Monkhood is NOT equal to Enlightenment
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A couple of years back, I met up with an ex-student who made the following comment :
"It's sad that XX and XX are doing this, considering they're enlightened."
My reply to him was,
"They're NOT enlightened. It does NOT mean they're monks means they're enlightened."
On the spot, I corrected my ex-student's wrong view.
During that time, 2 highly acclaimed renowned monks who are heading their own group of monastics,
With vast number of followers and supporters,
Were in the news because of some wrong doing.
One is even a leader.
Now think about it :
If the monks were truly enlightened,
They would have given up on name, fortune, fame, recognition, power, glory, land, estate and praise etc,
And NOT hanker, covet or thirst after them.
For a truly enlightened one, there would be NO Such thing as mine (clinging/attachment),
I (conceit/ego), and self (wrong/false view).
They would have let go.
(P.S. As a matter of fact, not only are they NOT enlightened, they're also NOT, and NOT FIT to be monks.
As The Buddha said,
"How can an ill-disciplined man who utters lies be a monk? He's NOT a monk."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 264. )
Like I said in 'Why Can't They?' - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2009/07/why-cant-they.html,
"Many monastics nowadays are simply riding on the good name of The Buddha and His Savaka Arahants,
And taking advantage of it."
As Ajahn Boowa himself said,
"Even monks have defilements." (Read 'Dhamma is ..... ' - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2009/12/dhamma-is.html)
Notwithstanding the present time,
Even in The Buddha's time,
There are the Ariya Bhikkhus (meaning : Noble Enlightened Bhikkhus - Bhikkhus who have attained at least Stream Entry)
And ordinary Bhikkhus (i.e. ignoble, unenlightened normal worldlings).
The Buddha, upon the request of Venerable Sariputta, His First Chief Disciple,
Said in one of the verses as He expound The Buddhavamsa,
"Dear Son, Sariputta,
There are certain bhikkhus,
Who even in my lifetime,
Have to depart life as mere trainees without having attained Arahatta-phala (Arahantship).
They are reproached by The Wise."
Why?
Bacause as I quoted The Buddha in "Mara's Tenfold Army" - 17/01/11 :
"And there are recluses who die still as worldlings amidst the monastic materials of sensuality
In the form of the 4 requisites :
Lodging, food, clothing and medicine,
Because they CANNOT give them up."
So you see, it does NOT mean that a monk don the yellow robe means that the monk is enlightened,
Or have an elevated status.
Monks do go to woeful states on account of their unwholesome, unrighteous deeds and behaviour. (See the 2 Dhammapada accounts below).
So, enlightened or NOT, please watch carefully.
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Dhammapada Verse 240
Ayasa' va malam samuttthitam - tadutthaya tam'eva khadati
Etam atidhona carinam - saka kammani nayanti duggatim.
Just as rust is formed from iron, and corrodes the iron from which it is formed,
So also, his own deeds lead the transgressor to a lower plane of existence.
XVIII:3 A monk who was born as an insect (Tissa)
Once there was a monk in Savatthi named Tissa.
One day, he received a set of fine robes and was very pleased.
He wanted to wear them the next day, but he died that very night,
And because he was unduly attached to the fine set of robes,
He was reborn as an insect and lived within the folds of the robes.
As there was no one to inherit his belongings,
It was decided that the other monks should share this particular set of robes.
When the monks were preparing to share it out among themselves,
The insect was very much agitated and cried out,
"They are destroying my robes!"
The Buddha, on hearing his cry by means of his Supernormal powers of hearing,
Advised the bhikkhus to dispose of the robes only at the end of seven days.
On the eighth day, the robes that belonged to Tissa were shared out by the bhikkhus.
Later, the Buddha explained the reasons for his admonition.
"Tissa was attached to this particular set of robes at the time of his death and so he was reborn as an insect for a few days and stayed in the folds of the robes.
When you all were preparing to share out the robes,
Tissa the insect was very much in agony and was running about to and fro in the folds of the robes.
If you had taken the robes at that time,
Tissa the insect would have felt very bitter against you and he would have had to be born in a suffering state.
Now, however, he has been reborn in a happy state due to his previous Kamma and that is why I have allowed you to take the robes.
Indeed bhikkhus, attachment is very dangerous;
As rust corrodes iron from which it is formed, so also,
Attachment destroys one and sends one to lower forms of existence.
A bhikkhu should not indulge too much in the use of the four requisites or be attached to them because attachment will delay the process of mental purification.’
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Dhammapada Verse 337Manujassa pamutta carino - tanha vaddhati maluva viya
So plavati hurahuram - phalam iccham'va vanasmim vanaro.
The craving of the person addicted to careless living grows like a creeper.
He jumps from life to life like a monkey in the forest looking for fruit.
Yam esa sahati jammi - tanha loke visattika
Soka tassa pavaddhanti - abhivattham'va biranam.
Whoever in this world is overcome by this wretched clinging thirst,
His sorrows grow like birana grass after rain.
Yo c'etam sahati jammim - tanham loke duraccayam
Soka tamba papatanti - udabindu'va pokkhara.
But whosoever in this world overcomes this wretched craving so difficult to overcome,
His sorrows fall away from him like water-drops from a lotus-leaf.
Tam vo vadami bhaddam vo - yavant' ettha samagata
Tanhaya mulam khanatha - usirattho'va biranam
Ma vo nalam va soto' va -maro bhanji punappunam.
Therefore, I say to you:
Greetings to you all who have assembled here!
Dig up the root of craving just as one who wishes to have the fragrant root digs up the birana grass.
Don't let Mara destroy you again and again, as the flood destroys the reed.
XXIV:1 The golden fish with stinking breath (Kapila)
One day, some fishermen of Savatthi caught a fish with a beautiful golden body.
Since the fish was so beautiful, they presented it to the king who in turn took the fish to The Buddha.
As soon as the fish opened its mouth, a foul smell spread all around the Jetavana monastery.
The king then asked The Buddha why such a beautiful fish should have such a foul smell.
The Enlightened One then revealed that the fish in one of his past existences was a learned bhikkhu named Kapila during the time of Kassapa Buddha.
Because of his deep knowledge of The Dhamma, he had gained much fame and honour.
He also became very conceited and looked down upon the other bhikkhus.
When the other bhikkhus pointed out to him what was proper or not proper,
He invariably retorted, ‘How much do you know?’
Implying that he knew much more than those bhikkhus.
In the course of time, most of the bhikkhus avoided him.
On one occasion, the bhikkhus did not join him when he was reciting The Fundamental Precepts for the bhikkhus (i.e., The Patimokkha).
Observing that the bhikkhus remained silent, Kapila said,
'There is no such thing as Sutta, or Vinaya.
It makes no difference whether you listen to The Patimokkha or not'
And left the congregation.
Thus Kapila was hindering the development and growth of The Teaching (Sasana).
For his misdeeds, Kapila had to suffer for a long period life after life.
The Buddha then explained that because Kapila had taught the sublime Dhamma to many,
He had been endowed with a golden body as a fish,
But because he had reviled and abused the bhikkhus and The Dhamma
He was afflicted with a stinking breath.
The Enlightened One then delivered a discourse on the benefits of
combining learning with practice..
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"It is better for one to eat a red-hot iron ball burning like a flame,
Than to eat almsfood offered by the people,
If one is WITHOUT morality
And UNrestrained in thought, word and deed."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 308
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"Though much he recites The Sacred Texts,
But acts NOT accordingly,
That heedless man is like a cowherd who counts others' kine.
He has NO share in the fruits of The Holy Life."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 19
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"Any loose act,
Any corrupt practice,
A life of dubious holiness -
NONE of these is of much benefit."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 312
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"Many men wearing the yellow robe up to their necks
Who have an evil disposition
And are unrestrained in thought, word and deed
Are reborn in a woeful state
On account of their evil deeds."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 307
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"Just as kusa grass wrongly grasped cuts the hand,
Even so the monkhood wrongly handled
Drags one to a woeful state."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 311
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"Not wandering naked,
Nor matted locks,
Nor filth,
Nor fasting,
Nor lying on the ground,
Nor dust,
Nor ashes,
Nor striving to squat on the heels,
Can purify a mortal who has NOT overcome doubts."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 141
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"He is NOT therefore an Ariya (Noble) if he harms living beings;
Through his harmlessness towards ALL living beings,
Is he called an Ariya (Noble)."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 270
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"Not by a shaven head does an undisciplined man who utters lies become a monk.
How can one who is full of desire and greed be a monk?"
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 264
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"He is NOT thereby a bhikkhu merely because he seeks alms from others;
By following The Whole Code of Morality,
One certainly becomes a bhikkhu,
And NOT merely by seeking alms."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 266
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"Though gaily decked if he should live in peace,
With passions subdued,
And senses controlled,
Certain of The Four Paths of Sainthood,
Perfectly Pure,
Laying aside the rod in his relation towards ALL living beings,
A Brahmana indeed is he,
An ascetic is he,
A bhikkhu is he."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 142
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"From craving springs grief,
From craving springs fear;
For him who is WHOLLY free from craving,
There is NO grief,
Much less fear."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 216
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"The bhikkhu who is calm in body,
Calm in speech,
Calm in mind,
Who is well-composed,
Who has given up worldly things,
Is truly called
'A Peaceful One'."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 378
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"The person who wears dust-free robes,
Who is lean,
Whose veins stand out,
Who meditates Alone in the forest, -
Him I call a brahmana."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 395
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* * * Read
1) 'Saving Others' - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2008/07/saving-others.html
2) 'Taking Refuge' - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2009/08/taking-refuge.html
3) 'The Ratana' - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2009/06/ratana.html
4) 'The Teacher and The Teachings Part 1' - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2008/04/teacher-and-teachings-part-1-teacher.html
5) 'The Teacher and The Teachings Part 2' - http://maitre-light.blogspot.com/2008/05/teacher-and-teachings-part-2-teachings.html
