Ordination and A Living of Blessed Life in the Modern Time
Author: Liberal HomoDeus
Date: 15th March 2020
Keywords: #ordination, #monk, #Theravada, #almsround, #Buddhism, #blessedlife, #meditation, #practice, #education
Length: 1384 words
💭🍬💭🍬💭🍬💭🍬💭🍬💭
 |
Theravada Ordination Ceremony |
The ordination procedure for Theravada Buddhist monks, known as the ‘Going forth’, begins with the applicant’s formal request to a senior monk for the novice ordination. On receiving permission, the applicant prepares for the ceremony by acquiring a complete set of robes and getting the help of the monks in the monastery to shave his head. Then he approaches the senior monk and pays his respects by bowing three times and hands over the robes saying a passage prescribed for the purpose. Then he formally asks the senior monk to give him the robes, and having received them, he is helped by the monks to put them on. The applicant then makes a formal request for the novice ordination. The senior monk administers the Triple Refuges and the Ten Precepts.
According to the Buddhist monk’s code of ethics, a condition for higher ordination is that the candidate has a Preceptor. Accordingly, at the time of his novice ordination, the candidate begged the senior monk to be his Preceptor; the senior monk agreed to do so, thus the applicant has a preceptor to guide him so long as he remains a Bhikkhu.
From the above scenario, it is relatively easy for any adult man to become a Theravada Buddhist monk and reach his elevated status. Traditionally, a man can become a monk after a few days of instruction, generally undergoing more than a token training in a series of formalities, but does not he promise to commit himself for life to his religious discipline. In Dhammakaya temple, there are adaptations in their short-term ordination programs adding minimum two-week up to a month meditation practice and Eight-precept observation for the ordinands before entering full ordination.
In Thailand, no stigma attaches to the ex-Bhikkhu; nor does he have to pay a considerable social price when leaving the Order; on the contrary, it is considered to be a distinct advantage to have spent some time in the monastic Order; therefore, there is the prevailing expectation that every young man should be temporarily ordained. Each family hopes to gain respect and merit by sending one son to the monastery, and spend at least a few weeks or months wearing the saffron robes. For some, it is a way to get a good education; for others, it is a chance to devote their lives to the Teachings.
Unfortunately, women attracted to the renunciate life, face a different set of circumstances. When Buddhism first came to Thailand, a Bhikkhuni Sangha was never instated; in fact Bhikkhuni ordination died out in all Theravada countries. Thus, in the case of the first Thai female Dhammananda, her novice ordination sparked a strong public debate, bringing protests by the Thai male clergy and ridicule from the conservative press. Some monks put up posters against it and a couple of senior monks gave negative press interviews. A mainstream newspaper and television station derided Dhammananda and her supporters.
However, Thai clergy does nothing to prevent Dhammananda’s religious works and projects. Perhaps it is an example of the Thai value of ‘mai pen rai’, or ‘never mind’, where people ignore what they do not like rather than actively oppose it.
Opinions seem to be gradually changing. The monks who were speaking openly against it at the beginning are becoming more neutral and a couple are outspokenly positive. They say, ‘Just keep on doing good work, be patient and perseverant.’ The Bangkok Post has strongly supported Dhammananda’s cause, calling her novice ordination ‘momentous in the development of Buddhism in Thailand’. Some see that she has helped women to have a women’s society, a women’s space within Buddhism, adding that the Lord Buddha refused to accept the Indian caste system, denying the social structure of His time. This was very revolutionary. So, to be a revolutionary is to follow in the footsteps of the Buddha.
 |
Head-shaving Ceremony
|
For the monks, once, living a blessed celibate life, most of them are regularly made aware of the fact that they depend upon their being accepted by lay people for their very survival. Every day at sunrise they go collecting food. In rural monasteries, the monks’ food supply is secure, a rural monastery never runs out of victuals. In cities, this direct link is not present; many monks must walk long distances and compete with dozens of other groups from various monasteries at the places where lay persons often have set up a table and donate small portions of food to a regular stream of yellow-clad Bhikkhus until their supplies run out. In the modern parts of Thailand, many commuters, factory and office workers cannot fit in a food-donation in their early-morning routine.
In some cities, when some of the well-publicized scandals in the Sangha have made the laity skeptical as to the disciplinary purity of members of the Sangha, for them, it is relatively easy to demonstrate their protest by dropping out of the morning offering. In the village, the families that have a relative in the monastery remain bound to not forego the food donation.
In the parallel scenario, there are monks making a demonstration of almost complete withdrawal from the world by specializing on individual meditation practices, eating one meal a day and spending more of their times in isolation. The practice is called Duthanga which is a time-honored discipline which includes, among others, the practice of wandering with an umbrella-tent, and this Duthanga has acquired a new aura of respect to the practicing monks. An almost paradoxical situation may develop that is the more a monk withdraws from the world, the more fame may accrue to him; for instance, great magical powers may be ascribed to him which cause the secular world to seek him out.
There also are many paths open to the ambitious monks who decide to make a career in the Sangha, such as, it is helpful that they pass at least some of the state-supervised annual ‘nak-dham’ religious examinations. Monks can obtain fame upon a mixture of strict intellectual discipline, interpretation of Buddhist thought and practice.
Maintaining a monastic status no matter for any personal purpose, the monk must observe the 227 Precepts and recite the monastic rules every fortnight; and, when recalling the shortcomings of breaking the vows and receiving inspiration by reciting the benefits of keeping them, it can strengthen their faith in the robe. Such benefits of keeping the rules include enjoying the glory of a radiant body, effortless fame, others’ praise of their good qualities, and the gaining of happiness. Of course, there are long-term benefits as well such as rebirth in the upper realms, insights and enlightenment.
Moreover, the more purely the monks live in their ordination, the greater will be their power of success when they bless others; their blessings will be more likely to succeed. When they teach, they will have a much greater effect on people’s minds than do lay people when they teach; there is a big difference. The people receiving the teaching see that the teachers themselves are living in renunciation, leading a life that they themselves cannot. Recognizing a quality that is hard to achieve, they will respect the monastics for it. At the same time, lay students should learn to regard the Sangha in this way and allow devotion to arise.
Despite, ordination is beneficial and well-known in Thailand and Dhammakaya temple has held multi-ordination projects with generous financial assistance available, relatively, low percentage of people knew that such opportunities are existing. Therefore, getting the word out should be every Buddhist’s consuming passion. There is an enormous thirst for Dhamma practice especially, among the younger generation in these days. They want deeper answers to the problems they, and the world, face. And meditation practice during being a monk will help them better understand themselves. Many people who passed the ordaining period have deep experiences of meditative insight from meditation practice and these experiences are real, deep and attainable.
Ordination is a well-trodden path which provides conducive circumstances for Dhamma practice. Although, it is true that some lay people can practice well without having to be ordained, that does not mean all lay people can practice well. Most lay people find it difficult given all the household burden.
After the end of the ordination program, those choose to stay in monasteries long term will become the next generation of Dhamma teachers and renunciation aspiration for others, and revitalizing existing Sanghas. Those who return to the world will become a generation empowered to morally transform the society from the inside out.
Having given such alternatives, the future of Buddhism can be envisioned consciously optimistic as that monasticism would be a valid career path, understood to be serving a critical role in the modern polarized stressful society. Periods of taking up ordination or intensive meditation practice will become a norm, a respected life stage, and a form of study as common as taking a gap year of high school students, serving in the Peace Corps, or travelling around world. Renunciation life will appeal and connect aspiring of the practitioners to deep Dhamma knowledge and one hopeful way forward.
🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌
No comments