminish and cease entirely. Therefore, as soon as they are trained to recognize the face of defilements, and are cultivated according to the plan to erode and cleanse them, the defilements become agitated and struggle. The servants of defilements cannot tolerate it, thus manifesting reactions externally, leading to undermining everywhere and in every institution they enter.

Then, when such a person flees from such a place or disrobes from that monastery, since they did not take any goodness away from it, only evil – having brought evil in and now taking that same evil out – they proclaim that the institution is bad, the monastery is bad, the teachers are bad. Others with similar inclinations are also misled by such words, even though they themselves have never entered that institution or ordained in that monastery. It is no different from cutting a thorny bamboo branch and piling it up in the monastery, preventing anyone from touching or doing anything. If they were to set it on fire and burn it, or if the owner hadn't given permission, dragging it into a house just clutters it. To speak the truth according to reality, one must say this: it is natural for a thief to dislike the police, but a thief can reform because of the police's constant supervision.

Coming to ordain in Buddhism, even upasakas and upasikas (laymen and laywomen) who come to the monastery for occasional training, do so to discipline and train body, speech, and mind, to let go of what is unwholesome and unbecoming. They do not come to establish independence, clinging to conceit and stubbornness, refusing to be advised or admonished by anyone, and not following anyone's instructions, only following their own will. If a person does not abandon conceit and stubbornness to discipline themselves, they certainly cannot live in society. The term "a person with a high mind" does not mean high due to stubborn conceit. If that were the case, even a tiny gnat could have a higher mind than a human. "High" here means knowing good and evil, then abandoning evil and returning to goodness, and not reverting to doing evil, which is base and depraved.

Animals have low minds. Few can better themselves beyond their original state. Even if trained in various arts – for example, trained to act in a play very well – they can only do so for the trainer. Beyond that, they cannot do anything else. Even regarding what they can do, they do not understand its background or purpose. Furthermore, in training animals, people often get them addicted to drugs first. Once addicted, they use the drugs to bribe them to obey commands. Buddhism is not a drug. It teaches one to recognize what is wrong and what is right, what is good that brings benefit, what is evil that brings suffering and dukkha. Having clearly understood benefit and harm oneself, one then abandons evil and does good without anyone forcing them. Hence, they are called one with a high mind. If one cannot abandon evil, then one is not high.

Now, I will tell a tale of five animals with certain fortunes as a lesson. The story goes: There was a pigeon suffering grief over its mate because a hawk had swooped down and taken its mate to eat. Seeing the danger of attachment, wanting to alleviate its sorrow, it decided to observe precepts. So it withdrew to observe precepts alone in a certain place.

Later, a python bit a royal bull that was grazing at the edge of the forest, causing its death because the bull had stepped on the snake. The snake became angry and bit it. The bull's owners came and saw it, grieving there. The snake then thought, "The bull's owners are suffering because I got angry and bit their bull to death." So the snake decided to observe precepts to subdue its anger and went to observe precepts in a place not far from the pigeon.

Afterwards, a bear, searching for food in a dense forest abundant with acorns, honey, etc., became so engrossed in foraging that it went beyond its usual territory. A hunter's dog saw it and gave chase. The bear barely escaped with its life. Dogs, being domestic animals, are no match for bears; they lost the scent and couldn't keep up. The bear narrowly escaped the dog's influence and went to rest dejectedly in a thicket. There it reflected: "The suffering I received this time was because I lacked moderation in seeking food. Enough of this; I will go observe precepts to alleviate my greed." Thinking thus, it went to observe precepts not far from the snake.

There was also a jackal searching for food who came upon a dead wild elephant. The jackal thought, "Our luck is truly great today. Such a huge pile of food; it will take days to finish." Thinking this, it started gnawing and eating. As usual with animals faced with abundant food, it would choose the tastiest parts first. As the jackal walked around the massive food pile, it saw the elephant's anus, thinking, "This is the spot. I'll gnaw through here to reach the internal organs quickly. The internal organs are more delicious than all the meat." This unfortunate, witless jackal, focused only on food, gnawed through and reached the internal organs. It ate contentedly until full. Then, turning to get out, it found it couldn't. So it remained lying in that one spot (inside the elephant's stomach) for several months until the elephant's flesh rotted and fell apart, allowing the jackal to escape. By then, all its fur had fallen out, leaving only reddish skin covering its entire body. It then reflected, "Ah! The intense suffering I endured this time was because I was deluded by food. Enough of this; I will go observe precepts to alleviate my delusion." Thinking thus, it went to observe precepts near the other three animals.

The area where these four types of animals had come to observe precepts was the dwelling place of a hermit, for a long time. That hermit would go out each morning to find fruits and food to sustain himself, as was his daily routine. One day, the hermit went out early to find food. Returning to his hermitage in the evening, he saw a Paccekabuddha (Silent Buddha) seated on his seat. He became angry, thinking, "What's so special about this ascetic that he dares to sit on my seat?" and, with conceit, shouted, "Hey! What's so special about this ascetic that he dares to sit on my seat?" Hearing this, the Paccekabuddha flew away through the air. Seeing this, the hermit reflected, "My! That ascetic was truly wonderful. If I hadn't been conceited and had gone to ask him about the Dhamma, I might have gained knowledge and wisdom, perhaps even attained his state. This happened because of my conceit." Reflecting thus, he addressed himself: "Enough of this; I will observe precepts to alleviate my conceit." So he also observed precepts there.

When the hermit saw the four animals living together peacefully observing precepts in the same vicinity, he asked them, "You belong to different species. What is your purpose for gathering here together?" The animals each responded according to their intentions, as previously described.

Though animals are unfortunate beings incapable of practicing well enough to attain the paths, fruits, and Nibbāna, some, when they perceive the danger of their own evil, still strive to observe precepts to rectify and abandon that evil. As for us, we are humans, known as having high minds, capable of doing good in every way, even capable of completely ending all suffering. Now, we are already Buddhists. We come together to observe precepts, listen to Dhamma, and ordain as monks, novices, and mae chees (nuns). If we cannot abandon love, greed, anger, delusion, conceit, and stubbornness, or do not even make an effort to abandon them at all, would we not be worse than those animals? Is this not disheartening? These defilements have already caused us suffering and trouble countless times in this very life, not to mention past or future lives.

We have come to train and cultivate in this Buddhism precisely to abandon these very defilements. But if, after training and cultivating earnestly, we still cannot abandon them, instead only accumulating more defilements, making them denser and increasing, then we become defiled by defilements. Virtuous people of morality will not be able to associate with us, like a pig wallowing in feces, its whole body reeking. The lion is a clean animal. If the lion cannot approach because it detests filth, but the pig instead prides itself on having power over the lion. Such a person, wherever they stay, wherever they go, cannot find happiness because the fire of defilements – love, greed, anger, delusion, conceit, and stubbornness – constantly burns them. Entering any society, they are rejected because those defilements obscure them, preventing them from adapting to society.

Buddhism is an institution for training and cultivating towards peace. But if we bring those defilements in and use them to create bad kamma, it seems to be more sinful than creating it elsewhere. Because the defilements of each person, unable to be calmed, leak out and soil others who are clean, creating an ugly and disgusting impurity. It is like a pig in a cesspit, feeling nothing but contentment and comfort.

A monastery is a place for training in morality. But if, after residing in the monastery, we are covered by those defilements, we have no way to see morality ourselves, and others have no opportunity to show us the way either. No matter how much anyone speaks well, teaches well, with kindness and good intentions, we see it only negatively. This is not slander; it is speaking according to truth. Those who have been like this must know for themselves. Or if we enter any society, we are likely to encounter such people everywhere.

This teaching is for everyone to examine themselves. No one can do it for us. If we still cannot abandon [defilements], do not see their danger, or see it but still refuse to abandon them, then do not blame others or blame Buddhism, including its customs, regulations, rules, etc., because they were established as such long before we came to train. It is better to blame ourselves: that our coming here has deviated from our own intention, not aligning with our own true desire. Then we should withdraw from that institution or monastery.

Otherwise, besides not being beneficial to ourselves or others, we become an obstacle for those carrying out activities according to the institution's and monastery's plans, and we cause our own minds trouble and conflict. This is creating bad kamma within a sacred and revered institution, which is utterly inappropriate. It is an evil manifesting clearly for the world to see.

In the time of the Buddha, there is a story about several monks of immoral conduct who listened to a Dhamma sermon given by the Buddha about the dangers of immorality. They then saw the danger of their own immoral conduct and became so distressed that they vomited blood. Here, let me add a note. If one were to ask, "Didn't the Buddha cause distress to his own disciples?" I answer: No. The Buddha's disciples themselves did evil and then became distressed themselves because, upon hearing the Dhamma, they saw the danger of the wrongs they had committed.

All teachers (founders of religions) in this world teach their followers to see the danger of evil and abandon it, and show the benefit of good and encourage doing it.

But some religions accept taking on the sins (evil) committed by their followers through various rituals. In Buddhism, however, the Buddha does not accept taking on anyone's evil or good. Whoever does it, it belongs to that person, whether good or evil. He simply teaches one to know the benefit and danger of that good and evil, and then to abandon or do it oneself freely. Therefore, anyone who wishes to do evil but fears sin, and does not wish to do good because they are lazy and seek easy ways, can go join a religion that has a god who absolves sins – that's fine too. This is presented today as food for thought: before we do anything on a piece of land, we need to prepare and level it first. For example, when building a house, farming, or gardening, if the land isn't prepared, the result won't be good.

Entering to train and cultivate in this Buddhism is the same. If we are not willing to leave defilements such as love, greed, anger, delusion, conceit, and stubbornness outside the monastery first, and then come in to train, we will not get the intended result. Not only will we not get the intended result, but we will also create trouble and obstruct our own path and the institution's path moving forward.

Therefore, having listened, please take this Dhamma topic to contemplate and adjust yourselves correctly according to the Dhamma presented. This will bring benefit and happiness to yourselves. If you do not accept contemplation or do not accept correction, then there is no other way; no one can help you. This has been presented accordingly.

Training and study in Buddhism is a method for gradually eroding and cleansing one's own defilements until they diminish and eventually cease entirely.