Dhammapada, Verses 9 & 10:
Whoever being depraved,
Devoid of self-control
And truthfulness,
Dons the yellow robe,
He is surely not worthy
of it.
But, whoever is purged of
depravity,
Well-established in
virtues
And filled with
self-control
And truthfulness,
He is indeed worthy of
the yellow robe.
There are many fine Buddhist monks around;
I should know as I’ve met quite a number of them over the past quarter of a
century. There are monks devoted to meditation, to serving their communities,
to studying & sharing the Buddhadharma, and generally leading their
communities to behave with wisdom and compassion. Unfortunately, this isn’t the
whole story. Across the Buddhist world there are innumerable accounts monks
unworthy of the yellow robe (or whatever colour it happens to be!). In verse 9
of the Dhammapada, quoted above, it gives three main reasons why someone won’t
be fit to be a monk (or nun).
The first reason is that someone is
“depraved.” The Oxford English Dictionary defines depravity as “moral
corruption; wickedness,” and when considering the rules for bhikkhus &
bhikkhunis (ordained monks & nuns), it’s easy to see why a depraved
individual would be considered unfit to be a Buddhist monastic. Depravity can
cover pretty much any wicked, corrupt behaviour including sexual misconduct,
violence, financial corruption, verbal abuse and more. Considering monks &
nuns are supposed to be pacifist, kindly-spoken people that don’t handle money
(or, in some Buddhist sects, handle it with honesty), it’s clear that a
depraved person isn’t the perfect candidate for the monastic life.
In Cambodia, monks are in a highly revered
& privileged position. They are seen as examples of how to behave and
treated with deep respect by Cambodian Buddhists. However, there are many that
wear the monastic robes that clearly aren’t worthy of them, and stories such as
the following are not uncommon. In September of this year (2014), in Siem Reap,
a small town near the famous Ankor Wat complex, two monks were arrested when
caught partying in a room in their temple with two women, condoms, alcohol and
a pipe for smoking methamphetamine. One of the monks tested positive for methamphetamine.
Both were later expelled from the monkhood. Sadly, this kind of behaviour is
not unusual in Cambodia – as well as
just about every Buddhist culture on the planet – and there have been recorded
cases of monks arrested for rape (including that of children), violence and drug
abuse.
In neighbouring Thailand (where this
author lives), horrendous stories of monks’ misdeeds are commonplace. Some of
them are so extreme as to seem unbelievable…unfortunately, they’re not. One
such story is that of ‘Venerable’ Porn (yes, that is his name!), a 54
year-old monk in Nakhon Sawan, a province in central Thailand. Jilted by his 15
year-old lover, the monk shot her several times in the head & chest. Apparently,
the monk had begun the affair with the girl a few years prior to the shooting,
and had given her money for ‘monthly expenses.’ The monk confessed the crime to
the police after being arrested. He was defrocked and formally charged with the
girl’s murder. I myself have been told first-hand of Thai monks attempting to
rape other monks, as well as the problem of poor family’s boys entered into
monasteries as novices only to end up having the wrong kinds of lessons from
their older monkish ‘mentors.’
The second reason given that someone is
unfit to be a monk or nun is that they are “devoid of self-control.” If a
person has no self-control, it’s clear that they won’t be able to avoid the
wickedness described above. More than this, they won’t be able to follow the lesser
rules for being a monk or nun, such as having to wear their robes
appropriately, dignified ways of eating & the etiquette surrounding
expected modes of behaviour around fellow monastics & laypeople alike. Besides
rules, people without self-control won’t be able to dedicate themselves to
being mindful or practicing meditation to any level of concentration. Thus,
their chances of developing wisdom are not good, either. Such a lack of
self-control was displayed in Thailand recently (December, 2014) by a Buddhist
monk twice slapping a teacher on the face on a train over a misunderstanding.
The incident was filmed and can be seen here with a fuller account of
what occurred.
Truthfulness is expected of Buddhist laity
as the fourth precept is the undertaking to refrain from lying, and monastics
are equally expected to avoid false speech. If a monk or nun lies, how can
people expect them to speak with integrity when training other monastics,
giving public talks, describing their monastic achievements or counselling
& guiding others? If a monk or nun is known to lie, it will be very
difficult to know if what they say is true or not, including when teaching
Buddhism. Did Buddha really say that in the ancient texts? Are these really the
obligations of a monk or nun? Should a layperson really act this way in a
monastery? Integrity in speech is crucial if we are to trust someone with our
spiritual & personal concerns, and not knowing if their words are true or
not is going to confuse us & possibly turn us away from the Dharma.
All this may seem depressing or even overwhelming
for the dedicated Buddhist. However, it’s only have the story. There are
examples of high-profile monks and nuns that have dedicated their lives to
others, and are “purged of depravity, well-established in virtues and filled
with self-control and truthfulness,” as the second verse above puts it. The
Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Ayya Khema, Ajahn Chah, Shunryu Suzuki, and Pema
Chödrön are but a few of the many well-known modern Buddhist renunciates that
have been worthy of their robes. Such monks & nuns have led exemplary
lives, not only teaching the Buddhadharma but also living in ways that have not
contradicted what it means to be committed to the Buddhist life.
And, it’s not only ‘celebrity’ monks &
nuns that live the true life of the Buddhist monastic, but there are plenty of
relatively unknown people out there tucked away in temples, monasteries, villages,
mountain hideaways and the like all as worthy of the Buddhist robes as the
Dalai Lama or Thich Nhat Hanh. Near where I live here in Thailand, there are
two forest monasteries, one aimed at Thais, one for foreigners, where the monk’s
discipline is vigorously kept to, and the residents (both ordained and lay) commit
themselves to a contemplative lifestyle based on meditation & mindfulness.
Such people are an inspiration, showing that living an ethical life imbued with
integrity is not just a distant dream, but an actual reality, here and now. We
just need to look hard enough to find such people and appreciate them when we
do. There are Buddhist monasteries & nunneries all over the world nowadays,
especially from the Theravada, Tibetan & Zen traditions. For example, one
tradition called the Western Forest Sangha has monastic branches in Australia, Ireland,
New Zealand, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, the UK & the US, as well as those
here in Thailand.
Having a teacher that one sees as being
virtuous, self-controlled & truthful can be a real boon to one’s Buddhist
practice. Of course, they needn’t be a celibate monk or nun, but in Buddhism they
often are, and if we are a student of such a person, it’s important to be able
to trust them, otherwise, why listen to word they’re saying? One of my main
teachers is the famous Anglo-American monk Ajahn Sumedho. Not only is his
public image & teaching role immaculate, but in private too I have found
him to be warm, compassionate, wise & highly disciplined with regards to
the monastic code of conduct (something he apparently learned from his teacher,
Ajahn Chah). I’ve felt safe in his presence, not at risk of being misled or mistreated.
And, whilst we can never fully know another person’s future actions, and to err
is human, it is inspiring to have known and learned from such a human being as
Ajahn Sumedho. Virtuous monastics are around – it’s up to us to seek them out
and cherish them.
This isn’t to say that those people
wearing Buddhist robes and doing seriously bad stuff should just be ignored –
they need to be weeded out of the Buddhist orders into which they have imbedded
themselves to clean up the image & reality of Buddhist monasticism in the
modern world. Thailand recently set up a hotline that concerned people can call
reporting the inappropriate behaviour of monks there; this is a good example of
how the problem can be begun to be addressed. But, each of us – if we are
serious Buddhists – should consider how we should react when confronted with those
soiling their robes. Are we going to pretend it isn’t happening and allow such
people to abuse the trust of both their monastic & lay followers, or will
we stand up for the honour & efficacy of Buddhist monasticism? For, in the
end, whether we wear those yellow (or black or maroon) robes or not, as
Buddhists we all have a responsibility to make sure the Buddhadharma is
tarnished by wayward monks.
The Dhammapada ('Verses
of Dharma' or 'Path of Dharma') is an ancient Buddhist text that is said to
contain some of Buddha's teachings in poetic form. The first chapter is
called Yamakavagga, 'Chapter of Pairs,' and the above two verses are from this
part of the book.
