9. Commentaries on Buddhist Doctrines & Precepts #1
Commentaries
on Buddhist Doctrines & Precepts Volume 1
by Pittaya Wong / 1 October 2016
Introduction
Buddhism is an ancient religion of the
world which has been studied and practiced for more than 2,600 years. In the beginning, Buddhism was established
by Lord Gotama Buddha who is the Buddha of the present Buddhist era. Since his enlightenment until passing away,
Lord Gotama Buddha had taught the Dhamma which is his doctrine and regulated
many precepts for Buddhist monks to observe.
Prior to his passing away, Lord Gotama Buddha told his disciples to take
the ‘Dhamma & Vinaya’ (Buddhist doctrines & precepts) as their
religious leader after he passed away.
Doctrines & Precepts as the
Religious Leader
According to the issue that Lord Gotama
Buddha referred to the Buddhist doctrines and precepts to be his successor
instead of nominating a qualified Buddhist monk, it can be perceived in many
ways and subjected to various interpretation. When the Buddha was alive, his
disciples regularly requested him to explain, clarify, justify, and provide
further description over the Buddhist doctrines and precepts whereas the
process can be completed easily by the Buddha himself. Therefore, the principle, objective,
approach, and methodology exemplified by Lord Gotama Buddha when he was alive
should be taken as the role model.
Notwithstanding, after Lord Gotama Buddha passed away, when there is a
doubt over a doctrine or precept, the consideration and justification by
Buddhist monks and/or Buddhist scholars may not be well or widely recognized
like the Buddha’s. This has caused effects
in many levels, and the impact may be strong enough to result the Buddhist
monks to be separated into different sects.
Considering the Doctrines and Precepts
in Harmony
When it is taken into account that the Buddhist
doctrines and precepts are to be recognized as the top priority after Lord
Gotama Buddha passed away, we come to realize that when there is any religious
issue, it is necessary to consider both the doctrines and the precepts
altogether in accord whereas they are expected to be firmly principled but
flexible and applicable in term of practice like the Lord Buddha himself when
he was alive. This means that the issue
must not be justified or interpreted in such a way that causes more conflicts or
problems within the logic system of doctrines and precepts themselves. If we compare the Buddhist doctrines and
precepts with a watch movement, the solution to any religious issue should aim
to fix the problem and enable the continuation of watch’s function instead of impairing
or causing the system break down.
Differences in the Doctrines and
Precepts
If we have to consider and justify a
religious issue in Buddhism which is related to more than one community of Buddhist
monk (Sangha) or the foreign Buddhist monk community or different
Buddhist sect, we have to be aware of the more or less difference in doctrines
and precepts observed by such Buddhist monk community. This is because, the similarity and
difference of doctrines and precepts that each monastic community or Buddhist
sect follows, prolongs, and practices, can result in similarity and difference
in various aspects as we can see in the present. Even when Lord Gotama Buddha was alive, he
had to amend the regulated precepts for Buddhist monks in a specific territory
in order to enable and ease the applicability and practicality of Buddhism depending
on necessity.
Direct Role of the Buddhist Monk
Community
The strict preserving and prolonging of
Buddhist doctrines and precepts in such a way that they will not deviate much
from the original as delivered by Lord Gotama Buddha is very significant
because the Buddhist monks will rely on them for further interpretation and
justification. Thus, the scriptural
error made to the doctrines and precepts will cause misperception on the first
hand. Normally, it is the duty of
Buddhist monks to do their best in preserving and prolonging the Buddhist
doctrines and precepts as well as carrying on into practice among the Buddhists
at both monastic and secular level. The
Buddhist Monk Community is very important to this role as it has been a
tradition since Lord Gotama Buddha’s lifetime that the Buddhist monk community has
been assigned to perform many religious duties together when the Lord Buddha
was not present. The religious duties
include providing ordination, punishing monks, identifying and acknowledging
the territory of a Buddhist chapel as well as other monastic duties. The key to understand this issue is that Buddhist
monk community was given power or authorized by the Lord Buddha to perform or
involve in religious duties instead of a trusted and qualified Buddhist monk to
do the duties as the representative of the Buddha. The power given to the Buddhist monk
community as a whole by Lord Gotama Buddha is clear as he granted the community
of monks to be able to amend or revoke minor precepts after he passed
away. This means that if the Buddhist
monks would do it, they have to do it together as a resolution from the monk
community, not from a single senior or qualified Buddhist monk.
Considering the Time
Besides the doctrines, the precepts, and the Buddhist monk community, we have to consider the time which affects the issue. Although we adhere to the principle that the doctrines and precepts are to be preserved, prolonged, and carried on by the Buddhist monks with minimum deviation, the Lord Gotama Buddha already predicted that as time flew by, there would certainly be various changes to Buddhism in the future. For example, the Buddhist monks in the ‘recession generation’ of Buddhism who observe few of Buddhist doctrines and precepts will have a small piece of saffron robe on their sleeve, and they will be considered to be the Buddhist monks. However, this is acceptable to that generation, but it is prohibited if individuals are still capable of complete ordination and Buddhist monastic practices which are still available. So, the issue of ‘exception when and where applicable’ is another aspect that we have to take into account.
Other Contributing Factors
Presently, the considering and justifying
related to the Buddhist doctrines and precepts for the purpose of preserving,
prolonging, and practicing, are still be mainly carried on by the Buddhist monk
community. However, in some country or
governing territory, there may be laws, requirement, and regulation that allow
qualified lay devotees to participate in the process and/or procedure. In addition, there are other contributing
factors which affect the consideration and justification over the issue of
doctrines and precepts such as law, creed, tradition, conduct, culture, and the
society. Regarding the commentaries
given in this article, the commentator wishes to provide descriptive
explanation on 3 issues which may be beneficial to the Buddhist monk community
and lay devotees for further consideration and justification to cease conflicts
in Buddhism.
Buddhist Monks & Vegetarian Foods
This issue has been raised as a concern
over the Buddhist monks’ consumption of vegetarian foods. In general, the Mahayana Buddhists support
the idea that Buddhist monks are required to eat vegetarian foods whereas the
Theravadian Buddhist monks claim that Lord Gotama Buddha did not regulate the
precept that enforces Buddhist monks to be vegetarians. Indeed, the complication is caused by the
different versions of doctrines and precepts which they observe. Thus, it is difficult to justify who is right
or wrong.
According to the Theravadian Buddhist
scripture, the concern over the vegetarian food was formally brought to Lord
Gotama Buddha’s attention for the first time by Devadatta, a Buddhist monk from
a royal family and a kin to the Lord Buddha, who wished to replace the Lord
Buddha in governing the Buddhist monk community. Devadatta asked the Lord Buddha amidst the
Buddhist disciples to regulate a precept that required Buddhist monks to eat
vegetarian foods because he wished to express his superior idea and
conduct. However, the Lord Buddha
declined, but the Buddha did not prohibit the Buddhist monks from being
vegetarians because he wished the monks not to cause difficulty to lay devotees
who donated foods to them.
Therefore, if the lay devotees offer
vegetarian foods to the monks, the monks will have to consume them without
refusing. Likewise, if foods cooked from
meat are offered to the monks, they should consume the foods without
discrimination. Both kinds of food yield
different benefits. If Buddhist monks
consume vegetarian foods, it helps to lessen the demand for meat. Thus, there will be less animals being killed
for foods. The quantity of livestock
will be decreased accordingly. The sin
that will occur to those who raise and kill livestock will be lessened. The lay devotees who cook vegetarian foods
and offer them to Buddhist monks or consume by themselves will earn merit from
having kindness and compassion, wishing the animals to have less suffering,
revenge, and harm. Their mind will be
meritorious whereas the revengeful mind of animals who are killed for foods
will be minimized.
Therefore, Buddhist monks should be
contented on foods offered by lay devotees whether they receive meat or
vegetarian foods as they are not supposed to enjoy themselves with sensual
pleasure from consuming either meat or vegetarian foods. The monks should be satisfied with whatever
is offered to them. If lay devotees wish
to offer foods made from meat, the benefit is that they will not have
difficulty in cooking foods. If the lay
devotees are not vegetarian, they may have to cook separate dishes of foods for
monks if monks are required to be vegetarians.
This will be inconvenient and cause more expenditure to the lay
devotees. In addition, if the lay
devotees wish to offer the foods made from meat that they like with an aim for
the fruit of merit that allows them to karmically get what they like in return,
they will enjoy this benefit. By the
way, considering the issue of lay devotees’ convenience in offering foods to
the Buddhist monks, it will not be an important issue to the Mahayana monks
because they can cook vegetarian foods for their own consumption. This is different from the Theravadian monks
whose precept disallows them to cook.
Thus, Theravadian monks mainly rely on donated foods. If the lay devotees wish them to eat
vegetarian foods regularly, it is possible that the lay devotees have to cook vegetarian
foods and offer to the monks everyday, and there is no prohibition.
To conclude, we can say that the monks’
consumption of vegetarian foods and non-vegetarian foods are both
beneficial. However, whether the
Theravadian monks would consume vegetarian foods or not, the main principle in
consuming foods is to keep up with the contentment by being satisfied with
whatever is donated to them and never over-enjoying themselves with foods,
either vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Presently,
there are also other additional factors to be considered by Buddhist monks over
their consumption of foods such as hygiene, safety, disease, and health. Thus,
the Buddhist monks may have to be more careful in selecting what to eat. They may even have to buy foods to eat due to
health problems. Lay devotees have to
consider these additional factors when they cook foods, either vegetarian or
non-vegetarian, and offer to Buddhist monks.
Beside regular and daily food
consumption of Buddhist monks, they should follow the practice of the majority
Buddhists in a country or at a monastery where the community of monks eat
vegetarian foods in order to comply to the Buddhist practice of such monastery
or country and to reassure that foods will not be taken as a big concern, but
rather be treated as the elements that provide necessary energy and nutrients which
sustain the functioning of one’s body.
Ordination of Female Buddhist Monks (Bhikkhuni)
The ordination of female Buddhist monks
is also a disputable issue among Buddhists in the present whether it complies
to the original requirements made by the Lord Buddha or not. To consider this issue, we trace back to the
situation when the Lord Buddha granted ordination to the first female Buddhist
monk, the Lord Buddha’s stepmother. By
that time, Venerable Anada who was the Lord Buddha’s attendant requested the
Buddha to grant ordination to women.
Lord Gotama Buddha pointed out to Venerable Ananda that female Buddhist
monks may weaken the religion, but the Buddha finally granted the ordination
and set up many requirements to female ordainees to follow as a prevention of
possible problems. After numerous women
were ordained to be female Buddhist monks, the Lord Buddha had regulated
hundreds of precepts to maintain good discipline of the female Buddhist monk
community. These requirements and
precepts eventually make it difficult for women to get ordained and remain in
the monastic community. If the female
Buddhist monks are not really committed to the wholesome religious practice
with good dedication, they will find it difficult or inconvenient to continue
their monkhood. We may say that even
though the Lord Buddha granted ordination to women, the requirements and
hundreds of precepts were quite discouraging.
However, when considering the religion of other Lord Buddhas, we find
that female Buddhist monks or Bhikkhuni are commonly available as the earlier
Lord Buddhas usually gave predictions to the Buddha-to-be persons or
Bodhisatta(s) by providing names of the future Buddhas’ leading male disciple
monks and leading female disciple monks.
To conclude, we may state that the female Buddhist monks were destined
to exist although Lord Gotama Buddha did not directly encourage them.
In the present, one party gives a
reason that the female Buddhist monk lineage had already ceased, and it is not
possible for them to continue the lineage righteously per the Lord Buddha’s
requirement since a Buddhist female monk is required to be ordained by both the
female Buddhist monk community and male Buddhist monk community. The another party objects that it is still
possible to ordain a female Buddhist monk by the male Buddhist monk
community. This is because although the
original requirements were not fulfilled, but there is no rule that prohibit
the male Buddhist monk community from doing so.
Notwithstanding, the eligibility of male Buddhist monk community to
ordain a female Buddhist monk is based on various contributing and surrounding
factors which differ from country to country.
The male Buddhist monk community can perform their religious duties within
the extent allowed by laws, society, culture, tradition, creed, and belief of
each governing territory. Thus, the
Sangha or male Buddhist monk community can take appropriate actions per the
aforesaid contributing and surrounding factors that enable them to do so
whereas they adhere to the doctrines and precepts of their sect. As a result, they can righteously make the
resolution whether they will permit an ordination to a female Buddhist monk or
not.
In considering and justifying an issue
of the doctrines and precepts by taking into account of the surrounding
factors, we may compare and contrast with another comparable issue to gain
better knowledge and understanding. For
example, the issue of ordaining a female Buddhist monk is crucially concerned. If we justify that the lineage of female
Buddhist monk community already ceased and cannot be correctly continued or
ordained by the male Buddhist monk community alone, we may make a parallel
study on the appointment of the Buddhist supreme patriarch or Sangha Raja
in each Buddhist nation that there is no doctrine or precept which enables the
appointment of a supreme patriarch, but there is no prohibition from doing
so. Therefore, it is the surrounding
factors of each country that enable or disable the appointment of a supreme
patriarch, especially the governing laws of such territory. In many countries, the law plays an important
role in giving or limiting power, specifying duties, responsibilities, extent
of power and authority, that allow a Buddhist monk or community of monks to do
their religious works. It is necessary
for the monks to comply to the laws even though they may have to be deviated
from the original doctrines and precepts.
This principle is vital for Buddhist monks who live in Western countries
that some precepts have to be overridden to ease the monks’ living and doing
their religious duties within the extent permitted by laws and acceptable to
the society who may not be familiar with Buddhism. As a result, some countries have the Buddhist
supreme patriarch whereas some other countries don’t. This is similar to the case of female
Buddhist monk or Bhikkhuni.
From the aforesaid issue, we can see
that the community of monks or Sangha in each lineage and/or country has
different power, authority, duty, responsibility, and surrounding factors, more
or less. The resolution made by the
community of Buddhist monks in one country toward an issue may differ from the
resolution of communities of Buddhist monks in other countries. However, each community has to respect in
each other’s resolution by being aware of the aforesaid surrounding factors
which differ from country to country.
Therefore, when a female Buddhist monk
or Bhikkhuni who is ordained and recognized by a Buddhist monk community
in one country goes to the governing territory of other Buddhist monk
communities whose resolutions disallow the ordination of female Buddhist monk,
such female Buddhist monk is deemed to be a female Buddhist monk of foreign
Buddhist monk community only. But she is
not recognized to be a female Buddhist monk for the objecting Buddhist monk
communities. By the way, there are also
other factors which may contribute to the recognition of a female Buddhist monk
or Bhikkhuni such as the governing laws, creed, tradition, culture,
society, and belief. For example, a Bhikkhuni
who is not legally recognized may be acceptable to the society and vice versa.
Buddhist Monks’ Money Receiving &
Spending
The third issue to be considered in
this article is Buddhist monks’ money receiving and spending. The Lord Buddha regulated the precept that
disallows Buddhist monks to receive and spend money, and this issue is
doubtable if most of the Buddhist monks in the present days intentionally
violate this precept. Indeed, this
issue is a little more complicated than interpreting the precept alone. To consider this issue, we trace back to the
Lord Buddha’s lifetime when it was an agricultural society where people did
farming, hunting, and trading. The
exchange of produces was partially made possible with currency or money as a
medium for exchange. However, during the
Lord Buddha’s lifetime, money did not have an important role as in the
present. So, we question if an
individual can live appropriately in the society without spending money at all
where almost everything has monetary value and money is commonly used as the
medium for exchange of resources. The
answer is that living without money is still somehow possible in remote areas
and forests where money spending is not demanding. However, for the urban or city society where
materialism is dominant, the spending of money as a medium for exchange for
goods and services is almost a must and common.
However, problems occur as Buddhist monks receive and spend money in
inappropriate ways such as for entertainment or encouragement of sensual
pleasure. These consequently ruin the
faith of Buddhists upon the Buddhist monks and Buddhism as a whole.
Monks’ rule on money receiving and
spending has been loosened from time to time similar to many other regulations
or precepts which have been observed less and less until finally ignored over
time. In term of practice, the governing
body of Buddhist monks who rule monks in each territory or country may not have
a formal order to eliminate any rule or precept, but they are informally
ignored in practice whereas some other new rules are regulated, emphasized,
brought into attention, and enforced either in accordance with the laws or
without the laws. So, in the case of
monks’ money receiving and spending, the Buddhist monk community and the
governing body of monks neither officially rule to abandon the precept nor
strictly enforce it, but it is informally known to the monks that they can
receive and spend money as it deems appropriate. For example, presently, monks have to spend
money on construction of religious buildings, paying tuition fees, buying
books, paying for medical treatment, paying for transportation, and buying Dhamma
media.
The problems of monks’ money receiving
and spending are that they lack good discipline and have recklessness. Thus, they pay for goods and services in inappropriate
ways such as buying movie VCDs or an expensive smartphone. These worsen the faith of Buddhists as well
as non-Buddhists. Moreover, many people
foresee the personal gains from receiving and spend donated money, so they
become Buddhist monks with an aim to make profit. As a result, Buddhism is weakened. There are still some monks who wish to remain
strict in observing this precept, so they refuse to receive or spend money, and
possible problems from money are consequently eliminated.
It will be beneficial if the Buddhist
monks can have trustable treasurers who look after and manage money and
personal properties for the monks. Then,
when the monks wish to spend money, they can inform the treasurer to withdraw
money and make a purchase or payment on the monks’ behalf. This may cause inconvenience and delay, but
it can lessen many problems from receiving and spending money as well as other
form of personal properties. There
should be further study and resolution for this issue to allow the monks to
have trustable and honest treasurers who will keep and manage money, assets,
and properties which belong to an individual monk or community of monks.
Other than the monks’ personal
treasurer, there should also be effective and systematic measures to monitor
and supervise the monks’ personal money receiving and spending. Considering the original precept which
disallows the Buddhist monks from receiving and spending money, the governing
body of Buddhist monks has become less strict to this precept, and the monks
are practically allowed to receive and spend money to ease their livings. However, there are many problems arising from
monks’ disobeying of the precepts. The
new measures may require the monks to keep and submit their accounting journal
of income and expense whereas details are completely provided to keep up with
transparency, good governance, righteousness, and justification. The monks’ accounting journal and report
should be, thus, audited by the qualified monks or lay devotees who are
authorized to do so. These will help to
lessen corruption, money laundering, inappropriate spending and illegal actions
committed by monks.
Conclusion
Lastly, it should be emphasized that
the above commentaries on principles, guidelines, and approaches in
considering, reasoning, and justifying the doctrines and precepts in Buddhism
as well as the three sample issues are made by the commentator as a stakeholder
of Buddhism. This article points out the
necessity in studying and taking into account of the backgrounds dated back to
the Lord Buddha’s lifetime in order to investigate how Lord Gotama Buddha
expressed his opinions and took actions which can be analyzed as objectives,
goals, perspective, procedure, and approach.
Throughout the above commentaries, the
priority is given to the Lord Buddha as the first jewel of the Triple Gem, the
most important bodies of Buddhism. Then,
we harmoniously consider the Dhamma & Vinaya or Buddhist doctrines
and precepts altogether as the second jewel.
Finally, the third jewel explained is the Sangha or community of
Buddhist monks who has important roles in preserving, prolonging, and
practicing the doctrines and precepts as well as Buddhism further per their attitude,
power, authority, responsibility, duty, and other influential surrounding
factors, more or less, within the extent authorized or allowed by the governing
laws of their territory.
All of the above were taken into account, interpreted, and justified based on the principle that promotes harmony and mutual benefits to all Buddhists, Buddhism and human society as a whole.
