Bhikkhu Manual

[Jan Dominquez]

The goal of this digest of the vinaya is to bring a clear and fast knowledge of these rules, for the people wishing to experiment the monastic life, or for all those which generally, have interest to the teaching of Buddha.

The bhikkhu must limit his needs to a minimum. He is self-contented with whatever is given to him, without ever asking for anything. Thus, he renounces everything that is superfluous, he avoids anything that could induce pleasure, comfort or distraction. His needs are of four kinds: nutrition (food, drinks, etc.); housing (monastery, hut, etc.); clothing (robes); and medicine (medicaments, remedies, first aid, hygienic products, etc.)

During the process of integration in the saṃgha, a new bhikkhu is told that he must henceforth go out for alms to collect his daily food, live under a tree, make his robes out of discarded cloth, and drink cow's urine as medicine. They are also told that if, on their part, the laity offer him other requisites, he is authorised to accept them (invitations for meals, lodging, new robes, medicines...)

A bhikkhu must never ask for anything from anyone. If a dāyaka invites a bhikkhu to ask for what he needs, he could simply report his needs, but he should not under any circumstances request anything from him. However, a sick bhikkhu is allowed to ask for whatever he needs in order to heal himself.

The more agitated the world becomes, the more those who see danger in samsara (the rounds of rebirth) hurry to find their way to the shade of the Gotama tree, because it is the shade of tranquility and coolness that was created by the Lord Buddha for all beings.

Not the king who is complete with great wealth and free among humans, nor Sakka, the King of the Devas, with power over the 6 heavenly abodes, nor Maha Brahma with great psychic powers among the Brahmas, can compare with the stream-enterer.

The more we partake of the worldly taste, the more tasteless it becomes. It is like eating sugar cane from the bottom up. The more we partake of the taste of the Dhamma, the sweeter it becomes. It is like eating sugar cane from the top down.

Once these three bonds are secured, they are hard to break. They are bonds tied only loosely but are hard to undo. Bonds made up of rope, leather, wood and iron are not as strong as the bond of sense desires (kama).

This is the only way, bhikkhus, for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the destruction of physical and mental suffering, for reaching the right path, for the realization of Nirvana, namely, the four foundations of mindfulness.

If we were born for these things, then it would mean that we were only born to cycle in samsara, to be prey to worms and are unable to be freed from this world. Any amount of money would be meaningless.

But we were born to be released from the chains and fetters which bind our mind, in order to be free. We were born to free ourselves from the power and dominance of defilements, of craving. We were born to improve our life and consciousness, developing it to the highest possible level, which is the purification of our mind and the crossing of the land of darkness of life, in order to reach the end of life, that is, the end of suffering, Nirvana.

They do things that others find hard to do.
They endure through what others find hard to endure through.
They conquer what others find hard to conquer.
They, therefore, achieve what all others find hard to achieve.

Samatha meditation takes a concept (paatti) as its object of meditation; that is, it takes for its object of meditation the things that the world supposes and labels to be this and that, like, for example, the 10 kasinas. Vipassana meditation, in contrast, takes ultimate reality (paramattha) as its object of meditation; that is, it concentrates on rupa and nama or the five aggregates which are true and real.

It is a path discovered by the Buddha himself alone.
It is a path that exists only in Buddhism.
It is a path that must be individually walked on; no one can walk it for another.
It is a straight path, with no forks in it.
It is a path that leads to only one destination, that is, to Nirvana.

The virtue that leads to a good rebirth and to wealth is mundane virtue. The virtue that leads to the realization of Nirvana is supramundane virtue. Therefore, the mundane and supramundane virtue are different in their practice and yield very different results.

Mundane concentration is the concentration that aims for worldly calm via the practice of samatha meditation going for the jhanas in order to obtain mundane supernatural powers. It leads only as far as the Brahma world. Supramundane concentration is the concentration that aims for a calm that transcends the world, that is freed from the world and leads all the way to Nirvana.

Mundane wisdom. Though you have the wisdom to develop materially, it is only sutamaya-paa and cintamaya-paa. It is the wisdom that has been imitated and that belongs to other people. It is the wisdom that is used only to feed your stomach. Supramundane wisdom, on the other hand, is your own wisdom that has arisen from the practice of vipassana meditation; it is called bhavanamaya-paa. Therefore, we can say that mundane wisdom is the wisdom used to make it in the world, while supramundane wisdom is the wisdom that will free the mind.

where right view and right thoughts make up wisdom; right speech, right action and right livelihood make up virtue; and right efforts, right mindfulness and right concentration make up concentration. Therefore, whenever we practice virtue, concentration and wisdom, it means we are already completely practicing the eightfold path. That is, the eightfold path exists in the rise and fall of the abdomen.

Therefore, while we establish mindfulness noting at the body, feelings, mind and mind-objects, the characteristics of impermanence, suffering and non-self intertwine with rupa and nama, which we are always noting. Where rupa and nama arise, the three characteristics of existence are also there. It is like when you see a tiger, you see its stripes as well. That is, the three characteristics of existence exist in the rise and fall of the abdomen.

Learning by levels. This is studying the theoretical principles and doing the practice at the same time. One can study, for example, to know about the six fields of insight and how they consist of the five aggregates, the 12 sense bases, the 18 elements, the 22 faculties, the four noble truths and the 12 links in the dependent origination. This is like a person studying medicine and then treating their own diseases. The diseases then disappear. This method is suitable for those who have a lot of time.
Learning alone. This is practicing and then learning from the experience, which is like treating your own diseases without having studied medicine before. The diseases then disappear all the same. This method is suitable for those who have a little time.

Developing vipassana meditation in accordance with the four foundations of mindfulness requires that we take the five aggregates as the object of meditation. The five aggregates are material form (rupa), feelings (vedana), perception (saa), mental formations (sankhara), and consciousness (viana). Material form is rupa (body). Feelings, perception, mental formations and consciousness make up nama (mind). Therefore, when we narrow down the five aggregates, we have rupa-nama. Making rupa-nama the objects of meditation is the same as making the five aggregates the objects of meditation. Where rupa-nama exist, the five aggregates exist as well.

The restraint and care in noting are part of the effort to avoid unwholesome states (samvara-padhana). Defilements cannot arise during the noting because of the effort to abandon unwholesome states (pahana-padhana). The noting and the mind that knows in the practice are part of the effort to develop wholesome states (bhavana-padhana). Guarding the object of meditation with mindfulness so there are no distractions is the effort to maintain wholesome states (anurakkhana-padhana). The four supreme efforts, thus, exist in the rise and fall of the abdomen in this way.

Satisfaction in the practice is will (chanda). Perseverance in the practice is energy (viriya). Attention in noting the object of meditation is mind (citta). Consideration of the causes and effects in the noting is investigation (vimamsa). The four bases of psychic power, thus, exist in the rise and fall in this way.

Confidence in the practice is faith (saddha). Perseverance in the practice is energy (viriya). Recollecting and knowing in the practice is mindfulness (sati). Unwavering determination in the object of meditation being noted is concentration (samadhi). The mind that clearly knows the object of meditation is wisdom (paa). The five powers, thus, exist in the rise and fall of the abdomen in this way.

The practice of the four foundations of mindfulness is mindfulness (sati). When mindfulness has arisen, there arises an investigation into the states of dhamma. This is investigation-of-states (dhamma-vicaya). When investigation-of-states has arisen, effort arises. This is energy (viriya). When energy has arisen, delight arises. This is joy (piti). When joy has arisen, tranquility arises. This is tranquility (passaddhi). When tranquility has arisen, determination arises. This is concentration (samadhi). When concentration has arisen, letting go arises. This is equanimity (upekkha). The seven factors of enlightenment, thus, exist in the rise and fall of the abdomen in this way.

The same goes for the eightfold path. Once right view (samma ditthi) arises, the remaining factors from right thoughts (samma sankappa) to right concentration (samma samadhi) also arise. When right concentration has arisen, then right knowledge (samma ana) also arises. When right knowledge has arisen, right release (samma vimutti) then arises. This is the state (sabhava) in which the defilements have been destroyed by the knowledge of the path (magga-ana).

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