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may include explaining 
and teaching Buddhism in a way 
that 
deviates from the dhammavinaya 
or spreading 
or perpetuating false views such as 
that 
heaven and hell don't really exist, 
that death 
is the end of the story or that there 
is no afterlife. 
12. Deviousness: Monks may use 
means to mislead 
the public e.g. into understanding 
that 
they have attained the stages of 
Sainthood. 
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13. Displaying a lack of 
contentment: This may 
be noticeable from the way a 
monk's accommodation 
is furnished (excessive luxury or 
with a television or radio — which 
are not for 
helping to practice Dhamma —
and accumulating 
lot of things in their kuti beyond 
any 
possible usefulness). 
There may be more characteristics 
of unworthy 
monks than these thirteen — but 
any one of the 
thirteen behaviours mentioned 
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above is sufficient 
for supporters to suspect that a 
monk might not 
be a `true monk'. It is sad to say 
that numerous 
are those who profess piety — but 
who in reality 
doesn't live up to all they profess. 
Thus don't go 
wasting time with monks who say 
they can turn 
silver into gold, or give you a 
fertility spell or guess 
the result of the lottery. If you do 
— it only goes to 
show that your misunderstanding 
of the purpose 
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of a monk. 
C. THE PRACTICALITY OF 
SEEING A MONK 
C.1 Receiving the full benefits of 
seeing a monk 
In order to gain the full benefit of 
the sight of a 
monk, it is important, not only to 
see him, but 
to hear his teaching, to memorize 
it, reflect on 
it and apply it for one's own and 
others' benefit 
in the same way (as already 
outlined for academic 
teachings in Blessing Seven §E. 
[The Learning 
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Process]). In addition it is also 
necessary to 
help and support the monk in order 
to learn from 
his example the virtues which may 
be hard to 
326 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
transmit in words. 
C.2 Why people like to have a true 
monk visit 
their home 
In order to gain full benefit from 
seeing a true monk, 
if we should have the opportunity 
to invite one to 
our home, the Buddha gave us 
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clear guidance on 
how to offer appropriate 
hospitality. Done properly, 
such hospitality can bring five 
distinct sorts of merit 
to the owner of the house, because: 
I. Looking on him with respect: 
will bring steadfast 
faith in mind because seeing the 
conduct of 
a true monk will give that 
household the chance 
to practice the path to heaven; 
2. Preparing his seat: giving the a 
true monk a place 
to sit [Asana] will give that 
household the chance 
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to practice the path to birth in an 
influential family. 
3. Offering him refreshment: 
putting aside the mental 
impurities of stinginess (by giving 
something 
for the a true monk to drink for 
example) gives 
the household the chance to 
practice for the path 
to the attainment of honour. 
4. Offering him requisites: sharing 
their wealth with 
the a true monk (e.g. by offering a 
donation to a 
monk) gives that household the 
chance to practice 
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the path for the attainment of 
wealth. 
5. Conversing on the Dhamma: 
conversing on the 
Dhamma and listening to teachings 
gives the 
household the chance to practice 
the path to the 
attainment of wisdom. 
In fact to treat a monk of 
attainment badly can be 
very damaging, as in the case of 
Koka the Hunter 
(DhA.iii.31) who set his dogs on a 
monk and whose 
dogs subsequently turned on him, 
or the case of 
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Upaka (DhA.iv.71-2) whose lack 
of ability to recognize 
the qualities of a True Monk in the 
Buddha 
delayed his spiritual search for 
many years. 
C.3 Manners in meeting with a 
monk 
These days even Buddhists are 
often not so careful 
as they used to be about the way in 
which they treat 
monks whether it be passing them 
in the street of 
inviting them to their homes. Both 
the monks and 
the laypeople must shoulder some 
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of the blame, because 
often monks ordain without any 
special 
preparation. They are not really 
very sure what being 
a monk entails. After ordination 
they don't 
study monastic conduct and so 
make mistakes. 
When they make mistakes, then 
no-one treats them 
with any respect. The other half of 
the blame falls 
on the laypeople who have never 
taken any interest 
to look for the good points in 
monks. They spend 
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the whole of their lives going from 
one bar to another 
and never think to visit the temple. 
Thus it is 
sometimes hard for monks if they 
go into 
town.Young ladies think that the 
monks are just 
another sort of man and squeeze 
past them in the 
street. Some gentlemen even walk 
into monks 
knocking them over in the street. If 
people carry on 
treating monks like this, then in the 
end they will 
remove all possibility of ever 
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learning anything useful 
from the monks. Their eyes still 
see but their 
minds will become blind to virtue. 
Even if they were 
to meet the Buddha they would be 
unable to get 
any benefit from him. Thus if you 
want to conduct 
yourself properly when interacting 
with monks you 
need to study the correct protocol. 
If you should 
have the opportunity to come into 
contact with a 
monk, try to practise the following 
as far as it is 
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practical: 
I. Offer something: If you have 
any requisites suitable 
for monks to use, then you should 
offer an 
appropriate amount to monks. 
Even a glass of 
water counts as requisites. 
2. Bow: If there are no suitable 
requisites available 
then bow to the monk using the 
five-point bow 
to express your respect. It shows 
that you don't 
just look a monks indifferently and 
it will be a 
habit which you will build up for 
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yourself to give 
its fruit for the course of many 
lifetimes to come. 
It will remove the habit of 
stubborness from your 
mind. 
3. Join your hands in a gesture of 
respect: If it is not 
convenient for you to bow (e.g. the 
floor is not 
clean, there are a lot of people or 
you risk being 
run over by a car) then join your 
hands in a gesture 
of prayer and it is better than 
nothing. 
4. Stand respectfully: If it is not 
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convenient for you 
to join your hands in a gesture of 
respect (e.g. 
you are carrying something) at 
least stand reBlessing 
Twenty-Nine: The Sight of a True 
Monk 327 
spectfully or bow your head or 
make way for 
him to pass or find some other way 
of expressing 
your respect. 
5. Look respectfully: Even if you 
cannot do any of 
the above, at least look at the monk 
with faith 
and respect — not to look daggers 
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at the monk 
or survey the monk from head to 
foot as if with 
the question in your mind `Is that 
really a monk 
or not?' . 
D. ILLUSTRATIVE TALES 
D.1 Ex. Vakkali Thera (It.92, 
AA.i. 14Off). 
Vakkali belonged to a brahmin 
family of SAvatthE 
and became proficient in the 
Vedas. Usually people 
are inspired to faith by one or more 
of four attributes 
of a monk (A.ii.71): 
1. the appearance 
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[rupappamAAikA] 
2. the voice [ghosappamAAilcA] 
3. the humble manner of dress 
[lEkhappamAAikA] 
4. the teachings he gives 
[dhammappamAAikA] 
Vakkali was inspired to faith by 
the appearance 
alone of the Lord Buddha. After 
seeing the Buddha 
only once, he could never again 
tire of looking at 
him and followed him about 
everywhere. Any day 
he could not see the Buddha he felt 
low. In order to 
become closer to him he become a 
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monk, and spent 
all his time apart from meals and 
bathing in contemplating 
the thirty-two signs of a Great Man 
[purisalakkhaAa] so well 
exemplified by the Buddha's 
person. He was satisfied simply to 
see the 
Buddha and had no further thought 
of listening to 
the Buddha's teaching or of 
striving for liberation. 
The Buddha waited for the right 
opportunity to 
teach him — because what he had 
to say would 
surely upset Vakkali 
but at the 
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same time must 
be for his benefit. One day when 
the right time 
came, He banished Vakkali to a 
place where he 
could no longer see the Buddha. 
Vakkali was so 
upset by the Buddha's retort that 
he prepared to 
commit suicide by jumping over a 
cliff on 
GijjhakuEa (the Vultures' Peak). 
Fully aware of 
Vakkali's intentions, before he was 
able to jump, 
the Buddha went to him and 
appeared to him teaching 
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the words (S.iii.120): 
Ala() Vakkali kiO to iminA 
pEtikAyena 
diEEhena. Yo kho Vakkali 
dhammaO
passati, so maO passati. Yo maO 
passati 
so dhammaO passati. 
The sight of my foul body is 
useless; 
He who sees the Dhamma, sees me 
He who sees me, sees the 
Dhamma. 
Filled with joy, Vakkali rose in the 
air pondering on 
the Buddha's words and realized 
arahantship in 
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