Hi,

Anyone can don the robe of a monk or nun..

How do you know if he is really a real monk or not ?

Do they have a letter or a cert that indicate so ?

Thanks

ask him / her recite the sutra of 大悲咒

Wif he is a Sri Lankan Theravada monk ?

 

I dunno

Originally posted by Rednano:

ask him / her recite the sutra of 大悲咒

Like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLl69RjCa2U&feature=related

 

Originally posted by Isis:

Hi,

Anyone can don the robe of a monk or nun..

How do you know if he is really a real monk or not ?

Do they have a letter or a cert that indicate so ?

Thanks

if u can read  A Manual of the Dhamma.

 

Even if the precincts of a pagoda are littered with dust, garbage,
excrement, etc., the pagoda itself remains worthy of deep respect.

http://www.sgforums.com/forums/1728/topics/183113?page=2

sometimes, it's best to reflect on oneself, a simple mind is good enough already. u wholeheartedly respect u gain, if they do wrong they lose. simple as that. it's a seperate thingy. it just boils down to one's own heart.

/\

I was reading on the manual of Dhamma and come across this portion

For sharing:

 

Page 58 and 59

 

What is Stable Morality?

The moral conduct that culminates in the attainment of path

consciousness is called stable morality. Morality is a supporting condition for

the path. With the attainment of the path, morality becomes stable and

irreversible. From this time onwards, a person will not kill any sentient being,

great or small, under any circumstances. He or she always maintains morality

with steadfast confidence and wisdom. The precept to abstain from killing

living beings becomes stable, so he or she is totally free from suffering in lower

realms. In future lives too he or she will never be shameless or immoral. The

Noble One is firmly established in natural morality and natural goodness, so

can never become a robber, a murderer, a hunter, or a thief. A Noble One

cannot be reborn in hell, as an animal, hungry ghost, or demon. Due to stable

morality, a Noble One avoids these inferior existences. These are the powers

and benefits of stable morality, which is only achievable in this dispensation.

This stable morality becomes known only when a Buddha appears in the

world for the unique benefit and welfare of all, and remains only during the

Buddha’s dispensation. It is the essence of the Omniscient Buddha’s teaching,

so those who claim to follow the Buddha’s teaching, whether they are lay

persons or monks, must emulate this rare type of morality. Only stable morality

is worthy of respect. One should not rest content with temporary morality nor

should one emulate it. Why not? Even those who keep the millions of

bhikkhus’ precepts, still live under the sway of temporary morality if they fail

to attain the path. Even very pious and venerable monks also suffer from the

effects of temporary morality. Sooner or later, they will become robbers,

murderers thieves, liars, etc. Moreover, possessors of temporary morality will

have to suffer in hell. These so-called holy men are not so much different to

others regarding their destinies. All of them value and maintain temporary

morality. All of them are fallible, and all are subject to life’s vicissitudes due to

loss of their morality.

 

Therefore a disciple of the Buddha, while this unique dispensation still

exists, should appreciate the defect of the commonplace arisen wholesome

deed of refraining from killing, which means temporary morality. One should

not be satisfied with this state of affairs as it lacks any genuine or lasting value.

Common morality is like a piece of sodium in water, it flares brightly for a

moment, then dies instantly. What each person urgently needs is the unique,

stable morality so that true, secure moral purity will be established.

The real taking of refuge is in stable morality. Everyone has a duty to transcend the

unreliable temporary restraint, and to eradicate the possibility of becoming

shameless or immoral due to the bad roots in the heart. To attain stable

morality one must make great efforts so that complete liberation from

shamelessness and immorality is gained in this life.

 

Nowadays good moral conduct is only momentary. Everywhere, good

people observe the five precepts and some good monks train themselves in the

millions of Pāṭimokkha rules. Both these householders’ and monks’ moral

conduct are just temporary morality. However if they develop wisdom to

achieve stable morality, they get a wholesome deed that has never arisen

before. Each precept can be classed as “temporary” or “stable.” So one should

reflect deeply on the true nature of the good deeds that have already arisen in

oneself.

 

 

The Most Urgent Task

 

Today, every ordinary person possesses the five mental hindrances to a

great extent. Due to their power, many people break rules of discipline and

universal moral principles, as they did in the past. These are symptoms of

modern times. The majority of Buddhists, though believers who acknowledge

the importance of insight, still maintain the hindrances in their hearts. Even

most Dhamma teachers, though they teach the true Dhamma regarding life’s

three characteristics, cannot eradicate these five hindrances completely.

Defilements still arise in their hearts, so they lack insight into impermanence,

unsatisfactoriness, and not-self. The only way to overcome these moral failures

and inherent weaknesses, is to practise concentration (samatha) according to

the teaching of the Buddha. With this mental discipline, the wavering mind

and distracting thoughts are inhibited. Then the mind can be turned towards

insight practice, which reveals the universal characteristics of impermanence,

unsatisfactoriness, and not-self.

 

The troublesome mental hindrances should be suppressed by means of

kasina meditation, contemplation on the foulness of the body, or some other

meditation. This moral effort to suppress evil thoughts is called concentration

or tranquillity (samatha). Tranquillity of mind fixed on a single object is the

goal at this stage of mental development. The next stage aims to penetrate the

true nature of the five groups of existence, or the mind and body.

This wisdom can see the impermanent, unsatisfactory, and insubstantial nature of existence with insight.

 

These two features, concentration and wisdom, exist while the Buddha’s

dispensation lasts. This practice and its goal help all devotees to get rid of

personality view — the persistent belief in a soul, the dogma of self-view, selfcentredness, base egoism. All ordinary persons, since they still believe in a soul

or self, are under the influence of ignorance and craving. By destroying this

wrong-view of a permanent self, one also destroys, in due course, all ignorance

and craving. As long as self-view remains in the heart, one cannot completely

escape from the stigma of being shameless and immoral. Though one attains

morality, one can maintain it only for a short duration due to self-view. One

fails to attain stable, natural morality due to this wrong-view. This failure to

attain natural and stable morality is to be feared. Those who, without right

view, attain morality and goodness, will certainly kill an Arahant in future

lives, or commit the gravest evils such as killing their mother or father.

Moreover, due to self-view they will change their faith in various ways,

accepting eternalistic or nihilistic views. The universal ways of most ordinary

persons are like this. They cannot safely say that they will always refrain from

killing. Their mental processes remain wide open to various types of good and

evil kamma. Both tendencies exist in every ordinary person who is not a Noble

One, and has not realised the Four Noble Truths.

 

Therefore the most urgent task for everyone is to strive for the final

liberation from shamelessness and immorality, to attain stable and natural

morality. Starting from this present life during the Buddha’s dispensation one

must arouse the unarisen wholesome deeds of concentration and insight with

fresh, vigorous moral effort.

 

This section explains the nature and case of unarisen wholesome deeds.

Here ends the ways to practice the four great moral efforts (sammappadhāna).

 

 

 Cultivating A Skilful Attitude

 

Having answered the thirteen questions, I will give an admonition so that

the right attitude and motives can be cultivated. Serious consideration should

be given to the essential guidelines taught in the Bālapaṇḍita Sutta (M. iii.

169). The simile of the blind turtle should be remembered by everyone.

 

The Simile of the Blind Turtle

“O monks, I will give you a simile: A man makes a hole in a log and sets it

adrift in the ocean. When the wind comes from the east the log drifts

westwards. When the wind blows from the west, it drifts eastward. Similarly,

north winds push it to the south, and south winds push it to the north. In the

ocean is a blind turtle who surfaces only once every hundred years. Is it

possible that the blind turtle would put his head up through the hole in the

log?”

 

The monks replied that normally it would be impossible, but in the infinite

duration of saṃsāra a chance might occur. Yet it would be very difficult for the

blind turtle to meet up with the drifting log. Then the Buddha explained.

“Monks this rare chance, this freak occurrence is possible, but for a bad

man who is reborn as an animal or in hell to become a human being again is

rarer and more difficult.”

 

Rarest is the human status. Once this rare status is gone one finds greatest

difficulty to be reborn again as a human being. Why? In the lower realms such

as hell, no opportunities exist for the performance of wholesome deeds. So,

lacking good conduct, a person in hell has to suffer for countless aeons. Those

who are reborn in the animal kingdom have to struggle for existence, preying

upon each other. Animals do mostly harmful deeds with their low intelligence,

and the strong persecute the weak. So there is little chance for them to be

reborn in the human world. The lowest probability exists for them to upgrade

themselves.

 

For a blind turtle wandering in the ocean to encounter the hole in the log

is possible only if the log never rots, and only if he lives for millions of years.

Yet a much smaller chance exists for a sufferer in hell to achieve human status

again, for very few wholesome kammas are possible in the lower abodes. This is

explained in the commentary.

 

Indeed, this is true. When close to death, a human being urgently needs

good thoughts to achieve a good status in the next existence. During one’s last

thought moments, previous wholesome kammas produce good mental objects,

enabling one to be reborn in the fortunate realms of existence. Otherwise bad

kammas will predominate at this crucial moment, and bad mental objects will

send one to hell. In the four lower realms of existence a sentient being knows

nothing of the value of almsgiving, keeping moral precepts, or practising

meditation. Lower beings who find themselves lacking wholesome kamma are

further hampered by the lack of opportunities to do good. Observe the daily

behaviour of dogs, pigs, cows, buffaloes, crows and other animals. Their moral

sense is very limited, so they often indulge in evil deeds. They have little

chance to do good.

 

Therefore a dying being in the lower realms has a very slim chance of

experiencing good mental objects to gain higher existences. Evil kammas

usually manifest, leading again to realms of misery. Even a virtuous person in

this human world cannot safely say that, at the moment of death, immoral

kammas will not influence the next rebirth. Although one may have given

alms, observed morality, and performed other meritorious deeds, one may

experience very bad thoughts at death. Without regular practice of the four

right efforts, no one can guarantee the arising of good thoughts. Every ordinary

person has done countless unwholesome kammas in past lives and in this

existence, which can mature at any time, producing corresponding results. For

the majority of people today, wholesome kammas are relatively few. So their

past immoral kammas will have to produce results in future lives.

 

One’s present wholesome deeds may not stem the tide of past

unwholesome kammas with their impending results, which must give

appropriate results at some time. As a universal principle everybody is subject

to moral responsibility. All types of kammas are waiting for their chance to

mature at any time. Thus, countless past kammas of various types remain for

each person as latent forces. If a foolish person now gathers fresh evils, the

chance of past misdeeds giving their effects increases, for like begets like.

For those who have to suffer in hell even once, the floodgate of past evil

kamma opens, letting in the bad effects. So, generally speaking, various powerful evil kammas make the suffering in hell very long and tedious, as

successive bad results get their chance to mature in various ways. Bad kammic

results predominate in the lower realms. One has to undergo long-term

sufferings for the evils of past lives too. Consider the evils done in the present

life to evaluate the nature of impending bad results. Therefore, in the

Sammohavinodanī, the commentary on the Dhammasaṅganī, a note of

warning is struck for this awful possibility. Some persons have to take rebirth

in hell due to minor or slight misconduct. Once in hell, other grave kammas of

the previous existences make their appearance too and their sufferings

increases a thousand-fold. Past evil kammas are waiting for chances to

manifest their influences and powers especially in the lower existences. The

moral is, “don’t let evil takes its chance” or “don’t open the doors of evil.”

The present life is very important.

 

The Simile of the King’s Favourite

 

For clearer understanding a simile is given here. The king’s favourite,

having been empowered with great authority, misuses his office for his own

selfish ends. He confiscates other peoples’ property, sexually abuses girls,

accepts bribes, etc., but no one dares to complain. As the king’s favourite he

escapes arrest and punishment although his crimes are serious. Due to the

king’s influence he lives in safety for a long time. However, one day, he

happens to commit a minor wrong that enrages the king, who orders his arrest

and prompt punishment. As soon as the news of his arrest is known, all his

past victims make their complaints to the king. The king orders investigations

and inflicts severe punishments when the cases are proven. Yet more victims

now come to the king to seek redress. This is an analogy for the accumulation

of bad effects for an evil person when his destiny is downgraded by a minor or

major fault, as the case may be.

 

 

Note that even a small misdeed can give hellish results. Once in hell, one

suffers for longer as the serious results of long dormant evil kammas mature to

give appropriate results at what is now the right time and place. In the eight

great hells, countless millions of sufferers are tortured for aeons. Any

opportunity for them to return to this human world is very remote as no good

kammas can be practised there. This accumulative nature of kamma must be

studied alongside the Simile of the Blind Turtle. This analogy agrees with

them.