Monks Using Uber and Gift Cards: Allowable as a Kappiya Arrangement Summary Are Theravāda monks allowed to use Uber, PickMe, or gift cards? Yes, but only with a proper invitation from a donor or kappiya, in accordance with Vinaya rules. While these services offer convenience, they can reduce meaningful connections with supporters — an important aspect of monastic life. Read on to learn more. The Allowability of Ride-Hailing Services In modern times, ride-hailing apps like Uber or Sri Lanka’s PickMe or Grab in Myanamr and Thailand offer a convenient way to arrange transportation. Although monks are not allowed to use money directly, these services can still be used in accordance with vinaya rules if properly arranged through a kappiya or donor.

Monk walking towards the world of the 5% If you are a Westerner and new to Buddhism, you might be surprised to learn that most monks use and handle money. I have calculated that around 95% use money while 5% do not use money. The general consensus of those I have consulted say that about 2 or 3 percent do not use money but I used a 5% number to be safe. In this article I will give an itemized number crunch and explain how I came up with those numbers and you can see if 5% is safe and maybe double my original estimate.

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. In the Theravāda, you are likely to find less than 2% of monks who follow such rules. While 2% seems like very little there might be over 5,000 monks who follow such rules world wide.1

Recently, I had a chance to go to a Lao Monastery in Elgin, Chicago, IL, USA for 12 days. I usually avoid American Theravada Temples like the plague because most of these places have monks who use money and much of the monk life is centered around collecting money. This is a typical standard not only in America but in most countries. This monastery however, is different. In 2015, the committee decided to stop being a useless, unwholesome temple that teaches wrong dhammavinaya (teaching and training — on wrong ways to give donation and wrong ways to make merit, and obviously wrong kamma and results). If that is not bad enough, they used to sell alcohol for fundraisers too (!). Unfortunately, I know of three other Lao monasteries in America that sell alcohol. The committee knew this path was in the opposite direction of The Buddhist Path and decided to change. They offered the resident monks to join them with a two year transition period and although the monks agreed such changes were wholesome, when it came down to the wire, they never changed and drove themselves across town in their own cars to another local Lao temple in 2017.

Why are most monasteries not allowable for vinaya monks? Today, I was Skyping my parents which is something we do once or twice a month now. I feel it is good for them to “see” me as a monk, rather than having them talk to me and visualizing their son from 1999. That was when I left home and things changed for me. We had a nice discussion. We spoke about possibilities for a visit, but I told them that finding a place was difficult, because the monks all use money and whatever they buy with that money becomes unallowable. I used an analogy for what some Jewish people call Kosher. Some very strict Jewish people will throw away plates and silverware if both meat and dairy had touched it. My parents were not like that, but some of the older generations of my family (I have heard) were like that.

Here is a comparison of 5, 8 and 10 precepts. The Buddhist who follows five precepts is known as a regular lay Buddhist. The person who follows 8 precepts is known as a serious Buddhist yogi. The person who follows the 10 precepts is known as a novice monk. A bhikkhu follows 227 rules. It is important to know these classes to know which rules are more important to follow. It also can explain, what class of rules a monk is following. It is a unique way of looking at Monastic Morality. It is also important for lay people who take 8 precepts to really take real 8 precepts. If a lay person takes 8 precepts but knows they will not follow them, they are lying and not only breaking one of the first precepts and generating bad kamma, but they are practicing rights and rituals, something that is in the opposite direction as Enlightenment and what The Buddha preached.