Are Vinaya Monks Easy to Support?

April 20, 2026

Summary

Easy to support does not mean that the monk can take care of himself.
Easy to support means that the monk is content with the four requisites he is provided with.
Although it is easier to support a monk who uses money, the monk is being supported with unallowable gifts and encouraged to break the Buddha’s rules.

Introduction:

The Karaniya Metta Sutta brings up the term Subharo, which means easy to support. But the same sutta also says that the monk should not do anything that the wise would criticize.

santussako ca subharo ca, appakicco ca sallahukavutti; Contented and easy to support, with few duties and light in living;
santindriyo ca nipako ca, appagabbho kulesvananugiddho. Calm in faculties, discerning, not impudent, not greedy among families.
na ca khuddamācare kiñci, yena viññū pare upavadeyyuṃ; He should not commit any slight wrong, by which other wise ones might criticize him;
sukhinova khemino hontu, sabbasattā bhavantu sukhitattā. May all beings be happy and secure, may they be happy in themselves.

What is Easy To Support?

First, let’s talk about how easy it is to support a “normal” monk in America. A “normal” monk is one who uses money and probably also uses credit cards. They usually cook for themselves, don’t worry if food is offered or not, buy their own food, and even drive their own cars. Nearly all monks in America are like this. This is why we call them “normal” monks. It is the status quo for monks in America.

In the rest of the world, especially Theravāda countries it is extremely common for monks to use money, but food is usually cooked for them and driving is rare but still happens. Using credit cards will be rare as well.

In contrast, a Forest Vinaya monk does not use money. They do not use credit cards. They do not cook for themselves. They only eat food that is formally offered to them. They do not buy their own food. They do not drive cars.

The Vinaya rules prohibit the monk from handling money and cooking for themselves. They also must not store food overnight and they must have new food offered each day after dawn.

The regular monk is easier to support in terms of the lay people. They don’t have to worry if he has does not have food or if someone will offer food for him. He can just buy it all himself. He can pull food out of the refrigerator that was given to him days earlier. He can drive himself to families’ houses, eat there, and collect more money to feed the cycle. This is “easy to support” in the sense that the lay people don’t have to do anything. Give a kid money, and he will probably like that better. Not only that, it is a lot easier to do. But would you give $500 to a 10 year old? Monks have some qualities similar to a 10 year old. The Buddha wanted things like that. Monks who use money have larger expenses and accept money from lay people which might normally go to the monastery’s general fund. The monastery is therefore often cash poor while the monks are often quite wealthy.

The Vinaya monk is indeed more difficult to support, but that is from the lay person’s perspective. The lay people must provide food for him daily and offer it to him. They must drive him around where he needs to go. He cannot travel alone with a single woman who drives him. He cannot arrange travel with a woman. This is difficult because most of the volunteers are women. If he needs something from the store, someone must buy it for him.

So if being easy to support is a quality of a good monk, then would the Vinaya monk not be a good monk? But the Buddha said that the Vinaya is needed for loving-kindness meditation and also that the monk should be easy to support. So there must be something else to it.

(A monk is indeed easy to support, if he uses money)

10 Basic Precepts

The novice monks have 10 basic framework rules that they must follow. They are very important and represent the foundation of the monastic life. The last rule of the ten is that the monk cannot accept money or gold.

All that said, the Buddha did allow for a helper to handle money for the monks. This helper is called a kappiya. The kappiya is a lay person who is appointed by the monks to handle money and other things that the monks are not allowed to handle. Here is a summary about this:

“Bhikkhus, there are people of faith and respect, and if they should entrust money in the hands of a kappiya and instruct him saying, ‘With this money offer allowable requisites to this Venerable One,’ then bhikkhus I allow you to accept whatever allowable requisites are obtained with that money, but bhikkhus, in no way whatsoever do I allow money to be accepted or searched for.” (Translation from: A Life Free From Money, U Dhamminda)

What is Real Subharo?

After a monk receives his higher ordination, he is given a list of the four requisites that he is dependent on. These are the four requisites that he must strive to obtain throughout his life. This list is given to all monks of all traditions, whether they use money or not.

‘‘Anujānāmi, bhikkhave, upasampādentena cattāro nissaye ācikkhituṃ –
“I allow, bhikkhus, that one who confers higher ordination should declare the four dependencies:

piṇḍiyālopabhojanaṃ nissāya pabbajjā, tattha te yāvajīvaṃ ussāho karaṇīyo; atirekalābho – saṅghabhattaṃ, uddesabhattaṃ, nimantanaṃ, salākabhattaṃ, pakkhikaṃ, uposathikaṃ, pāṭipadikaṃ.
“The going forth is dependent on food received by alms-round; therein, for you, throughout life, effort should be made. The extra gains are: communal meals, designated meals, invited meals, ticket meals, fortnightly meals, Uposatha meals, and first-day-of-the-fortnight meals.

Paṃsukūlacīvaraṃ nissāya pabbajjā, tattha te yāvajīvaṃ ussāho karaṇīyo; atirekalābho – khomaṃ, kappāsikaṃ, koseyyaṃ, kambalaṃ, sāṇaṃ, bhaṅgaṃ.
The going forth is dependent on robes made from rags; therein, for you, throughout life, effort should be made. The extra gains are: linen, cotton, silk, wool, hempen cloth, and blended cloth.

Rukkhamūlasenāsanaṃ nissāya pabbajjā, tattha te yāvajīvaṃ ussāho karaṇīyo; atirekalābho – vihāro, aḍḍhayogo, pāsādo, hammiyaṃ, guhā.
The going forth is dependent on lodging at the foot of a tree; therein, for you, throughout life, effort should be made. The extra gains are: a vihāra, a half-gabled house, a mansion, a terraced house, a cave.

Pūtimuttabhesajjaṃ nissāya pabbajjā, tattha te yāvajīvaṃ ussāho karaṇīyo; atirekalābho – sappi, navanītaṃ, telaṃ, madhu, phāṇita’’nti.
The going forth is dependent on putrid urine as medicine; therein, for you, throughout life, effort should be made. The extra gains are: ghee, fresh butter, oil, honey, and molasses.”

The Benefit of Helping Support

Helping a monk who follows the rules may need a little more effort. However, one needs to consider the wholesome merits in doing so. The close contact required which will usually end up in an impromptu teaching. Furthermore, the contact with the lay people for basic support helps improve the monk in his qualities too. He is reminded that the lay people are there for his spiritual benefit and that he should be grateful for their support through his own practice and teaching to them.