Understand and Practice both Vinaya and Dhamma

By Admin

Date → Friday, August 12, 2011

Tags → crossing river , Dhamma , Famous Buddhist Stories , Free back , Vinaya rules , Win Win Yee

Sukihotu,

I wrote an article "Be careful how we give judgement" which include a Buddhist story about 2 monks crossing a river. I also summaries that we can 2 things from that story. You can read the story here.

A reader responded with two comments;

This is what her friends said:-

I collected opinions from others. Please see one:-

First of all thank you very much for sharing, such a wonderful story, which really gives gist point.



Here, i would like to take divide the story into two parts;

Practical World (especially, everyone understands the reality)

Non- Practical world ( where monks live with material world, like in present world)

Surely, from the Point of Dhamma. I totally agree. Everything depend on our Intention or motivation through Bodily, Verbally and Mentally. After all desire is not the immediate effect, instead it is a immediate cause; but the Intention is the immeditate effect.



As i mentioned above, through that view, if we come out of story and look at present world. It's depend also on situation and environment (Society).If same things happen (women was carried by monk to save from danger or etc) in Thailand. People and society will not agree or not looks at his good intention and it would also defame to the Sangha community. If the monk will try to explain his intention to others nobody will listen.

In the story, both monks had their own way of understanding and both were right according to their own understanding. Senior monk was good in Dhamma and junior monk was giving important to Vinaya, which also agreeable according to society.

The main problem is with our imcompleteness knowing the teaching of Buddha. Same things happening at the present. Some monks gives importance to the vinaya and some monks give to Dhamma. Where lots of misunderstanding arises. If we understand and practice both Vinaya and Dhamma then there won't be any defect or problem with our practices. Which clearly buddha mentioned in Mahapadesa concerning Vinaya and Dhamma.

7:31 pm

This is what she said;

Your story of the two monks is just really, really great! I love it, as it shows exactly, how the vinaya should be taken by monks. It is surely not wise to all the time stick to the rules, if the present moment would ask another action, which would be based on compassion. The Buddha himself would never ever have missed to take this lady to the other shore of the river. After all, he was also the one, who changed the rules for certain people in special situations. Whenever a monk came and asked for the permission to break a certain rule, be it because his health did not allow certain manners, etc., the Buddha was the first who accepted it.

Like you say – spirit above the law – I fulliest agree with you. We cannot be so crazy to stick to rules that much, that they are getting our own prison, burden and Mara! These rules were made in order to protect the monk from certain defilements. But, if the monk does not need certain rules, as he is already clear with certain points and feels, that compassion is more important in a special situation than a given rule, he should surely act with wisdom instead.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I think there is a lot of thing ordinary folks like us can learn from the learned Sangha.

Mettacittena

Bugs Tan

12th Aug 2011