Introduction

One of my childhood favorite board games made by MAD Magazine. Unlike other games, the object of the game was to lose all of your money.

In the last post, it was mentioned that the majority of Theravāda monks use money even though it is clearly not allowed, is a form of disrespect and defiance to the Buddha wishes and because of the moment to moment accumulation nature of using money or things bought with money, it adds up just like the drops of rain fill rivers which in turn fill up the oceans. The Buddha had also paired the use of money with three other unallowable actions such as sex, use of intoxicants, and wrong livelihood to show how bad the kamma really is. Because of this, it should be very clear that the use of money by monks will almost surely lead to an unhappy destination.

The solution is to not use money. But how is that done?

How does one live without money?

The easiest way to live without money is to join a monastery that is sincere about learning the teachings of the Buddha so they can be put into practice. Sincere monasteries generally follow the 227 rules of the bhikkhu. Why is this? Because morality (sīla-visuddhi) is the first step of the seven stages of purification. If you wanted to become a monk, wouldn’t you want to join a sincere monastery?

How to find such a monastery? If you are new to ordaining, I have an article called “Where to Ordain?” that recommends some places and discusses some monasteries that I feel are suitable for those who are new to Buddhism.

The monks who use money already know which monasteries don’t use money and they are welcome to join at any time. They simply choose to avoid such respected places. It is a choice for them to not follow the rules and they enjoy the “free” life of collecting money, the convenience of it, and the freedom it literally buys. If a monk says he has to use money to survive, he is really saying, he has to use money to enable the free life he lives. It is not just the money rules that are broken either. However, once a monk uses money, most other non-heavy rules are broken as well.

The No Money Culture

So when you join a monastery that does not use money, the culture expects monks to not have any money and a system is already in place that supports this culture. It is that easy. In a perfect world, all monks would be expected to not use money and the donors would know how to properly support them. However, the majority of monks use money and they continue to encourage a give-money-culture by incorrectly teaching lay people that giving money is good. There is not really much merit made when you give alcohol to a homeless person even though that is what he wants. In the same way, it is not wholesome for a monk to handle money.

Proper monasteries provide the four requisites of robes, meals, lodging and basic medicines. It might not be the best quality or what you want, but it is available in one form or another. Actually, some of the best living standards (for monks) exist at monasteries that do not use money. Why? The donors will find it difficult to make donations to individual vinaya monks because those who don’t use money generally do not need many things. If you ask for things, you have to store or carry those things. Money is different. There is no limit to how much money one can have. Because it is difficult to donate to individual monks who do not use money, the donors often make merit by donating to the monastery instead and this results in a nicer place for the monks to live in, sometimes too nice. When monks use money, it actually makes the monastery poor because the donors are trained to give money to monks instead of the monastery itself.

What is not covered in such monasteries are extra items you might feel you need, such as a phone, phone credit, commercially available books, travel expenses, and other nonessential items. You will need a private donor to provide these items. As more and more monks become free from money, a monk can be recognized with a no-money culture that supports it. Famous Express is a bus company that allows vinaya (money free) monks to ride for free.¹ For local monks, one usually has family that can provide these items. If one is sincere, other monks will also support with their own family or donors, etc. It depends on the size of the monastery. Furthermore, sincere monasteries usually have an office “kappiya” or “helper”, who takes care of the monks’ needs.

Shameful To Ask

The downside to this system of asking for things is that it might be “shameful” to ask for such items. However, that is a main reason for why we have the rule in the first place. If one is shameful to ask for things, he will asks for less. Shopping is a layperson activity. As you know, when you walk into a store with three items in mind, you might end up walking out with ten items. So when a monk gets his courage up to ask for something, he will just request only what he needs. The monk won’t get lost in the store. Because of this, monks generally have less belongings. When I travel, I try to have all of what I own to fit in the allowance for carry-on luggage. It keeps me lean, and also happy.

Shame once overcame the Bodhisatta which prevented him from asking for shoes to travel back to the Himalayas when he was a hermit. Only after twelve years did he get the courage to ask for the shoes. Jataka Book 3.3.3

The king said: “For twelve years you have asked to speak to me in private, and when you have had the opportunity, you have not been able to say a word. I offer you everything, beginning with my kingdom. Do not be afraid, but ask for whatever you please.”
“Great king,” he said, “will you give me what I want?” [3.54] “Yes, venerable sir, I will.” “Great king, when I go on my journey, I must have a pair of single-soled shoes and a parasol of leaves.”
“Have you not been able, sir, for twelve years to ask for such a trifle as this?”
“That is so, Great king.”

The Art of Attraction

Sincere monasteries attract educated foreigner residents and educated foreigner or local donors. This also gives better support for the monastery. Smart people usually know it is bad for monks to use money and they avoid such places like the plague. Intelligent donors also know that there is less merit to be made when supporting monks or monasteries that do not follow basic morality. These types of people are seeking the proper dhamma teachings which are also put into practice. While it is true that textual learning monasteries have less support than meditation monasteries, the learning monasteries that do not touch money have support and some of the donors are also very wealthy. Learning Monasteries that are free from money are fairly new in the past 20 years, but they are growing and are very strong. Mahavihara for instance has over 1,600 monks at a single branch monastery. There are a few Pa-Auk learning-only monasteries with hundreds of monks at each monastery too.

Which Monasteries Don’t Use Money?

While I can get into trouble for making an official list of monasteries that do not use money, it is no secret that I lived at Pa-Auk Forest Monasteries in Myanmar and Na-Uyana related (Galduwa) monasteries in Sri Lanka. I have also visited the learning monasteries of Mahavihara, Pa-Auk University POL and Varanasi monasteries in Myanmar which also have good reputations for following the rules. When I went to Thailand, I visited Wat Khao Sanamchai in Hua Hin and also Wat Prathat Nong Sam Muen.² There are also 40 monasteries in Cambodia that I have never visited, but I have met several monks from that tradition in both Thailand and Myanmar. A new learning monastery called International Institute of Theravada was started in Sri Lanka by a friend of mine. Lastly, I have also been to some of the Thai Forest Tradition monasteries. The Thai Forest Tradition does not use money, but many of the granular details are left out due to the rejection of many commentaries rules.³ The Dhamma-focus is a little different too. I have been to other places, but since the majority of the monks use money, there is no need to mention these monasteries in a negative light. Since 98% of monasteries use money as a standard practice, the list above is pretty much all there is.

If you don’t use money, you will want to join a monastery that does not use money because it is always best to be with like-minded people, where the culture supports proper money-free monk life, and the monastery and shared items are allowable. It makes things worry-free and harmonious, leaving time to do meditation or study when at a meditation or study monastery.