Understanding Vinaya¹

From the day he took that money it was as if a gap had opened between us. We could no longer understand each other. He's still my witness to this very day. Ever since that day I haven't used money or engaged in any buying or selling. I've been restrained in every way with money. I was constantly wary of wrongdoing, even though I hadn't done anything wrong. Inwardly I maintained the meditation practice. I no longer needed wealth, I saw it as a poison. Whether you give poison to a human being, a dog or anything else, it invariably causes death or suffering. If we see clearly like this we will be constantly on our guard not to take that ''poison.'' When we clearly see the harm in it, it's not difficult to give up.

Regarding food and meals brought as offerings, if I doubted them I wouldn't accept them. No matter how delicious or refined the food might be, I wouldn't eat it. Take a simple example, like raw pickled fish. Suppose you are living in a forest and you go on almsround and receive only rice and some pickled fish wrapped in leaves. When you return to your dwelling and open the packet you find that it's raw pickled fish... just throw it away¹⁴! Eating plain rice is better than transgressing the precepts. It has to be like this before you can say you really understand, then the Vinaya becomes simpler.

If other monks wanted to give me requisites, such as bowl, razor or whatever, I wouldn't accept, unless I knew them as fellow practicers with a similar standard of Vinaya. Why not? How can you trust someone who is unrestrained? They can do all sorts of things. Unrestrained monks don't see the value of the Vinaya, so it's possible that they could have obtained those things in improper ways. I was as scrupulous as this.

As a result, some of my fellow monks would look askance at me... ''He doesn't socialize, he won't mix...'' I was unmoved: ''Sure, we can mix when we die. When it comes to death we are all in the same boat,'' I thought. I lived with endurance. I was one who spoke little. If others criticized my practice I was unmoved. Why? Because even if I explained to them they wouldn't understand. They knew nothing about practice. Like those times when I would be invited to a funeral ceremony and somebody would say, ''Don't listen to him! Just put the money in his bag and don't say anything about it... don't let him know¹⁵.'' I would say, ''Hey, do you think I'm dead or something? Just because one calls alcohol perfume doesn't make it become perfume, you know. But you people, when you want to drink alcohol you call it perfume, then go ahead and drink. You must be crazy!''

Footnotes

...¹

Given to the assembly of monks after the recitation of the Patimokkha, at Wat Pah Png during the rains retreat of 1980

... Vinaya²

''Vinaya'' is a generic name given to the code of discipline of the Buddhist Monastic Order, the rules of the monkhood. Vinaya literally means ''leading out,'' because maintenance of these rules ''leads out'' of unskillful actions, and, by extension, unskillful states of mind; in addition it can be said to ''lead out'' of the household life, and, by extension, attachment to the world.

... teacher³

This refers to the Venerable Ajahn's early years in the monkhood, before he had begun to practice in earnest.

... her⁴

The second sanghādisesa offense, which deals with touching a woman with lustful intentions.

... offense⁵

Referring to pācittiya offense No. 36, for eating food outside of the allowed time - dawn till noon.

...dukkata⁶

Dukkata - offenses of ''wrong-doing,'' the lightest class of offenses in the Vinaya, of which there are a great number; pārājika - offenses of defeat, of which there are four, are the most serious, involving expulsion from the Bhikkhu Sangha.

... Mun⁷

Venerable Ajahn Mun Bhūridatto, probably the most renowned and highly respected Meditation Master from the forest tradition in Thailand. He had many disciples who have been teachers in their own right, of whom Ajahn Chah is one. Venerable Ajahn Mun died in 1949.

...Pubbasikkhā⁸

Pubbasikkhā Vannanā - ''The Elementary Training'' - a Thai Commentary on Dhamma-Vinaya based on the Pāli Commentaries; Visuddhimagga - ''The Path to Purity'' - Ācariya Buddhaghosa's exhaustive commentary on Dhamma-Vinaya.

...ottappa⁹

Hiri - sense of shame; Ottappa - fear of wrong-doing. Hiri and ottappa are positive states of mind which lay a foundation for clear conscience and moral integrity. Their arising is based on a respect for oneself and for others. Restraint is natural because of a clear perception of cause and effect.

...āpatti¹⁰

Āpatti: the offenses of various classes for a Buddhist monk.

...Mahā¹¹

Mahā: a title given to monks who have studied Pāli and completed up to the fourth year or higher.

... cloth¹²

A ''receiving cloth'' is a cloth used by Thai monks for receiving things from women, from whom they do not receive things directly. That Venerable Ajahn Pow lifted his hand from the receiving cloth indicated that he was not actually receiving the money.

... proper¹³

There are very precise and detailed regulations governing the ordination procedure which, if not adhered to, may render the ordination invalid.

... away¹⁴

The Vinaya forbids bhikkhus from eating raw meat or fish.

... know¹⁵

Although it is an offense for monks to accept money, there are many who do. Some may accept it while appearing not to, which is probably how the lay people in this instance saw the Venerable Ajahn's refusal to accept money, by thinking that he actually would accept it if they didn't overtly offer it to him, but just slipped it into his bag.

...añjalī¹⁶

Añjalī - the traditional way of making greeting or showing respect, as with an Indian Namaste or the Thai wai. Sādhu - ''It is well'' - a way of showing appreciation or agreement.

... themselves¹⁷

Another transgression of the precepts, a pācittiya offense.

...Navakovāda¹⁸

Navakovāda - a simplified synopsis of elementary Dhamma-Vinaya.