A few years ago, when I was studying in a Buddhist college, I met a monk who became a monk in a certain temple in Sichuan. This monk looked very ordinary. When he was about to become a monk, he sold his only commercial house, donated all his money to the temple, and then made up

Monks walking in the snow

There are very few people who will understand the true situation of the monks at the bottom.

is like a famous Pure Land Sect’s great temple. When lay Buddhists went to this temple to live, they all thought it was very good. There were many believers in this temple, and they were full of prosperity. But few people know what kind of scene will happen if a monk goes to living hall alone without knowing other monks in this Pure Land Sect temple.

A few years ago, I went to this Pure Land Sect temple that is very popular and was placing an order. I saw that the residences arranged by the temple for lay Buddhists were cleaned, which was very clean, but the monk's room arranged for ordinary foreign monks was very different. As soon as I entered the corridor and in the room, there was a huge stench. No one seemed to have ever helped to wash the quilt on the bed. It felt like no one had washed or replaced it for half a year to a year. After watching it, it was heartbreaking. I never thought that a famous temple that advocates practice is the same. As for those sutras and repentance temples, including the very famous sutras and repentance temples, most of them are like this.

A few years ago, a monk in his forties also told me that when he was in the temple, he had diabetes because he liked to drink coke. No one in the temple was willing to take care of him, nor did he pay him medical expenses. As he became sick, the lay Buddhists outside gradually stopped caring about him. There was no choice but to go home later, and his parents would take care of him. In addition, there was a relative working in the hospital in his hometown, so it was easier to be hospitalized.

When I was in a bad mood a few years ago, no one could take care of me in the temple, and I had no choice but to go home and be taken care of by my parents at home. And I have been sick for so many years and there is no one in the temple who has been living in. I mentioned the medical expenses to me. After I got sick, I found a way to solve everything myself.

Many lay Buddhists have more eyes on the abbots of the temple and rarely care about ordinary monks who are unknown, have no fame, and are at the bottom of the temple.

The old and sick monk

There is a very famous large temple in Zhejiang, and some old monks live in the temples. Few people will know that these monks are also pitiful when they are old. When most monks get old, no one takes care of them, and they have to take care of their own food and clothing. After some old monks died in the room, no one knew about it, and it took a few days to discover it. This is the fact that the monk who lived in this temple told me personally.

Nowadays, many temples no longer accept old monks from outside to live. There is even a famous temple that promotes precepts and advocates practice, which exaggerates the announcement that foreign monks over 40 will no longer be accepted. This practice is actually a serious violation of Buddhist teachings and undermines the principle of monastic monks!

Mr. Gao'an Shanwu, who was in charge of Yunjushan, wrote an article that persuaded all major monasteries to place elderly and sick monks.

Zen Master Gao'an Shanwu said that he had read the Tripitaka and carefully understood the Buddha's original intention. He learned that the Buddha did not allow young monks to sit and enjoy food without success, so as to avoid having a lazy heart and arouse the idea of ​​I tribute to you. Therefore, it is stipulated that every morning, the Buddha and his disciples should go to the city settlements to beg for food, and do not choose the donor's high and low, so that there is no distinction between high and low in their hearts. This is the Buddha's behavior when he was alive.

Sick monk lying on the roadside

To After Buddhism was introduced to China , Chinese temples did not abolish the system of begging for food, but their form has changed. It means to recommend talented people as abbots and store the property obtained from begging for alms in the temple, which will stop the monks' daily rules of begging for food.

Zen Master Gao'an Shanwu of the Song Dynasty also pointed out in his article that he had recently heard that there were abbots of several temples who did not understand the cause and effect and refused to accept old and sick monks. This not only violated the will of the Buddha, but also weakened the Dharma. Let me ask, if old and sick monks are not allowed to live in the temple, then where can they go to settle down when they are old in the future? Don’t even think about it, for whom the money accumulated in the temple was originally collected? As the abbot, you should think about what kind of thoughts you should have so that you can conform to the Buddha's compassion? You should also think about how to do things so as to conform to the Buddha’s actions and wishes?

When the Buddha was alive, the donor often asked the monk to receive offerings. Sometimes the Buddha did not accept the donor's invitation, and stayed in the monastery, went to various monks' rooms to inspect, visit the old and sick monks, and extended cordial condolences to them one by one. I personally help them with all kinds of things and encourage monks to respect each other and care for each other, and to take care of old and sick monks at any time. They should not be angry and disgusted with old and sick people. These are the best examples that Buddha left for future generations!

Old monk in temple

Zen Master Gao'an Shanwu of the Song Dynasty also said that in contrast, the abbots in temples today often arbitrarily abuse the permanent property of the temple to provide their own enjoyment. Or they take permanent property to make friends with the powerful and noble, begging to consolidate their status, but they will drive them out of the temple gate and leave them alone. He takes the money shared by the monks as his own, and he has no even a slight Buddha's heart and Buddha's actions. This kind of abbot is really sad and pitiful.

Zen Master Gao'an Shanwu also pointed out in his article that ancient masters once said: "Old monks are indispensable examples in Buddhism." And now, among the residents of the temple, there is no old monk among a hundred people. Monks live until they are old, but they refuse to take in the temple. Thinking that they have nothing to rely on in old age, what are the benefits of living a long life? It is better to die one day earlier than to worry.

Zen Master Gao'an Shanwu particularly emphasized in his article that he hopes that the abbots in the temple today can abide by the Buddha's teachings, which is both for the Shaolong ancestor's teachings and for the sake of his own duties. It is better to appease the old and sick monks and provide appropriately with their needs in life according to the current situation in the temple. Never be ignorant, dominate power and destroy the Taoist laws, which will lead to the consequences of short life and short life in the next life. The abbot of the temple must pay attention to this matter!

Ascetic monk who bows in three steps

This article I wrote today hopes to arouse the conscience of some temple abbots and not drive old monks out of the temple. Don’t turn temples into commercial places, and be willing to take in monks who truly practice so that they can do the Tao with peace of mind.