THE VINAYA FOR MONKS: past time for its revival?
A syndrome involving monks is shaking the country by the collar Habit of looking on while a 2500-year-old discipline is being flouted is of no help
“C ome and see what’s happening on TV,” Shelton Perera called out to his wife Joy who was busy in the pantry. Eyes unwavering on visuals of a protest by student monks with a following of lay students, the owner of the Wallside Bar and Restaurant muttered, “I can’t believe this…” “It’s another disgraceful exhibition of mass misbehaviour led by monks, Shelley. It will not stop or be stopped,” said Joy who had joined her husband in the Perera sitting room.
PROTEST WITH A FLAVOUR
“Students of the Jathika University staged a protest against a government decision to reduce the admission of new student monks to universities. What we see now are student monks and lay students demanding that monks are not sidelined in university admissions. Our news team was at the scene of the protest that turned violent when police intervened to stop the march, and prevent students from entering the university premises that had been closed….” The commentary was accompanied by scenes of protestors trying to push over police barricades, storming the university gate and climbing on to a building roof. The pictures showed an outnumbered police shooting tear gas and aiming water cannons and both lay students and student monks in drenched clothes and robes running for cover.
“That’s discipline for you today. Ordinary students behaving like that may even be tolerated, but Buddhist monks who have a Vinaya to follow? I can’t understand why Buddhist highups and leaders who keep repeating ‘this is a Sinhala Buddhist country and the Sasana should be protected’ etc, etc. don’t control the custodians of one of the greatest religions in the world. Our church disciplines priests who step out of line. I think it’s high time Buddhist leaders and the Buddhist Affairs Ministry begin to reel in the slack on unruly monks. These monks don’t act like monks but like men in yellow robes.” Joy was a Catholic, but her view was shared even by Buddhists.
She had made similar comments before when boisterous and unruly monks made the news. “What the hell can anyone do with monks like these? Our hands are tied, but the authorities are napping,” Shelton muttered as he looked around for the remote to switch the TV off.
IDENTIFYING BONA-FIDE HAMUDURUWOES
“As a Buddhist, it must have been humiliating for bossa to see those monks behaving the way they did,” meowed Tommo a pussycat to his pal and working partner Ooty an owl in Shelton’s employ as vermin controllers. The pair treated like family retainers had the freedom to loaf the Perera house and also watch TV.
“THUHOOT! THEY IRRITATED ME AS WELL.”
“Huh,” meowed pussy, “Mrs Shelton’s comments were natural; governors following other religions, and all do, must have felt the same. Some monks have been quarrelsome and unruly in recent times, haven’t they?”
“Thuhoot, tales of some monks in non-monk like behaviour have a long history. But that history is bland when compared with recent headline-hitting doings of monks. What we saw on TV was an example.”
“Meeoowyep (Yep). But, my grand, grandma used to tell me that our governors had no problem with monks of their era. They had respected and revered them; not because the monks demanded it; they commanded it through correct disciplined behaviour, calm and collected demeanor and by noteworthy performance of their duties as Buddhist monks to society and the Sasana. Excepting in spots here and there, that situation doesn’t seem to exist anymore.”
“By the way how do you identify a real hamuduruwo, aah? How many genuine monks were in that protest?” the bird hooted the question. “When someone shaves his head and drapes a yellow robe, it doesn’t make him a monk. There is a procedure in ordaining a monk isn’t there? I have heard many, many stories of governors disguising themselves as monks to do mischievous things. I can’t elaborate without bringing disgrace to genuine monks and Buddhist governors. That’s another story. But, nowadays monks– even some real monks don’t behave like monks at all. Buddhist governors find it disgusting.”
PODI HAMUDURUWOES AND UNIVERSITIES
“Point taken,” purred pussy. “I don’t know whether monks are expected to carry identity cards issued by the Buddhist Ministry or the chief incumbent of their pansala. Most ‘monks’ at the protest were probably rowdies hired to don robes and make a fuss. Apparently, there are anti-yahapalana hands behind them. Anyway, why were the former
Why can’t Buddhist highups and leaders who keep repeating ‘this is a Sinhala Buddhist country and the Sasana should be protected’ etc, don’t control the custodians of one of the greatest religions in the world?
universities for monks scrapped and lay universities opened to them? Study geography, economics and political science and stuff unrelated to Buddhism? Do monks need university degrees to function as monks? They may not be ‘servants of God’but aren’t they responsible for the Sasana?”
“Whoom, whooom,” went the bird. “I have heard governors giving damn good answers to your questions. Nowadays, hamuduruhood has become a vocation with advantages over others because most governors tolerate anyone in yellow robes. I have heard that in the past, some pious governors had pitched a hut, planted a bo tree to live hermit like. With time they shaved their heads, draped a robe to become a hamuduruwo while the hut expanded into a pansala. The important thing was that those governors who made the grade of monk quite nicely were accepted by society. Of course, a few didn’t. ”
“Purshsh! That kind is rare now; they have been replaced by legitimate podi hamuduruwoes. But with so much happening in the outside world, many of them tire of temple life to enter a university with robes and all with a new goal of wangling a degree and landing a job somewhere. Some get swayed by political ideas and don’t think twice about taking part in legal or illegal anti-regimental kachals. Of course it’s a free country and they can choose what they want to do. But, how many Buddhist governors like to see their hamuduruwoes dabbling in politics, studying in mixed company in lay universities and running wild now and then while rubbing shoulders with off-route politiccas?”
“Whoom, whoooom. Pertinently, how can they follow the Vinaya for monks the Buddha laid down over 2500 years ago? Governors can’t do anything to remove off-the-path monks or take them to court for ‘nonperformance’ in religious matters and non-compliance of their Vinaya said to have over 200 rules? By the way, are there provisions in common law to make monks answerable for breaking the Vinaya? I don’t know, do you?”
“Didn’t some hamuduruwoes appear in court for something they did recently?”
“Ah, yes, they took part in an udgoshanya that had been vetoed by court. By doing so, they broke the law and court wrapped them on their knuckles. But the Vinaya includes penalties applicable to hamuduruwoes found breaking Vinaya rules.
IT’S UP TO THE GURUS
“Purrrr. In his time, even the Buddha couldn’t discipline some disciples. But disciplinary measure were taken against monks who strayed away from the Vinaya although there was no Buddhist Ministries operating at that time. But now there is a huge network to look after Buddhist interests.”
“Thuhooootohsure. (Oh sure!) But it’s totally ineffective and nonfunctional in the first place. If our governors’ government can initiate a Yahaplanaya for our governors’ betterment, why can’t they extend it to Buddhist monks to ensure they are in proper service of the Sasanaya and not be involved in politics, tutories, administration, unions, committees and businesses of various kinds that have nothing to do with Buddhism?”
Because the author of the Vinaya for monks was the Buddha himself, I bet there will be overwhelming support for its revival
“Meeooow, like a decision to ban the slaughtering of cattle, enforcing the Vinaya for monks, after years of non-compliance is tricky. That means nothing’s likely to happen. But if monks who flout the Vinaya are delivered penalties and subject to ‘correction menus’as recommended in the rules, such steps cannot be challenged. And because the author of the Vinaya for monks was the Buddha himself, I bet there will be overwhelming support for its revival. See our Buddhist governors are tired of watching their monks ignoring the Buddha’s rules for monks that don’t change with time.”
“Whooom, whooom, but what if Buddhist monks resist living by the Vinaya rules? They have been breaking them for years and years.”
“That will be very sad situ. Buddhist labels will simply continue, but Buddhism will wither away with ungovernable monks heading its departure,” purred pussy.
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