How Do Monks Live Without Money?

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.

Are Buddhist Monks Allowed To Use Money?

A Money tree in Laos cc-by-attrib-sa https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buddhist_money_tree_with_toilet_paper.webp Are Buddhist monks allowed to use money? The short answer is that monks are definitely not allowed to even touch money for all traditions; Theravāda, Mahayāna, and Tibetan. However, it is very common for monks to not only accept money from lay people without shame, but they even encourage lay people to offer the money. Nevertheless, it is still a rule and there are heavy consequences if this becomes a lifetime habit and a wrong mode of livelihood.

How To Be Human and Higher

Sunrise behind clouds, free public domain CC0 image. Many people want to go to Heaven or at least be born in human worlds but most people do not know what is needed to go there, let alone how to achieve enlightenment. Previously, in a previous article, I explained what happens after death according to the Theravāda teachings. If you have not read it, you really should. It explains the five causes for the five effects to arise (rebirth).

Giving is Always Better

Ven Sunanda (China) One of the Chinese monks named Venerable Sunanda recently had his birthday. For his birthday, he determined to offer 100 shoulder cloths to various monks and ended up making 123. What is a shoulder cloth? It is a small robe that monks often like to wear underneath their upper robe. from http://www.justwalkedby.com/2016/03/sweeping-monk/ creative commons attrib nc We have an abundance of robes in the storage room and with vassa coming up, we will get more and more.

Buddhism: What Happens After Death?

https://unsplash.com/photos/j3R9C-Xqe1w Warning: This is a long but clear and interesting religious post on what happens after death according to Classical Theravāda Buddhism. Key Points: The Fully Enlightened do not take a rebirth after death. Immediate rebirth takes place after the death moment for all other beings. Kamma is what determines your next birth Lifetime and Momentary suffering Be careful what you wish for There is no such thing as a guaranteed intermediate stage (Bardo Plane).

Only The Best For Buddha

6 Color Buddhist Flag Yesterday, on Vesak, I was invited to go with Sayadaw Kumarabhivamsa, the Tipitaka Sayadaw and one more monk to visit the three very large Buddhas in our monastery and then finally to give water to the Bodhi Tree. When we give water to the Bodhi Tree, it is not uncommon to give pure bottled drinking water to it. Yes, you read that correctly. Bottled drinking water is used to water a tree.

Stay Away From the Fools and Associate with the Wise

Sattigumba and Pupphaka Asevanā ca bālānaṃ, paṇḍitānañca sevanā; Pūjā ca pūjaneyyānaṃ etaṃ maṅgalamuttamaṃ. Avoid the Fools and Associate with the wise. Give respect to the respectable. This is the highest blessing. Maṅgala Sutta This small quote is from the first verse spoken by the Buddha when he was asked, “What is the highest blessing?” There are thirty-eight blessings listed and you can find them here. However, the first verse is the most important and we will only discuss the fools and the wise.

Patheos Interview On Robes

A couple of months ago, I was contacted by a professor of World Religions in the College of Religious Education at BYU named, Alonzo Gaskill. He had read my previous article on Buddhist Monk’s Robes Information and wanted to interview me for another Buddhist robes article for Patheos.com. We talked for quite a long time about Buddhism, my past, and why I ordained, and then the time was up. So we scheduled another call to talk about robes the next day to actually talk about the robes.

Pa-Auk Lockdown #3: Living With COVID

Now the world is getting used to COVID-19 and many countries are announcing a new policy called “Living with COVID”. Now we are too. I will explain…. On March 17, 2022, Pa-Auk Pyin Oo Lwin literally started to live with COVID. On that day, there were 5 monks that were sick and tested positive. When lunch came, we were on high alert. Massive testing happened within the next few days and we went from 12 positive cases to 25 and then to 35 and now we are at 50 cases for the male size and 15 for the female side only one week later.

Making Natural Brooms

Sayadaw holding one of his finished brooms Natural fiber brooms are quite common in Theravadan countries such as Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Laos. Since the plants that are used to make brooms grow in our monastery, one of our very senior monks takes pleasure in making brooms when he needs to stretch his legs after a long meditation. It is strange, but since our main job is to meditate, working can be a leisure activity!

Video: Knowing And Seeing Pa-Auk Forest Monastery

From Knowing and Seeing Pa-Auk Forest Monastery video In 2005 I made a video called, “Knowing and Seeing Pa-Auk Forest Monastery.” This is about the Pa-Auk Main Branch in Mawlamyine. Sayadawgyi was young back then and used to climb the stairs to his mountain kuti twice per day. I will miss that. The title was meant to play with the name of Sayadawgyi’s famous book called, “Knowing and Seeing.” The book is referring to knowing and seeing the detailed Dhammas which were once thought impossible to know and literally “see”.

Patimokkha Chant Feb 15, 2022

Yesterday, I recited the 227 rules of the Pātimokkha for 110 bhikkhus at Pa-Auk Meditation Center in Pyin Oo Lwin. When a monk recites the Pātimokkha, traditionally he does so by memory and not by reading. My recitation was not the best quality, but it was not so bad considering I only started when I was 47, and I have only done this 5 times now. However, the recitations get better and better each time I do it and I hope improvement continues until perfection.

My Blackjack Anniversary

Eating Hall Feb 7 2022 Today is my 21rst anniversary for when I first got ordained as a monk on February 7th, 2001. As you know there was a hiccup and I ordained twice (back to back) leaving me with an official age of 15 years. However, the total years is 21 and this is my blackjack year when I first got my name. There were many reasons why I wanted to ordain as a Buddhist Monk.

Umbrella Shop 2004-2014

Monks walking up the monastery road near the library 2014. (Double umbrella) Excerpt from Going For Broke: Monasterynote5: Walkman Karaoke, 2004 Rainy Season is luckily my favorite and I love all five months of it. It is the perfect temperature also, not too hot, not too cold. It’s quiet and the noises around me get white washed out from the rain striking the metal corrugated roofing. We had over 350 Bhikkhus and a total of more than 600 residents this past Rainy Season (2004).

Should Bhikkhunis Be Sent To Probation Monasteries?

Copyright notice.. picture by Kim Traynor cc-by-sa Note: This post is not for everyone. Those who claim to be bhikkhunis and supporters of the movement, and monks and nuns in general will find this interesting. Did you know that bhikkhunis (nuns) are not allowed to sleep alone or travel alone and if they do, they are sentenced to 2 weeks of rehabilitation and lose their full status as bhikkhunis during this period?

Happy Boxing Day

Robin Hutton cc-nc-sa https://www.flickr.com/photos/robinhutton/35838229270 What to do when someone “gives” anger? Today, December 26th is Boxing Day. It is on this day when people give gifts to the poor, perhaps the gifts you received on Christmas but did not want to keep. It is also a day to give money or boxes to employees. Happy Boxing Day! The Buddha has spoken about not accepting gifts in his famous sutta in regard to those who give “anger”.

Accused Of Being Psychic

Accused of Being Psychic A brief video describing this story has been added to this post below. The longer story is below that. I think it was in 2003 or 2004 when I was at Pa-Auk Meditation Center when this event happened to me. I was at the mountain meditation hall during the meditation break and I saw a yogi dressed in white yogi clothes. His outfit basically looked like pajamas to most Westerners, but if you know the meditation scene and you know how the foreigners usually dress at Pa-Auk, then you would know that he was a serious yogi.

Monk Towels and Soap

Very few people from the West know about what the monks use for their bath towels and their bathing soap. Monks use items that are much different than those found in the West, although commonly known in Myanmar and other Buddhist countries. Furthermore, the monks use these items because of the monk rules associated with them in addition to the abundance and low cost. Monks at Pa-Auk usually use small hand towels instead of normal “wrap-around” sized towels.

What is an Overturned Bowl?

Pa-Auk Bowl Blackening Foundry (not a political picture) We have seen many Facebook selfies of politically active monks with their bowls turned upside down. What does this mean and is that proper? The answer is: What you see on Facebook is not proper for monks or nuns. What you see on the news with monks and nuns as protesters is not proper. Overturning a bowl is an official Buddhist act, but what you have seen on Facebook and on the news are not official acts of overturning a bowl.

How To Memorize Pāḷi by Rote Method

Title Page In America, the Rote Method of learning is belittled as “learning like a parrot” and rarely or never taught in the Western school systems. However, it is a useful brute force method for memorizing Pali texts and the only way to memorize longer word for word Pāḷi texts such as the Pātimokkha. This system is used extensively in Myanmar schools and Myanmar study monasteries. If you hear lots of noise in the classrooms, rote learning is what they are doing.

Today I Saved A Cockroach

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amerikanische_Gro%C3%9Fschabe_1.webp Today I saved an upside down cockroach in my bathroom. I thought he was dead but then saw that he was still alive and moving. I was late for breakfast and decided I would save him after I came back, but I became very overwhelmed with guilt 10 seconds later and could not go further. So I grabbed a tissue and picked him up with care knowing not to squeeze too hard.

Memorizing The Noble Eightfold Path

I took a small poll among seasoned Buddhists to see who could list all eight factors of The Noble Eightfold Path in English from memory and not many did so well. How can one follow a Path that one does not know? These factors should be said to oneself daily if one truly wishes to walk on the Path. To help with Buddhist literacy, I made a basic video that helps people memorize The Noble Eightfold Path in English.

Toothpaste In A Gated Community

My near-empty tube of Meswak next to the new one At Pa-Auk, we get different items throughout the year. Sometimes we keep them, and sometimes we give them away. I usually give my extra items away quickly so I don’t end up with a private Walmart inside my kuti. However, I do plan ahead sometimes. I prefer using strong fluoride toothpaste after lunch and then using a natural toothpaste in the evening after our 5 pm juice offering.

Suttanta Versus Abhidhamma Rivers

Irrawaddi River, Bagan, 2015 There seems to be quite a bit of confusion about what the Abhidhamma is all about. If I were to describe a river based on Suttanta values and then describe it again in terms of Abhidhamma and commentary values, Abhidhamma will be very clear in its validity and purpose. I don’t recall the Buddha explaining rivers in Suttas in the way I will explain them. However, I will try to explain them “as if” they were spoken in the Suttas and also “as if” they were mentioned in the Abhidhamma and Commentaries.

How Long Do Monk's Robes Last?

Various items for Kaṭhina It is quite common in Myanmar to offer robes at the end of the Rainy Season (vassa) in a ceremony called Kaṭhina. How long do monk’s robes last? A monk normally has a set of three robes; a lower robe, an upper robe and a double robe sometimes referred to as the outer robe. During Kaṭhina, a set of robes are offered, but usually just the lower and upper robes since the double robe or outer robe lasts a long time.

The Monastery Murder Massacre

Artistic digital recreation of Migalaṇḍika (an ascetic who looked like a monk) The Monastery Murder Massacre that happened in Vesālī during the time of The Buddha is not well known among lay people. It was because of this massacre that The Buddha made a rule about killing humans. For the first 20 years, there were no rules and this was the third rule that was ever created. Before this, the monks intuitively knew what was proper and there was no need for rules.

Basic Pali Terms for Dhamma

Burmese Pāḷi I have made a list of the most basic Pāḷi terms which will help you in your Theravāda Buddhist Readings and listening to Dhamma Talks. I could have added more, but there are already 165+ terms. I have decided to sort the words in alphabetical order so I would not have to decide which were the most important. Grouping the words would have also given me the same dilemma.

Only In The West, Only In Asia

Only In The West, Only In Asia Different Cultures, Different Views Many Westerners don’t understand or appreciate the old Buddhist texts or teachings. They are very different from Asian culture and history. They find it hard to relate to them. Let me give you an example. This is a picture and story of a bidet (a device that sprays water to clean your private parts after using the toilet).

Pa-Auk Vaccination 2021

Injection on Western resident monk Pa-Auk finally vaccinated 2000 of its residents across its branch monasteries with a privately sponsored SinoPharm vaccine. Pa-Auk Pyin Oo Lwin branch had its vaccines delivered on September 18th, 2021 with about half of the total population signed up. Vaccination was voluntary and provided by donors. While it did take a long time for us to get the vaccine, the government did invite us for the vaccine back in April or May 2021.

Buddhist Sun App

Download Android App Download iOS App Recently I made a mobile app to help me know when the Solar Noon is approaching and past. Why Is the Sun Important for Bhikkhus? Why Is The Sun Important for 8 & 10 Precepts? If you are a monk, nun or a practicing yogi who has vowed to not eat after Noon, you will benefit from this app. The real Solar Noon is not 12:00 pm when it comes to the Buddhist rules because there were no clocks back then.

Remembering 9/11

cc WTC 9/11, 2001 wikimedia Attribution: Robert J. Fisch “They always wanted to get that building” That was what I said when I first heard about 9/11 three or four days later. I once had a job interview at Merrill Lynch in The World Financial Center which was connected to The World Trade Center by a sky bridge. My goal was to eventually work at WTC, but luckily I didn’t get that job and it was the only job interview I didn’t get an offer on.

Are Theravada Bhikkhuni Ordinations Valid?

cc0 picture https://pxhere.com/en/photo/489726 There is not much written in English explaining why bhikkhuni ordinations are rejected by the Theravāda Community of Monks. The English writings are a poor representation of the vast majority of Buddhist Scholarship and that is why there is “controversy” regarding the revival of the extinct Theravāda Bhikkhuni order. There is really no controversy to speak about once you know the full story. Many Westerners believe that women are not able to become nuns without such a revival, but that is not true.

Did The Buddha Know Einstein's Theory?

Einstein formula on blackboard see this [link for attributio](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Einstein_formula_on_blackboard_20190401.webp" >}}n The Mass–energy equivalence is one of the most famous physics equations known to the general population. Did the Buddha know this beforehand? We all know this formula as the explanation for how nuclear energy works, but we really don’ t know much more than that. For my one of my birthdays, I asked a monk who was once a nuclear engineer from Chernobyl to explain to me how it works.

The Most Basic Pali Chants to Learn

Myanmar Pali Script (credit at bottom link.. cc-sa-attrib) There are many different Pāḷi chants to learn, yet I wanted to list the absolute basic chants that one should learn. If you are interested in Pāḷi chanting, these are the first to learn. The most basic and essential chants for beginning lay people should know are listed in order of importance: Namo Tassa, Triple Gem with the 5 precepts, Bare bones Triple Gem chant of the 24 qualities of the Buddha, Dhamma and Saṅgha.

Free Buddha Pictures

15 Main Image Close Up, at the Mahabodhi Temple, cc-atrib-sa https://www.photodharma.net/India/Bodhgaya-Mahabodhi/Bodhgaya-Mahabodhi.htm Sometimes it is difficult to find free Buddha pictures. Even when Google shows you “free pictures,” sometimes, they require an account or were not really free in the first place. As a monk, even with our timeless Buddha, I still respect copyrights and encourage others to do the same. That is also one of the reasons why I use Linux as my main operating system.

When Does Rainy Season Start?

Recently, I got a nice message from a monk friend telling me he was taking vassa (3 month Rainy Season Retreat) on July 23rd (the Full Moon Day) and wishing me a happy vassa before he goes offline for three months. However, we at Pa-Auk are taking the vassa today on July 24 (the day after the Full Moon Day). The calendars often say it starts on the Full Moon Day, but we don’t do that at Pa-Auk.

The Buddha's Intermittent Fasting

Did the Buddha do intermittent fasting? The answer is: Yes. When I first became a monk, people were shocked about how I gave up eating after Solar Noon and I have not eaten dinner in over 20 years. Sometimes I switch to one meal per day, but I often find a light breakfast, mostly liquid foods or rice soup, with a full lunch works best for me. These days, many people are using intermittent fasting as a form of weight loss and when I describe my Buddhist monk diet, they give a nod and say “Intermittent Fasting… It’s Healthy.

Super Quarantine Inside Pa-Auk

Recently, I had a serious medical problem that had the potential to be extremely serious. Please don’t ask. In any case, I arranged permission to go outside and then arranged for someone to help me get to a clinic in Mandalay which had the proper technology to properly assess my problem. This article is not about going out. Instead this article is about coming back and staying in quarantine. Because we do not have monastery-wide vaccines yet, Pa-Auk is quite strict about letting people go outside because when you come back, you will need to be on a 3 week quarantine before testing for your release.

Can Monks Get Married?

cc0 picture Recently, there have been some instances in the news of monks who have been accused of rape or consensual sex. One monk appears to have supported a child with his money. While we won’t know the true outcome until an admission of guilt is made, we should investigate what is a rule and what is not a rule. Although it is appalling that the Catholic church allows its priests to continue in the order even after such admissions of guilt for sexual acts, the Buddhist rules across all Buddhist schools have a different approach.

Why Do Monasteries Have Skeletons?

If you go to a Theravada Buddhist forest monastery in Asia, you are likely to find a full skeleton or parts of a skeleton somewhere where it can be viewed easily. Some monasteries also have cemeteries inside the boundary like Pa-Auk Forest Monastery in Mawlamyine. Some other monasteries have a place were dead bodies are burned (with open wood fires), right on the premises, like Pa-Auk Mawlamyine and also Wat Pa Nanachat in Thailand.

Pa-Auk Lockdown #2

Recently, I have been getting a few messages wishing me safety and wellbeing with the current news floating around the world about events in Myanmar. I can assure you that our lives have not changed much even with the pandemic. Yes, we have been locked down for nearly a year or maybe longer, but monastery life is pretty much the monastery life. The only thing that is different is we wear masks around other monks who seem to care about masks and lately that mask population has been less and less.

A Buddhist Monk's Prayers For The Old And Sick

India 2011 Can Buddhist Monks Pray For The Old And Sick? Recently, a life long friend of the family has been diagnosed with lung cancer, a tough break because she is not a smoker. My mother asked me if I could say a prayer for her. I can, and have, but there was more to say about what I could do for her. When I chant the Loving-kindness sutta for someone in person as a “blessing”, I usually explain what it means beforehand and then I chant it for them.

Time for Balance

I’ve been looking forward to the Myanmar Internet being cut off, but it does not seem to be happening. I guess that is good for the people here. I will be taking a SIM break for about 5 days… Tuesdays are usually when I post things from the meditation hall because it is the day I have to manage the Tuesday cleaning crew. My job is to clean the Big Buddha (that is me below).

How I Got My Name

One of my earliest photos with messy robes My original ordination certificate Exactly twenty years ago today (February 7, 2001), I followed through with my decision to ordain with lifelong intentions. Although I am only 14 vassa because of a re-ordination ceremony, this day means more to me than my very own birthday. This day was also the day I got my name. Today, I not only have the monk name Bhikkhu Subhūti, but I also have an actual legal passport name of Bhante Bhikkhu Subhuti as well as other essential ID’s too.

Pa-Auk Forest Monastery and Pa-Auk Sayadaw Shared Names

Pa-Auk Main Gate (cc-by-sa) Pa-Auk Forest Monastery and Pa-Auk Sayadaw share the same names. Why is that? Some people might question why Pa-Auk Forest Monastery and Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadaw have the same names. Did the Pa-Auk Sayadaw name his monastery after himself to immortalize his name? Is this an ego trip? What is the who, what, were, when, why, and how of this story? Who? Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadawgyi (cc-by-sa)

American Monk 2020 Review

This past year has been very fruitful for AmericanMonk.org. In this post, we will discuss the 2020 page view stats. Originally, the name of the website was americanmonk.org but can you remember that website url? Trying to think of an easy meaningful and descriptive name for Westerners to remember was not easy, but AmericanMonk.org was available and I took it. So how did things go in the year 2020? Below is a chart of the years up to today.

As Long As You Stand On The Road

That is me going for alms on Aalona Street Kilauea. I have a Christmas story for you. I have tried to keep it short but it didn’t work out. When I was in Kaua’i on from 2017-2019, an 18 month run, I made it a point to go for alms by the house to house loving-kindness method on Tuesdays and Wednesdays as a way to get food. Early on, I was invited to Waiapua Road while standing in front of Hanalei Big Save which was my Monday stop.

The Real Buddha Statues

What qualities make up the real Buddha Statues? There are certain qualities of a Buddha that makes one instantly recognizable from afar. There are many features that make the Buddha a Buddha besides the iconic drooping earlobes. From time to time, I see statues of the Buddha that are just not right. When you know the correct signs of The Buddha, you immediately know that something is wrong. While you cannot fool a Sri Lankan, you can fool others from all parts of the world.

Have You Eaten Yet?

In 1993, I visited China with five lucky School of Technology students at my University. Before going, I asked around for some cool things to say and “Chī le ma?” or “Have you eaten yet?” was the phrase I learned besides asking for the toilet. It does not mean what it literally says. Instead, it means a little bit like “How are you?”, but more casual like, “How’s it going?

Mawlamyine Pa-Auk Kitchen 2014

In 2014, I came in contact with yogi Brahm at the Mawlamyine Branch of The Pa-Auk Forest Monastery during a 10-day fast with Venerable Mokkhita. He is a great photographer and I thought it would be cool to show him the Pa-Auk kitchen and let him capture how the meals are made for 1200 yogis each day. Take notice of the large quantities of food that are cooked on wood fired stoves.