EFTA01160176

or mind must 
be of any danger to anyone. 
2. Must not be biased by the 
temptations of wealth: 
If you find monks overtaking one 
another on 
almsround to compete for food, 
could you entrust 
them with anything more valuable? 
3. Must practise the 'Mammas of 
a Peaceful One': 
This means he must train himself 
to avoid the 
temptations of excessive eating 
and sleeping. He 
must have a steadfast daily routine, 
without exception: 
EFTA01162816

doing morning and evening 
chanting, 
studying the Dhammavinaya, 
TipiEaka and 
Buddhist ceremonies. His manners 
should be 
polite. 
4. Must practise austerities (to 
reduce the level of 
bad habits in the mind): These 
include the practice 
of meditation, dhutaIga (see 
Blessing Thirty-
One). They help one to overcome 
the habit of doing 
exactly as one pleases the whole of 
time. 
EFTA01162817

In conclusion to this general 
introduction to the features 
of the true monk — we can say 
that a monk is 
someone whose happiness comes 
entirely from spiritual 
sources. We have already seen 
(from contentment 
in Blessing Twenty-Four §C.) that 
happiness can come 
from either material or spiritual 
sources, and for a 
true monk, the connection with 
happiness from inner 
peace is so well-developed that it 
manifests in 
all that he does and in his 
EFTA01162818

appearance too! 
B.3 Ways of seeing a true monk 
Simply to see a monk pass by the 
door is not fully 
`the sight of a true monk' — it is 
not much of a blessing. 
You have to be on closer terms 
with the monk 
until you can start to distinguish 
the virtues of the 
monk. Thus simply to `see' a true 
monk is not so 
simple as it sounds. In fact the 
word `to see' can 
have three different depths of 
meaning: 
I. Seeing with the eye: i.e a 
EFTA01162819

monk's outward appearances 
2. Seeing with the mind: i.e a 
monk's outward behaviour 
3. Seeing through meditation: i.e 
a monk's inner 
attainments 
Why do we have to look at three 
levels to see a true 
monk? This is because every 
person is complex and 
has an inner and outer self. In the 
following sections 
we consider each level of 
description in turn. 
B.3.1 Seeing with the eyes 
According to the SAmaririaphala 
Sutta (D.2) the 
EFTA01162820

characteristics of a true monk 
which can be observed 
by the outward manner and 
behaviour of 
monks are as follows: 
324 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
I. Ordination with an aim in 
mind: A monk should 
ordain with the aim to train himself 
to be a good 
person in every respect: restraint of 
senses, education 
of the mind in theory [pariyatti] 
and practice 
[paEipati] by study of the 
scriptures and following 
EFTA01162821

auydpsip-ips passassod-
f(E ’乙‘sD§ 
67g ads) :/liwpnsui Agfy] 
pommartu u! amyl .c 
6'lff 
f(['l's？§ 
ddS)：几.1eAOeSe1pppaligydi 
ionpuod户 
apod apsnuo1瘟dip 
犁7?‘ aduvpioadu u! pauplusay- 7 
伏1IIe9J 
1-11Im a011I p.1O00B UT pIJOA1 9q1 puu 
an pit1 )sJapun 
tuopsinn Alli mu9AO put 
9 Otn Tpi .1 'ON 3c1 
8
uuq 
punt'a 9uIe) a ige 
21119q mun 
uoT
Ipat"' Jo potp9p
9noo u 
EFTA01162822

[stla]: (for details see 
Blessing Nine §C3.2) 
If monks are possessed of such 
characteristics they 
are worthy of the praise, faith, 
homage and support 
of householders. 
B.3.2 Seeing with the mind 
This means appreciating the good 
manner and conduct 
of the monk through the channel of 
our mind. 
We see that in the kuti of the 
monk, there are virtually 
no possessions — that he has 
hardly anything 
but humble bedclothes and a set of 
EFTA01162823

the Buddhist 
scriptures. Such a few possessions, 
would lead us 
to suppose that the monk studies 
the TipiEaka 
whenever he is free. We might 
observe a battered 
meditation mat in the corner and 
might suppose 
that he meditates as part of his 
daily routine. We 
reflect and surmise according to 
what we see. This 
is the virtue of the true monk. 
According to the 
SAmafulaphala Sutta the five 
characteristics of a 
EFTA01162824

true monk which can be observed a 
the level of the 
mind are as follows: 
I. Restraint of the senses 
[indriyasaOvara]: When 
in public it is especially important 
for monks to 
restrain the sense doors 
to be 
worthy of the 
homage of laypeople or younger 
monks. Monks 
who are habitually restrained 
according to the 
pAEimokkha will find that it 
comes naturally to 
restrain the senses both in public 
and behind 
EFTA01162825

closed doors; 
2. Endowment with mindfulness 
[sati] and selfawareness 
[sampajafilia]: This means not 
allowing 
the mind to wander or to drift in a 
way that 
undermines the faith of others. 
3. Endowed with contentment 
[santuEEhi]: This 
means contentment with what one 
has and what 
one receives — not going to great 
lengths to ask 
for special treatment and gifts from 
lay people 
in a way that undermines the faith 
EFTA01162826

of others 
4. Freedom from the Hindrances 
[nivaraAa]: Although 
the hindrances are an internal 
affair of 
the mind, a monk must be careful 
not to let hindrances 
manifest themselves as e.g. losing 
one's 
temper, hatred of others, 
sleepiness, reluctance, 
boredom with life, doubt in the 
teaching — on 
the contrary, a monk should show 
enthusiasm 
for a life of training, restraint and 
give encouragement 
EFTA01162827

and guidance to laypeople. 
5. Attainment of the absorptions 
[jhAna]: This is 
not something that is obvious to 
the observer. 
Also a monk will not inform you 
— because to 
inform you would be in breach of 
the Vinaya. 
However for a monk who is able to 
overcome 
the hindrances and make further 
progress, attainment 
of the inner brightness of 
absorptions 
will be visible by improved 
conduct, ability to 
EFTA01162828

teach clearly and from a bright 
physical complexion. 
B.3.3 Seeing through meditation 
According to the SAmarifiaphala 
Sutta the characteristics 
of a true monk which can be 
observed a 
the level of inner attainment which 
come as the result 
of self-training in meditation are 
eight in 
number and sometimes referred to 
as the Supranormal 
Eightfold knowledge [vijjA] are as 
follows: 
1. insight-knowledge 
[vipassanAriAAa] 
EFTA01162829

2. mental powers [manomayiddhi] 
3. miraculous powers [iddhividdhi] 
4. supra-normal hearing 
[dibbasota] 
5. knowing the minds of others 
[cetopariyayariAAa] 
6. recollection of previous lives 
[pubbenivAsAnussatinAAa] 
7. seeing the arising and passing 
away of other 
beings according to their katiiia 
[dibbacakkhu 
or cutupapatafiAAa] 
8. knowledge of an end of 
defilements 
Blessing Twenty-Nine: The Sight of 
a True Monk 325 
EFTA01162830

[asavakkhayanAAa] 
These supramundane forms of 
knowledge can only 
come about because the monk 
himself has attained 
the sight of the true monk inside 
himself i.e. has 
attained one of the levels of the 
body of enlightenment 
[dhammakAya] within himself. 
B.4 Characteristics of a monk 
not worthy of respect 
The SAmannaphala Sutta teaches 
us not only the 
things which identify a good monk 
but also characteristic 
of monks to be avoided. 
EFTA01162831

1. Ordained in spite of lacking 
faith in the Vinaya: 
without any intention to train 
oneself or improve 
oneself as a monk. Some ordain 
simply 
to run away from their worldly 
problems or to 
avoid the hard work of earning a 
living. Some 
ordain to escape legal proceedings 
or as a tool 
in earning their living; 
2. Laxity in following the 
monastic code of conduct: 
This is obvious in the case of 
monks lying, 
EFTA01162832

J1 
8aum opnio
s1。aicins qOns 
:sid.fqns dippo'u 
uo dS.INIJI0d 
paisadal碑碑ag w 
墉一犁？jqua& 'men amp 
，n 
sJamoddns 
thuiffnmodua Jo ffunqwp9 
! UOT坨1TAUT 
i q Jo pi o1
ssouisnq it UOSJod UO 
0
0LULLIO 0 
JO 1 11oiMEMo111o JO So01 ICI O1 8 mo8 
quotu 0
iceui SIql :yuour v 'of [moo°勘〕 
,spunoq-fo-mo, 
akin 緲刀
sadvid 
ffuioD .E 
toismu 
2uiuoTST[ JO II 0LLT 
8 UIU0AO LIe 8 UT71 's8nip 8 -uppl 
EFTA01162833

or fashion 
— or other subjects not directly 
concerned 
with monastic duties; 
6. Volunteering to help with jobs 
that are the domain 
of a householder: These may 
include tasks 
such as matchmaking, being a 
go-between or 
canvassing for votes; 
7. Making a living out of black 
arts: Examples include 
fortune telling, initiations, charms, 
witch 
doctery, numerical house charms 
and yantras, 
EFTA01162834

making predictions looking at the 
vital signs of 
adults, children or animals 
predictions and 
lucky stars for marriage. 
8. Playing games: Such games 
might include 
chess, draughts, cards, computer 
games or even 
ball games; 
9. Boasting: This may include 
boasting about 
one's personal ability or looking 
down on the 
abilities of other monks; 
10. Indulging the senses; 
11. Distorting the teachings: This 
EFTA01162835