Life of a monastic under the Buddha's time in the world.VIETNAMESSE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THE WOMEN OF THE SAKYA CLAN CHAN TANH. Life of a monk during the Buddha's time in the world', or rather, the writer wants to refer to the spirit of duty and responsibility. responsibility of the monastic. Anyone living in society has duties and responsibilities, whether small or large, old or young. Commentary Buddhism does not only have a fixed form of practice as the standard for all Buddhist activities. The form of living as well as the method of practice in Buddhism is always 'accidental', which means that depending on different bases and circumstances, a different method of practice or living is formed. This we find not only in the scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism but also in the Nikayas [1] or Agama [2]., are the earliest appearing canonical. That suggests to us that we should not cling to a fixed form of life or a method of practice as a standard, thereby intending to refute other activities, of course. That activity or practice tends to lead the practitioner to the goal of attaining enlightenment and liberation. Therefore, in the content of this article, I do not intend to denounce other forms of life or practice, but simply to introduce readers to the life of the holy Buddha. Theravada Buddhism, specifically in the Nikayas, records the life of a monk during the Buddha's lifetime. Thereby, it allows us to understand and know the daily life and practice of the monk at the time when the Buddha was still alive, and how Buddhism has evolved so far. It is the basis for us to understand what is the spirit of education and what is the form of education of the Buddha, we certainly draw many valuable lessons from the past, and at the same time it will help us. firmly form a model of living, a method of practice suitable to the present life and the needs of society, and orient for a type of future activity that we do not feel surprised before. With the change of living form of Buddhism and the change of society, with such awareness, our daily practice life will be happy and peaceful. With that spirit, The purpose of living the holy life of monastics If we carefully study the two systems of the Nikayas and A-functions, we all have a common view that these two systems of scripture confirm that: The sole purpose of a monastic is to achieve success. enlightenment and liberation. It means to confirm that, because I have not been enlightened, I want to become ordained to be enlightened, because I have not been liberated, I want to become ordained to be liberated, it has no meaning before I have become enlightened and liberated. , so when he had just left home, he immediately set up a temple to set up a monastery to save sentient beings. Try asking what to save? Say to help the poor but have no resources to save? Speaking of saving sentient beings but the Buddha Dharma itself does not know, the practice is not good, what can we use to convert? Suppose, if there is a will to save birth, it will only appear after leaving home, going through a period of practice, Once he has attained the precepts, has attained meditation and wisdom, he has made a vow to save birth, or at least he must have understood the Buddha's teachings, and then made a vow to teach the Buddhadharma for others. that is still possible, otherwise, the concept of birth is not successful. Therefore, it does not mean simply to go forth from the home life to save birth without having anything to do with Buddhism in itself, which has led to some cases of people after ordination, ordained, did not undergo training in the life of a holy person, did not study the Buddha's teachings, hastily built a religious establishment, established a social charity, eagerly worked on 'forgiveness', while the duty and responsibility of the monastic is enlightenment and liberation not yet fulfilled, even the Buddha Dharma does not know anything. so they blatantly consider themselves to be the people doing the conduct of the monastic, helping sentient beings. Then ask: what to take to save birth? it is absurd to claim to be a teacher, but illiterate. It is sad that the spirit of Bodhisattva practice, compassion and saving sentient beings of Mahayana Buddhism has been abused indiscriminately and unconsciously. This is the point that Buddhist leaders need to think about. With the purpose of ordination is to seek enlightenment and liberation, so the Buddha instructed his ordained disciples to live a homeless life, away from the noisy and noisy city, to find a quiet place. such as a forest, a charnel ground, or an open field to practice meditation, reflect on the nature of the world as impermanent, and at the same time take the spirit of 'minimum desire and contentment' as the principle for a spiritual life. . Perhaps it is because of this life that the Buddha stipulates that a monastic must have 3 basic conditions to protect life. One is 3 y is the clothes of the monks must have; The second is that the bowl is a necessary item for the bhikkhu to hold food and drink; Third, a water filter is a necessary item for a monk when living a mobile life in the mountains and forests, when encountering unclean water, it is necessary to purify it before drinking. These three conditions can be said to be three very useful conditions and adapted to the migratory life in the forests and mountains in the ancient times, but it is no longer suitable for the settled life, especially the life in the modern era. we. This life, which is not only Buddhism, but also most people who practice the monastic life of other religions also live like that. Perhaps the Buddha realized that this life really helps the monastic to quickly achieve the goal of enlightenment and liberation, so the Buddha considered it as a necessary life for monastics in the society at that time. , because it is a training life for a person who has just moved from family life to homelessness, a person who has just come out of the life of sensuality, practicing the life of celibacy and abstaining from sex. The solitude of life in the mountains,[3] , 'The Forest Sutra' (Vanapatthasutta) [4] .vv Buddha said that living in the mountains and forests of monastics to help practitioners quickly achieve holy fruit, does not mean only life. Only the mountains and forests have enlightenment and liberation, these two meanings are completely different, should not be mistakenly viewed as the same. At the same time, life in the mountains is the best condition to help us quickly give up all kinds of material desires, such as the 'Dhammadàda sutta' in the 1st volume of the "Middle Way Sutra", the Buddha taught that : “Bhikkhus, be heirs of my Dharma, not heirs of material possessions. I have compassion for you and I think, "How can my disciples be heirs of my Dharma, not heirs of material possessions?". And, bhikkhus, if you were heirs to My possessions, not heirs of the Dharma, not only would you become those for whom it is said: "Both teacher and student are the heirs of wealth, not the heirs of the Dharma", but also I became the person it is said: "Both teachers and students are heirs of wealth, not heirs of wealth. France". [5] Although during the Buddha's time on earth, the objects possessed by the monks and the Buddha were simply robes, bowls, water filters, and sitting tools, but the Buddha relied on human greed and The development of Buddhism, the Buddha predicted in the future, when the life of Buddhism becomes settled, the necessary things for this life will also grow accordingly, so it is difficult for the monk to become a monk. When you get rid of the prey of sensual pleasures, the Buddha Dharma also suffers accordingly, the light of the true Dharma also gradually dims, not only harming oneself, but also harming the Dharma, injuring the Dharma. reputation of the Buddha. Perhaps that is why the Buddha gave this sermon. Venerable Sariputta explained the truth of suffering in the teaching of the truth of suffering including 8 types of suffering, in addition to the first 5 types of suffering, which are birth, old age, sickness, and death, and the five stages of suffering, which are the 5 natural sufferings of human beings, anyone can have them. even those who have attained fruition; Asking for and not suffering, resentment increases to destroy suffering and love to separate from suffering are psychological sufferings. The origin of these three types of suffering is ignorance, because of ignorance we want what is beyond our reach, because of ignorance we do not accept what is ours, because of ignorance we like to grasp. hold on to what it no longer has enough elements to exist. Whatever is created by ignorance, if you want to eliminate it, you must also destroy it from ignorance, which means using wisdom to eliminate ignorance, this is a basic principle in Buddhism. This has profound implications that, Buddhism talks about saving sentient beings from suffering, referring to the psychological suffering, not the natural suffering or helping people to be rich. If we agree with this point of view, then we should do the duty, duty and responsibility of the monastic, to help living beings get rid of suffering by helping them to arouse the enlightened characteristic in each living being. rather than mere comfort or material limitation, which is why the Buddha advised us to do our own duty. If we claim to be the eldest son of the Tathagata, then we should inherit his great career of propagating the Dharma, not inheriting wealth, which is the material things of the world, if we don't do it. If so, doing the opposite is the cause for people in the world to have misunderstandings and ridicule Buddhism. ridicule the pure and pure community of the Sangha, and that is also a factor for the Buddha's teachings to be further and further away from the world. This is something every Sangha member needs to think about. The practices of becoming a samana Regarding the holy life of a monk according to the 'Mahāssapura-sutta' in the 'Majjhima-Nikaya' volume 1, sutta number 39, the Buddha taught the monks as follows: after: “Sammon! Sammon! Monks, the people know that you are. And if you are asked: “Who are you!” You must admit: "We are ascetics". Now, bhikkhus, you have received such a name, and have claimed to be so, then, bhikkhus, you should train yourselves as follows: "We will uphold and practice the dharmas. become a sham, the dharma becomes a brahmin. Thus, this title of ours is true and this self-identification of ours is true. And it is only the offerings that we enjoy such as clothes, alms food, sitting chairs, and medicine to treat illnesses that will have great results and great benefits for us. And we are not useless, have results, have achievements." [6] .In my opinion, the content and meaning of the passage just cited above is the passage the Buddha talks about the duties and responsibilities of a Buddhist monk. The word samana is a common word that the Indians refer to for monastics to live the holy life, but in this sutta the word is used by the Buddha to refer to bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, or rather, monastics live according to the Buddha's enlightenment and liberation. The Buddha advised the bhikkhus that, when we confess ourselves as monastics and monastic disciples according to the Buddha, we must fulfill our duties and responsibilities to fulfill the status of a bhikkhu who is a disciple of the Buddha. Buddha. The Buddha is a person who advocates taking wisdom (panna) as a career, taking meditation as a means to deepen insight, If we take precepts as a standard for ethical living, we must also study and practice according to his teachings, if the monks do so, the duty and responsibility of the new monk will be fulfilled. The way of the monk is also obtained from that, we live in the Buddha's teachings and do not become useless. Then what is the duty and responsibility that the new bhikkhu does? In addition, a monk who is a monastic has to live a family life, live alone in secluded places, such as forests, mountains, open fields... eat one meal a day, take alms to support his body, taste He also has to: 1). Consolidate body and mind by virtue, 2). Maintain the apartments, 3). Moderate eating and drinking, 4). Vigilant attention, 5). Mindfulness awareness, 6). Subtract the 5 hindrances, 7). Accomplish 4 meditations. These seven dhammas are the necessary factors for becoming a bhikkhu, also thanks to these seven dharmas, the bhikkhu attains arahantship. These 7 methods we will be sequentially analyzed and explained as below. first). Live with virtue In the past several thousand years ago, people's intellectual activity was still low, social life was not yet civilized and backward, political and social life had not yet formed laws to manage people. Religion plays a rather important role in preserving the orderly life of society, restraining the development of the natural human nature of lust by praising the moral life, restraining the desire instinct. desires of people, in order to bring a peaceful and happy life for themselves and for the whole society. The ethical concept in Buddhism is not only limited to solving social problems, but also manifests the specificity of Buddhism as enlightenment and liberation, because the moral spirit or precepts of Buddhism have a purpose. The goal towards enlightenment and liberation is not only the morality of the world, so it is the moral spirit or precepts of Buddhism that must take the basis of non-greed, non-hatred and non-delusion as a basis, not a form. consciousness of the precepts. As the 'Sutta of Right View' (Sammāditthi sutta) in the 'Mediterranean Sutra', the Buddha explains the clear difference between the two concepts 'good' and 'fundamental'; 'unwholesome' and 'fundamental unwholesome' are as follows: "Friends, when the Noble Disciple knows the unwholesome roots, and the wise understands the root of the unwholesome, the wise understands the wholesome, and the wise understands the root of goodness, then the Noble Disciple has right view and the right view. righteous, having absolute faith in the Dharma, and accomplishing this wonderful Dharma.” “What, dear friends, is unwholesome, what is an unwholesome root, what is a wholesome root, what is a wholesome root? Venerable Sirs, killing is unwholesome, taking what is not considered unwholesome, engaging in sexual misconduct is unwholesome, lying is unwholesome, double-tongued is unwholesome, evil speech is unwholesome, frivolous talk is unwholesome. wholesome, lust is unwholesome, hatred is unwholesome, wrong view is unwholesome. Chu Hien, this is called unwholesome." "And what is an unwholesome root, sages? Greed is the unwholesome root, hatred is the unwholesome root, and delusion is the unwholesome root. Chu Hien, this is called the unwholesome root." “And what, dear friends, is good? Abstaining from killing is good, abstaining from taking what is not considered good, abstaining from sexual misconduct is good, abstaining from lying is good, abstaining from double-tongued speech is good, giving up evil speech is good, abstaining from To say that frivolous is good, not covetous is good, not hateful is good, right view is good. Chu Hien, this is called good". “Venerables, what is the root of goodness? Non-greed is a wholesome root, non-hatred is a wholesome root, and non-delusion is a wholesome root. Chu Hien, this is called the root of goodness." [7] The meaning of the above passage suggests to us that the concept of 'good' or 'unwholesome' is different from the concept of 'good root' or 'unwholesome root'. This distinction, the Buddha wanted to show us clearly the difference between 'form' and 'spirit'. Form is what is specified concretely, not abstractly. For example, in the Buddhist precepts, a monk stipulates that before a monk wants to receive the full precept, also known as a monk's precept, he must have three basic conditions: robe, bowl, and water filter. water filter). These specific regulations are based on the actual life of the bhikkhus during the Buddha's time in the world, the homeless life, wandering around in the mountains and forests, feeding themselves by means of alms-food. must be settled life. These 3 conditions become indispensable things for a monk who lives a homeless life in the mountains and forests, clothes to wear, bowls and bowls that are used to store food offered by donors and filter water for his taste. Monks living in the mountains, when encountering stagnant water, pond water, crevices, creeks... the water is not clean, it needs to be filtered before drinking. These 3 conditions are prescribed by the Buddha to protect the life of a monk to have health and practice, it does not mean that a monk is required to have these 3 conditions, it is only valid when Any monk who lives a migratory life, has no home, lives in the mountains and forests, so we should not have the misconception that eating from a bowl and carrying a filter is called tu... We base ourselves on that. Where to make this point? The point on which we base ourselves is the point on which the Buddha explained that 'good' is different from 'fundamental good'. 'Good' is the precepts, synonymous with form, 'fundamental' is the non-greed, the hatred and the non-delusion, which is the spirit of Buddhism. The established form must be based on the spirit, but the form is something that can be established at will, so form is limited by time and space; spirit is the infinite, which is not limited by space and time, what is limited by time and space that is not truth; that which is not limited is the truth. Thus, what is valuable when the causal factor is still there will also become useless when its cause and condition are gone. Likewise, in the Buddhist precepts, there are quite a few precepts that are established depending on the time, place, and basis, when its context is no longer available, the form of that precept will no longer be valid. again, whether we think like this or that, the truth is still the truth. However, we need to note one thing that although the form of the precept is no longer valid, its spirit is certainly valid forever, because the precept is established on the basis of non-greed, non-hatred. and infallible. This is the meaning of the sentence: 'Y sutras explain the three worlds wronged by the Buddha, and the most disparate scriptures mean the same magic theory' or in the sutras of Mahayana Buddhism the Buddha said: 'Forty-nine years I did not say a word'. Why are the three canon of scriptures taught by him, but he denied, because they are all appearances depending on the time, place, and basis, we should not rely on that? think that the Buddha is like this or that. What he meant was the inner meaning of that formal language, if we want to know the spirit of the Buddha's education, Back to the subject we are discussing. What is a virtuous life? In the spirit of the Nikayas, the Buddha explained that a virtuous life is a life of knowledge, living with three pure karmas and a pure life, thus called a virtuous life. First of all, let's find out how the meaning of 'eternal treasure' is explained by the Buddha. Know how to be precious 'Precious' means to be ashamed, which means that when we do something wrong, we must be ashamed of that mistake, have a repentant attitude that wants to repent of that sin. Because of its nature like that, in the process of Buddhist practice, the Buddha took the virtue of preciousness as the first condition in his practice of becoming a monk. As in the 'Mahā-Assapura-sutta', the Buddha taught: “What, monks, are the dharmas that make up a recluse, and the dharma that make up a brahmin? "We will achieve the noble three," so, bhikkhus, you must practice." [8] The content of this sutta, the Buddha said that the first principle to form a monk is 'knowing the good qualities'. Why did the Buddha take this dharma as the basis for his practice? In the sense of the noble dharma is 'to be ashamed' of one's faults. From this sense we proceed to analyze what it has to do with our practice. If we agree with the concept of Buddhist practice, it is the modification of three karmic actions: bodily karma, verbal karma, and mental karma. If we define tu as 'correcting' then we need to know clearly not only what is wrong but also what is right, when we already know between wrong and right then we can correct what is wrong , if we say practice without knowing what is wrong and what is right, the meaning of practice is not successful. That means before we 'tu' we need to 'know' not 'don't know'. Here, the Buddha said that the practice of becoming a recluse is 'accomplishment' or 'knowing what is precious', which means knowing one's mistake, knowing one's mistake, but with a stubborn mind or deliberately concealing one's guilt and not feeling shameful of making a mistake, such a state of mind is 'unrepentant'. A state of mind that is shameless is an attitude of not wanting to correct one's mistakes, an obstacle to the arising of kusala, a mind that has no seeds of kusala, only the seeds of greed and hatred. hatred and delusion, which indicates a mind without peace and happiness, such a mind is a mind without 'practice', On the contrary, a person who is ashamed is someone who not only knows his wrongdoing but also has a shameful attitude of repentance and wants to correct his mistakes. With such a mind, one will surely make progress, every minute and every second washing away his unwholesome thoughts, the seeds of kusala are always racing to bloom, because the mind of shame is the wall that separates him. To prevent unwholesome dharmas from entering his body and mind, it is also a good condition for the bodhi seed to arise. The importance of shame is such that in this sutra the Buddha took it as the first principle for the process of cultivation or the practice of becoming a monk. That is also why the Buddha advised Rahula (Rahula): “Rahula, for those who know a lie and have no evil qualities, in my time I say that he has no evil deeds that he should not do. Therefore, Rahula, "I am determined not to lie, even if I speak for fun," Rahula, you must learn to do so. [9] . This teaching, the Buddha warned us that, if anyone does wrong things without being ashamed of himself, there is no evil that he cannot do. For example, a black shirt is dirty and old, if it has any dust on it, it does not make us feel uncomfortable, because the person's mind thinks that this shirt is old and dirty. It doesn't matter if it gets dusty. So this shirt is free to dust. Likewise, a person who does evil deeds without being ashamed of his wrongdoing, thus trained in mind, comes to a certain point in his mind when it is normal to do evil deeds; A small evil deed, if we feel normal and not ashamed, gradually become a habit, that person will do bigger and more heinous evil deeds. That's why the Buddha taught Rahala that: those who know and tell lies, have no virtue, when I said that he had no evil that he would not do. This is also the meaning in this sutra, the Buddha took the Dharma of knowing the three precious gems as the first dharma to become a bhikkhu. 3 pure karma The second dharma of 'Living with virtue' is the three pure karmas. In Mahayana Buddhism, there is a saying that 'sentient beings have eighty-four thousand defilements, the Buddha also has eighty-four thousand methods of practice'. In fact, the practice in Buddhism is simply the modification or transformation of the three karmas of body, speech and mind. Body karma is the behavior of the body; oral karma is the act of the mouth; Consciousness karmas are actions that belong to the domain of consciousness. The actions in our daily life do not go beyond these 3 areas, if we do not express it with the body, we will express it with our mouth and before manifesting in the body or mouth, the conscious mind ponders over it. think calculation. Evil deeds come from here, good deeds also come from here; Suffering is created by karma, happiness is also caused by karma. Thus our whole daily activity is nothing beyond the three karmas. Perhaps that is why the Buddha advised us to purify the three karmas. “What, bhikkhus, is more work that should be done? “Our bodily actions must be purified…. Our speech must be pure….Our mental behavior must be pure, righteous, open, unblemished, hidden.” [ten] The word 'pure' here, we should not misunderstand that the Buddha advised us not to work with our body, not to speak with our mouth, not to think in our mind, but the Buddha advised us to do right with the body, good deeds, The mouth should speak at a reasonable time [11] and the mind should think according to the principle of 'reasonable attention' [12], which means that the morality of things should be like that, speaking and acting like that, not the thinking of imagining, speaking falsely and acting improperly. The topic of explaining the three-karma training method in the "Rahula Precepts Sutra" in the "Middle Class" of the Buddha's analysis is very clear. The method of analyzing the three karmas of this sutra, the Buddha based on the three time hooks, the present future and the past, to analyze the three karmas of body, speech and mind. Therefore, where we investigate the content and meaning of this sutra is also in this order. b1. For the karma that you want to do (will do) First of all, the body wants to do, in the 'Rahula Sutta' (Ambalatthik à Ràhulovàda sutta) the Buddha analyzed as follows: “Rahula, when you want to do something bodily, reflect on it as follows: “This body of mine can lead to self-harm, it can lead to harm to others, it can lead to both harm; At this time, this bodily karma is unwholesome, leading to suffering, bringing about painful results.”… Such a bodily karma, Rahula, you definitely do not do. Hey Rahula, if, after reflection, you know: "This body of karma I want to do. This physical karma of mine can't lead to self-harm, can't lead to harm to others, can't lead to harming both; At this time, this bodily kamma is good, leads to happiness, and brings about peaceful retribution. Such a bodily karma, Rahula, you should do. “ [13] The Buddha advised us to want to do (will do) something physically, first of all we should consider thinking about it very clearly, after thinking if we feel it is unwholesome, it will bring suffering to ourselves for others, for both of us, we should not do that. On the contrary, if we feel that what we want to do is a good thing, it brings peace to ourselves, to others, to both, then we should do it. b2. For relatives doing business Next is the body's karma doing in this same sutra, the Buddha analyzed as follows: “Rahula, when you are doing a bodily kamma, you should reflect on that body kamma as follows: 'This body action I am doing. This bodily karma of mine leads to self-harm, to harm to others, to harm to both; this body-karma is unwholesome, leading to suffering; brings suffering retribution…. Rahula, please give up such a bodily karma. But if, Rahula, while reflecting, you know thus: 'This body of karma I am doing. This bodily karma of mine does not lead to self-harm, does not lead to harm to others, does not lead to harm to both; At this time, this bodily kamma is good, leads to happiness, and brings about peaceful retribution. Such bodily karma, Rahula, you need to keep doing.” [14] . Likewise, when we are doing something bodily, we need to reflect on it. After reflecting, we know that it is unwholesome. If we continue to do it, it will bring suffering to ourselves, others and others. For both, we need to give up doing it. On the contrary, after reflecting, knowing that it is a good deed, if doing it will bring happiness and peace to ourselves, to others for both, then we should continue to do it. b3. For the karma that has been done Next is the body's karma done, also in the 'Rahula Sutta', the Buddha explains as follows: “After you have done a bodily kamma, Rahula, you should reflect on that bodily kamma as follows: 'This body action I have done. This bodily karma of mine leads to self-harm, to harm to others, to harm to both; At this time, this bodily kamma is unwholesome, leads to suffering, and brings the retribution of suffering.” ….A body of karma like this, Rahula, you need to speak up, need to reveal, need to present before the Guru, or before the intellectual companions of the holy life. After speaking up, revealing, presenting, need to protect in the future. If in reflection, Rahula, you know thus: 'This body of karma I have done. This bodily karma does not lead to self-harm, does not lead to harm to others, does not lead to harm to both; At this time, this bodily karma is good, leads to peace, and brings about peaceful retribution." Therefore, Rahula,[15] For an event that has been completed, it is necessary to reflect and consider what has been done, if it is clear that what has been done leads to self-harm, harm to people, harm to both, that is unwholesome action. With such a body of karma, we need to go before a guru or a wise teacher to present our wrongdoing and show an attitude of really wanting to repent and not do it again. On the contrary, after reflecting clearly, we know that what we have done will not harm ourselves, harm others and harm both. This bodily karma is friendly karma, we should rejoice and continue to do such deeds. This is the body karma of the three times explained in a very thorough way by the Buddha. Next is speech and mind karma. According to the presentation of this sutra, the Buddha explained about urgent karma and mental karma also based on 3 time hooks, which are speech and mind karma intended to perform; password and intention of doing business; and done speech and mind karma, the interpretation of these two karmas is the same as bodily karma, the only difference is that the word 'body' karma is replaced by the word 'speech or mind karma', to avoid duplication, so So here I continue to explain. Through the content and meaning of reflecting on the three karmas, it reminds us that it is important to realize that the method of practice in this sutra is very specific and very clear, not vaguely abstract, anyone Understandable and anyone can do it. If the bhikkhus often reflect on the three karmas every day, the three karmas will certainly be purified, living the monastic life will not become useless, the monk's character is also achieved through this, setting an example. light for life. With such a status, surely the worldly people not only do not despise him but also praise him, the Buddhadharma also thanks to this way shine brighter and brighter in the world. If we are laypeople, practice the cultivation method by reflecting on these three karmas, we will certainly become a good person in the family and in society. In our business, it is also through reflection and daily inspection that we know what causes failure and which causes success. We are a good person in the family and in society, our business is getting better and better, without reason we will suffer and suffer, on the contrary, that person will have a lot of peace and happiness in life. life. Pure life The second dharma of the 'Virtuous Life' is a pure life. Here, the content and meaning of this word indicating the way of life of a bhikkhu must be purified. Regarding the purity of life in the 'Mahā-Assapura-sutta', the Buddha taught: What, bhikkhus, is more work that should be done? “Our life must be pure, righteous, open, without blemish or concealment. [16] According to the Buddha, a monastic person is a person who lives consciously, feeling that life is temporary, with many sufferings, so he or she leaves home, leaves home, lives without family, with the aspiration to seek enlightenment. enlightenment and liberation. For the purpose of fulfilling this noble purpose, during the Buddha's time in the world, the Buddha stipulated that monastics should take the spirit of 'minimum education and tris' as the standard, and nourish themselves with life. For real, consider eating as a maintenance of health to advance in the path of cultivation, not for the sake of deliciousness, for illegitimate purposes. However, when Buddhism is developing more and more, the number of monks and elders is increasing, especially Buddhism is supported by the king and the rich, who ordained for the wrong purpose. Accordingly, he joined the Sangha, lived a debauched life, take advantage of the appearance of monasticism for personal gain, or do not live by a life of alms to support themselves, but live by illicit occupations, such as fortune-telling, fortune-telling, tattooing... and today many professions arise. business even worse. As a monastic living with such a profession, the Buddha called it "evil life" that is not genuine, not suitable for the life of a monastic, contrary to his or her monastic spirit, moreover with life. As such, it obstructs our goal of enlightenment and liberation. 2). Maintain the apartments Among the methods of becoming a recluse, the second is 'protection of the senses'. Regarding this practice, there are many sutras in the Ajah or Nikaya scriptures that refer to the practice of maintaining these faculties. Here because of the unifying nature of explaining the process of practice in the 'Great Sutta', it is necessary to rely on the interpretation of this sutta, while analyzing if there is any unclear point we will use other sutras to clarify the matter. According to the 'Great Horse Village' (Mahà -Assapura-sutta) explains the meaning of 'protection of the senses' as follows: “What, monks, is the work worth doing more than that? “We have to protect the apartments. When the eyes see form, do not grasp general signs, do not grasp individual signs. What are the causes that cause the eye to not be controlled, causing craving, grief, evil, and unwholesome states to arise, we will control that cause ourselves, protect the eye, practice eye protection . When the ear hears the sound… the nose smells the incense… the tongue tastes the taste… the body feels… the mind perceives the dharmas, not grasping the general signs, not holding the individual characteristics. What are the causes that cause the mind-faculty to not be subdued, causing craving, grief, grief, evil, and unwholesome dharmas to arise, we will control that cause ourselves, protect the mind-base, practice mind-guarding? apartment". Thus, monks, you should practice." [17] The content and meaning of the passage just quoted above, the Buddha advised the monks to protect the senses. Here, the word 'senses' refers to the six senses, i.e. the eye faculty, the ear faculty, the billions sense organ, the tongue faculty, the body faculty, and the mind faculty. The first 5 senses are the organs that contact the outside world, such as the eye sense organ for contact with forms, the ear sense organ which is in contact with sounds, and the nose sense organ for contact with odors. The sense of smell, the tongue is the organ that contacts sweet tastes, the body sense is the organ that contacts all kinds of bodily sensations, and the mind sense is the organ that contacts things, which are images taken from the five worlds. externally, simply put, the dhamma base is the object of consciousness in the 12 sense bases. Here the Buddha advises the bhikkhus: "When the eyes see form, do not grasp the general sign, do not grasp the individual characteristic. What are the causes that cause the eye to not be controlled, causing craving, grief, evil, and unwholesome states to arise, we will control that cause ourselves, protect the eye, practice eye protection .” The content and meaning of this teaching, the Buddha advised the monks to 'protect the eye'. Here we should understand that, protecting the eye does not mean keeping the eye from getting sick without letting the mind generate anger or greed every time we are faced with rupa, Because rupa is of two types, beautiful and ugly, when our eyes see the object as beauty, the mind immediately arises craving for that beauty, when the mind has arisen craving, our mind stops there. whose mind wants to take that beauty of its own, thus suffering states arise accordingly; Conversely, if our eyes see objects as ugly rupa, objects that we don't want to see, but we still have to look at it, we still have to face it, so the states of suffering also depend on them. that is born. This is the meaning that the Buddha advised bhikkhus, not to fixate on general and specific characteristics, and what causes cause craving to arise, we need to control those causes. In addition, when the ear hears sounds, the nose smells scents, the tongue tastes flavors, the body feels all kinds of hard and soft emotions also have the same meaning. So how do we prevent craving when we meet an object we like, as well as aversion when we meet an object we don't like? Do we not see forms, do not hear sounds, do not smell persons, do not taste flavors, do not touch with the body? As a human being and a normal human being without mental illness, anyone wants to live. When he wants to live, his 6 senses must be active and must be in contact with the 6 senses. How to contact is the problem, telling the difference between the knowledgeable and the ignorant or in the Buddhist professional terms called wisdom and no wisdom. A person with wisdom is one who, when in contact with the six sense objects, i.e., form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas, does not cause his mind to be shaken, and vice versa, a person without wisdom, when he comes into contact with the 6 cetasikas, he will be attracted by the 6 mundane objects and shake his mind. So the main question here is whether there is wisdom or no wisdom. Then what is called wisdom? To answer this question, here we borrow the question and answer between the Buddha and Aggivessana to clarify the issue: - Hey Aggivessana, what do you think? Is form permanent or impermanent? - Impermanent, Venerable Gotama.- What is impermanent is that suffering or pleasure? - It is suffering, Venerable Gotama. - What is impermanent, suffering, perishable; Is it reasonable to properly contemplate that: "This is mine, this is me, this is my self"? - No, Venerable Gotama.- Hey Aggivessana, what do you think? Life… (as above)… thought… (as above)… actions… (as above)… Hey Aggivessana, what do you think? Is consciousness permanent or impermanent? - Impermanence, Venerable Gotama. What is impermanent is suffering or pleasure? - It is suffering, Venerable Gotama. - What is impermanent, suffering, changing; Is it reasonable to properly contemplate that: "This is mine, this is me, this is my self"? - No, Venerable Gotama. [18] Through the content of this question and answer, it suggests to us to realize one thing, that the nature of forms, sounds, tastes, smells, tactile sensations, and dhammas are impermanent, arising and passing away, not one. What dharmas are dharmas that do not arise and fall away, because their formation is inherently caused by the combination of causes and conditions, when the causes and conditions cease to exist, they immediately disintegrate, when the causes and conditions exist, they must exist, thus in the consciousness of the people. We wish for it to exist, it cannot exist, because predestined conditions are no more. Likewise, even if our consciousness wishes for them to disappear, they cannot disappear, because their causes and conditions remain. Thus, what we want without being born suffers, and what we don't like but still exists causes suffering. We want to get rid of these sufferings, the only way we have to properly realize the nature of things, is that dependent origination is impermanent. If we have such awareness, when we are faced with a beautiful object, we will not be attracted by beauty, and our mind will not waver, and when we are faced with ugly form, our mind will not arise because of that. anger. This is the meaning of the second dharma, the protection of the senses, presented by the Buddha in this sutra. 3). Refrain from eating The third Dharma to form a monk is 'Abstaining from eating and drinking'. Concerning this issue according to the 'Great Sutra of Horses' (Mahà -Assapura-sutta) explained by the Buddha as follows: “What, monks, is the work worth doing more than that? “We must know moderation in eating and drinking, with right thinking, we eat food, not for fun, not for passion, not for decoration, not to beautify ourselves, but only for this body is long lived and maintained, to avoid injury, to support the holy life…. Thus, monks, you should practice." [19] The content and meaning of this passage, the Buddha advised the bhikkhus to abstain from eating and drinking. In my opinion, there are several reasons why the Buddha advised the monks to refrain from eating and drinking. Firstly, the method of practice of the monks at that time was to practice meditation. If in the afternoon eating too much, it will cause obstacles to sitting meditation, easy to be drowsy, ie easy to fall asleep; Second, the life of the Sangha when the Buddha was still alive was a life in the mountains and forests, far from the village, so it was very inconvenient to beg for food; Third, because contemporary society is not a society with a high economic life, but rather a backward agricultural life, moreover, the life of the Sangha depends entirely on donations from donors. Therefore, the monks need to abstain from eating and drinking, to avoid troubles for lay Buddhists, so monastics only eat one meal a day at midday. Moreover, Buddhism considers the matter of eating and drinking very lightly, considers eating and drinking as taking medicine, to maintain the body and life, because this body and life is likened to a boat to cross the wharf of enlightenment, so eating The drink of the export is not the same as that of a secular person, not because of passion, because of nutrition, because of jewelry...but eat and drink to live to practice. The monastic life in the Buddha's time compared with life now is much different, in the factors that advise monastics to abstain from eating and drinking, including the factor because the socio-economic life is still low, of course with This factor is the opposite of our times, especially life in rich countries like Western countries, which means we should not be too attached to this form. However, in our time, because of the excess of material things, another problem arises, the suffering of today is not lack of food but excess of food. Food is too much, eat too much, the human body produces many diseases that appear from eating too much, such as diabetes, in which obesity is alarming. Through facts from society, it suggests to us to realize that, In our time, if a monastic person knows moderation in eating and drinking, he or she will surely reduce many illnesses from eating and drinking, have a healthy body, practice for himself and perform his duties. It is better to propagate the Buddhadharma than one who has an illness; The lay Buddhists, if they know how to abstain from eating and drinking, the body will be healthy, the practice will also be more favorable and more diligent. 4). Pay attention The practice of becoming the 4th recluse is 'attention and vigilance'. This Dharma is intended to help the practitioner train the mind to always be attentive to all his actions and gestures, and to be on guard against evil and unwholesome states from entering his body and mind. Thanks to the mind that has 'watchful attention,' the meditator can go one step further, 'mindfulness and awareness', with the aim of easily entering the 4 jhānas. With regard to 'mindful attention', in this 'Maha-Assapura-sutta' the Buddha explains as follows: “What, monks, is the work worth doing more than that? “We have to be vigilant. During the day when walking (or) while sitting, we have to clear our mind of all hindrances. At night, while walking (or) while sitting, we must clear our mind of all hindrances. In the middle of the night, we have to lie down in the lion's position, leaning on the right hand side, one foot on the other, mindful and alert, thinking about waking up again. Waking up at night, walking (or) while sitting, we must clear our minds of all hindrances.” Thus, monks, you should practice." [20] In this sutta the Buddha describes the state of 'vigilant attention' as: Regardless of the day or night, when a bhikkhu is walking, while sitting or lying down, his mind must be alert. Whatever evil and unwholesome dharmas arise, whatever obstacles arise, need to be cleansed, keeping the mind always pure. It can be said that this is one of the basic measures to train a monk to practice meditation. Because when practicing meditation, when a monk closes all five senses, namely eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body, only one active sense is the mind-base, so it is very active, like The stream is flowing, all the images that were previously retained in the mind or dharma base (the mind-only consciousness is called A da da consciousness) will overflow and appear, scattering the mind, obstructing the mind. was not attentive, because in the daily life of the bhikkhu he was not trained to make the mind attentive. When meditators sit in meditation, they want to keep the mind from being scattered, and the mind wanders around the six sense objects, the best way to practice every day is to train the mind, that is, not to wait until it's time to sit in meditation, but first to train the mind to have good health. attention. In daily life the mind has been well trained, so when sitting in meditation, it is easy for him to fix his mind on an object that he wants to visualize. This is the meaning of 'watchful attention'. 5). Mindfulness awareness The practice of becoming the 5th Samana is 'mindfulness and awareness'. This dharma is intended to help a bhikkhu to always remain in mindfulness and alertness, thanks to this dhamma it is easy for a bhikkhu to enter into meditation. This Dharma is explained by the 'Great Sutra on Horses' as follows: “What, monks, is the work worth doing more than that? “We must be mindful and aware, be aware when walking forward, when going back and forth, when looking straight ahead, when looking around, be fully aware, when bending our arms, when stretching our arms, be aware, when wearing double robes and bowls, The upper robes are all alert; when eating, drinking, chewing, and swallowing, they are alert; when defecating and urinating, they are aware; when walking, standing, lying down, awake, speaking, and being quiet, they are all alert. Thus, monks, you should practice." [21] If the 'watchful attention' is the dharma that helps the practitioner to always live in a state of attentiveness and vigilance, monitoring and controlling the mind, if any unwholesome dhammas appear in the body and mind, immediately eliminate the dharmas. Then here the 'mindfulness and awareness' practice mainly helps the practitioner to always live in mindfulness and alertness. What is mindfulness and awareness? The word 'mindfulness' in addition to the meaning of living in the right concept is always related to the mind free from greed, anger, hatred and delusion, it also means to fix the mind on the object, not to let the mind wander. This act of not letting the mind wander is 'awakening', which means knowing what to do, so the sutra describes it as when walking, standing and sitting, looking forward, back and forth, when bending and stretching... are all aware. If any bhikkhu practices the 'mindfulness and discernment' dharma he is sure to live with a clear mind and very righteous deeds, and thus the Buddhadharma also does not perish. If you are a lay Buddhist living in this family, practicing this practice will surely have many benefits, not only will you always be at peace in your mind, but also make your family life happier and more confident. than. 6). Subtract the 5 hindrances The dharma to become the 6th monk is 'Abandoning the 5 hindrances', which are the obstacles that hinder practitioners from practicing meditation, which are 1. greed, 2. anger, 3. laxity, and 4. . excitement, 5. doubt. These 5 dharmas are explained by the 'Great Sutra of Horse Village' as follows: “What, monks, is the work worth doing more than that? Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu chooses a place of solitude, such as a forest, a tree stump, a ravine, a cave, a charnel ground, a grove of trees, the open air, a haystack. After returning from his alms round and having eaten, he sat cross-legged, with his back straight, and abiding mindfully in front of him. He abandons covetousness for the world, lives with a mind free from craving, purifies his mind of craving. Abandoning anger, he lives with a mind free of anger, with loving-kindness and compassion for all sentient beings, purging his mind of anger. Abandoning laxity and laxity, he lives free from dullness and torpor, with his mind turned to the light, mindful and aware, purging his mind of sloth and torpor. Abandoning too much restlessness and regret, he lives without agitation and regrets, inwardly calm, purifies his mind of agitation and regrets. Abandoning doubt, he lives free from doubt,[22] Having achieved 'vigilant attention', 'mindfulness and awareness', a bhikkhu should first find a place that is very secluded and quiet, such as a forest, a tree stump, a ravine, a cave, a graveyard. , grove, outdoor, haystack. Why does a monk need to choose such a secluded place? Because normally the 5 senses are eyes, ears, nose, tongue, our body wanders according to the 5 sense objects which are form, sound, smell, taste and touch. This wandering has become a daily habit of ours, so it is very difficult for practitioners living in noisy places to practice meditation, the mind is easily distracted and difficult to control, that's why the Buddha advise meditators to find a quiet place, because there the scene is quiet, there is no noise, it is easy for sesshin, and when the mind is still in meditation, it will not be disturbed because of the noise. His mind was disturbed and scattered. Having found a suitable place to be in peace, he sat cross-legged, with his back straight, and abiding mindfully in front of him. It can be said that this is the best zazen posture in Buddhism. The lotus position is a relatively stable sitting meditation position among other postures, the feet are crossed, like two rattan ropes woven together, looks very stable, blood circulation is also easy; The back is straight, the head is slightly tilted to the bottom with the eyes half-closed and half-open, and the chanting is in front of you. This is a way to meditate so that the body does not get tired, avoid diseases, and create favorable conditions for the mind to stay in meditation for a long time. After choosing a secluded place, sitting cross-legged and resting in mindfulness in front of him, he entered deep meditation, contemplating seeing the true form of man and the world as impermanent and not-self, so his mind he abandons the first hindrance, which is craving, and lives with a mind free of craving; Abandoning anger, live with a mind free of anger, on the contrary having compassion for all sentient beings; Abandon the drowsy state, live without laxity and laziness, on the contrary, have mindfulness and awareness; Abandoning too much restlessness and regret, he lives without agitation and regrets, inwardly calm, purifies his mind of agitation and regrets. Abandoning doubt, he lives free from doubt, without hesitation, purging his mind of doubt as to kusala. Thus, he has eliminated the 5 hindrances, this is the only condition for the practitioner to be able to attain the 4 jhānas. 7). Attaining the four jhānas The first meditation According to the 'Great Horse Village' the first state of meditation is explained as follows: “Having abandoned these five hindrances, which pollute the mind and weaken wisdom, he abandons sensual pleasures, abandons evil, realizes unwholesome dhammas, and abides in the first jhāna, a state of rapturous bliss due to Separation of sexual desire is born, there is application, there is four." [23] A bhikkhu, after completing the dharmas to become a recluse, is to live virtuously, maintain the senses, abstain from eating and drinking, pay attention to vigilance, and be mindful and aware, he chooses a quiet, peaceful place. dwells mindfulness in front of him, so that he gets rid of the five hindrances and attains the first jhāna. The first jhāna is consistently defined by this and other sutras as: Separation of sensual pleasures from unwholesome dharmas, attainment and residence of the first jhāna, a state of bliss, born of detachment from sensual pleasures, with thoughts and desires. That is, the first jhāna state is the state where, after a bhikkhu has renounced lustful things and unwholesome actions, through this renunciation, his mind appears to be in a state of rapture. bliss, in this meditative state there are still thoughts and words, Second meditation According to this sutta, the Buddha explained the second jhāna state described as follows: "Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu ceases to look and feel, and attains and abides in the second jhāna, a state of rapture and bliss born of concentration, free from thought and thought, internally single-minded." [24] Based on the basis of the attainment of the first meditation, which is the separation of sensual pleasures from the unwholesome dharma, the practitioner continues to strive to practice and achieve the second. With the state of this jhāna, the meditator must first give up volition and volition, and at the same time also give up the rapture born of detachment from sensual pleasures of the first jhāna, in order to realize the blissful state born of meditative bliss, without range and quartet, with the innermost focus, not scattered. This is the second state of meditation. Third meditation Next comes the third jhāna, the relatively higher jhāna. This meditation is explained by the 'Great Sutra of Horse Village' as follows: "Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu is detached from joy and equanimity, mindfully aware, and feeling with his body the pleasurable feeling which the sages call "relaxed mindfulness of bliss," attaining and abiding in the third jhāna. [25] Completely unlike the previous two jhānas, in this jhāna the meditator must renounce not only the blissful state of the first jhāna, the rapture born of detachment from the unwholesome dhammas, but also the state of renunciation. The bliss of the second jhāna is the bliss born of concentration, from this equanimity he experiences a kind of bliss which is 'residence of equanimity'. This is the third meditative state presented in this sutra. Wednesday meditation Of the four jhāna realms, the fourth jhāna is the highest. When the practitioner attains this jhāna, three insights appear, and the four immeasurable minds are compassion, joy, and equanimity. According to the 'Great Sutra of Horse Village', the meditation field is explained as follows: "Again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu releases pleasure and pain, puts an end to joy and sorrow, which he has felt before, and attains and abides in the fourth jhāna, free from pain and pleasure, equanimous with pure mindfulness." [26] If in the first jhāna there is joy and happiness due to the separation of sensual pleasures from unwholesome dharmas, in the second jhāna there is a state of bliss due to the practice of meditative absorption, but in the third jhāna one has to give up these two types of bliss. abide in the 'discharge' state of mind. But at the fourth jhāna the meditator has not only the equanimity of suffering, the release of joy and the release of grief, but also the equanimity of the third jhāna, he is in a state called 'no suffering'. not lost, discharge pure thoughts.'. This is the meditative state of the fourth jhāna as recorded in this sutra. I think, if someone who has undergone meditation practice could understand more fully, in terms of words it is difficult to fully describe the psychological states of meditation, we cannot experience joy. pleasures of these jhānas, through experiences of feeling worldly pleasures. Conclude After the Buddha's death, the life of the Sangha also changed in time and space, because the change in the way of life led to disagreements about the precepts and teachings that the Buddha taught. different interpretations from their point of view. This disagreement formed the two great schools of Buddhism, Theravada and Mahasanghika. Representing the Theravada sect are the elders who have conservative ideas; The masses are young monks with a liberal spirit of reform. The Nikayas and the Abhidhamma are the earliest compiled texts in Buddhism, the texts of the Theravada school. Although these suttas are the suttas compiled during the reign of King Asoka, they are sects, not Theravada, but through these suttas we can recover restored to the life of the Sangha during the Buddha's time in the world. According to the spirit of the "Great Sutra of Horses and Horses" in the "Middle Central Sutra" recorded, when we call ourselves monastic and live the holy life, we must fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the monastic. : Firstly, we must live virtuously; Second, the maintenance of the apartment; Third, abstinence from eating; Fourth, pay attention to be alert; Fifth, mindfulness and awareness; Sixth, cut off the 5 hindrances; Seventh, accomplish 4 meditation. Through these methods of practice, it suggests to us to understand a problem, during the Buddha's time in the world, the purpose of monastics was to seek enlightenment and liberation. The content and meaning of this article is not outside the spirit of 'Wen Co tri Tan'. With that spirit, the writer first bases on the Nikaya scriptures to introduce 'Life of a monk during the Buddha's time in the world', or rather, the writer wants to refer to the spirit of duty and responsibility. responsibility of the monastic. Anyone living in society has duties and responsibilities, whether small or large, old or young. The monastic, too, must have his own duties and responsibilities. Among the obligations, the first one is that we must understand the Buddha's teachings, which serve as a guideline to guide the path of practice and the work of spreading the Buddhadharma. Also through the content of this article, it suggests to us to understand the 7 dharmas of becoming a recluse as well as the life form and practice method of the monk in the primitive life. In the social context of our time, although there are many changes, because the life needs of each society are different, so we don't necessarily have to follow the pattern, but even though the changes are in the form of Either way, that form of living must be established in the spirit of 'enlightenment' and 'liberation' of Buddhism. Enlightenment is wisdom or understanding and liberation is happiness or non-attachment, indispensable for that spirit in any form of activity.END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).WORLD VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST ORDER=BUDDHIST DHARMA WHEEL GOLDEN MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THE WOMEN OF THE SAKYA CLAN CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.2/12/2021.