Tibetan Buddhist Monasticism

The Buddha ordained himself into the 'homeless life' by cutting off his hair and renouncing his wealth, family and claim to the throne in order to pursue the spiritual path full time. He ordained other followers as renunciates after his enlightenment. The prospective monastic would cut off their hair, renounce their worldly possessions and enter the community of 'Sangha' and practice dilligently to attain enlightenment.

Many householder Buddhists also made great progress on the spiritual path in the time of the Buddha, attaining enlightenment. But the Buddha said in order for the Dharma t last a long time, it was necessary to have monastics practicing full time keeping the full Dharma vinaya (the Buddhist code of ethics). The Vinaya is like a boat that preserves the Dharma. In the Pali Cannon, the Buddha stated that when no one is practicing the full Dharma Vinaya (i.e. fully ordained monks and nuns - Bhikshus and Bhikshunis), the Dharma would dissappear. The sutras also state that a place where Buddhism flourishes must have fully ordained monastics. So its clear that from the very beginning, in order for Buddhism to last a long time, along with a strong lay householder community, there needs to be people practicing Dharma full time in the lifestyle and vows that the Buddha himself devised.

What is the place of Monastics in the modern world?

Monastics embody the transcendent, a way of life dedicated to wisdom and compassion in a world that is choking on anger, war, suffering and materialism. The Buddha stated that 'When you see a virtuous monk, you see me. I myself abide there.'

Monastic life offers a meaning way of living to countless men and women. It allows people to progress quickly on the spiritual path without the distractions of worldly responsibilities. Monastics have vows to live in celibacy and simplicity. It is against the vinaya for monastics to work, as their main purpose is to study, realise and preserve the Dharma, to show a Dharma life well lived and to teach and guide others.

Many monastics are also involved in voluntary social work, teaching Dharma and basic skills in poor communities. They counsel countless people, bringing meditation to jails, nursing homes and schools. Monastics serve the Buddhist community in the beginning (birth prayers), middle (marriage blessings) and end of life (funerals) and hopefully act as inspiring guides at every step along the way.

Many monastics have given up a comfortable career, homes and possessions to go in search of the highest goal of humanity, enlightenment.

As Westerners/Non Tibetans we may often admire the very impressive and compassionate Lamas that visit our countries. We may think that having Tibetan Lamas is enough, why would we need Western Lamas? Or we may see that many Lamas are married and wonder whether monastic life is really relevant to the West.

The truth is that most Tibetan Lamas were brought up with rigorous monastic training, even if they weren't monks themselves. This training takes 10-20 years. In order to preserve the vast sutras and tantras, the complete teachings of the Buddha, we need to keep this tradition alive. If we wish to bring Buddhism to the West, it will only truly take root when we have people from our own culture who are as well trained as present Tibetan Masters with genuine realisation and complete knowledge of sutra and tantra. Properly trained Western teachers can explain the Dharma in a way that is deeply relevant to modern culture, in a way that goes straight to the heart without diluting Buddhism. Having Masters who are of the same gender as oneself can also be an inspiring example of what is possible for us, and whom we can deeply confide in.

Traditional Buddhist Culture

The tradition of supporting Buddhist monastics to study and practice full time goes back 2,500 years. Every Buddhist country has done this. History shows that cultures that did no have a strong monastic base, like the Vajrayana Kingdom that built Borobodur in Indonesia swiftly lost Buddhism.

In the Vinaya says that a Master who ordains a monastic has the responsibility of making sure the new monastic has the four supports (without which monastic life is not possible) - food, shelter, medicine and robes. It is also the job to make sure the student has appropriate training. Unfortunately, nowadays this responsibility is often not attended to as the Tibetans are living as refugees in India. This lack of attention to the vinaya, may however have drastic consequences to the future quality of Buddhism in the West.

Westerners often see brochures displayed in Dharma Centres in the USA, Europe and Asia to support Tibetan monastics, yet it does not occur to many people that monastics from their own countries lack support and training. There are approximately 30,000 tibetan monastics in India and approx 80% of them have support (mainly from foreigners). There are only approx 2,500 non-himalayan monastics in the Tibetan tradition and its estimated that only 15% of them have any kind of support and traditional training. Most non-Himalayan monastics are forced to put on lay clothes and go outside and work. Even though no Himalayan monastics work and their Lamas would never dream of asking them of asking them to do so. It is often assumed that Westerm monastics have more money than Himalayan monastics, but it's only because they are forced to contravene their monastic vows and work as there is no support provided for them. If they didn't work, they would be even poorer than Tibetan monastics, who at least have monasteries where they can stay with food, shelter and training.

Why can't Western Monastics live like Tibetans?

Tibetan monasteries are often overflowing with refugees. Conditions in these monasteries are crowded and very basic. We have documented many cases of Westerners staying in these monasteries contracting hepatitus, chronic fatigue, typhoid, dysentary, pneumonia etc. They just don't have the resistance to germs that the hardy locals do. Very few Westerners are able to complete a course of studies in a Tibetan monastery, not because they are not sincere, but because they're physically unable to. Other problems suck as lack of financial support (sometimes Foreigners have to pay four times as much to stay in a monastery compared to Himalayan monastics), visas and cultural differences also play a role in this. For some Westerners who have been bought up to learn by annalysis and questioning, the memorisation and learning by rote that is highly effective for Himalayan monastics is not so meaning for them.

The situation of Non- Himalayan Tibetan Tradition Monastics

Currently approx 65% of non- Himalayan monastics disrobe, usually citing a lack of support and training. This is very differernt to a monastery where monastics are well supported and trained (i.e. Plum Village, the monastery of Thich Nhat Hahn in France only has a 35% disrobing rate for Westerners).

Many Western monastics live in Dharma Centres in the West that are geared soley for lay people. They serve freely as administrators, but are often unpaid, unable to access the traditional training Tibetan monastics have. These Dharma Centres often charge monastics rent and food charges, a previously unheard of thing in Buddhist history. The Buddha stated in the Sigalovada Sutra that lay popele should support monastics if they are able. Of course this support is completely optional and the Sangha has to be worthy of it, but it would be a shame if someone walked into a Dharma Centre in the future, saw a statue of the Buddha with his begging bowl and asked: 'Does anyone live like that anymore?' Only to be told, 'No sorry, we didn't think it was worth supporting.'

What is the traditional way to relate to Monastics?
What are their lifestyle and vows?

Most monastics wake with the dawn and spend several hours doing their personal meditations. In the majority of monasteries there is then a communal one hour puja at about 6am for an hour followed by breakfast. Then the monastics may do some chores for the monastery such as cleaning the temple or serving their teacher. After breakfast and chores another period of meditation or study of 2 or 3 hours is followed by lunch (monastics are supposed to eat before noon and that is their last meal, but due to the extreme cold and harshness of the lifestyle in Tibet, this was seldom followed). After lunch there is a rest period followed by more meditation sessions or study/debate. The programme of study for young monastics is very arduous and keeps monastics busy with study and debate for about 8-10 hours a day.

In the evenings monastics might gather again for a cup of tea and some community time together, some monastics catch up on study. Senior monastics may make time to teach/guide/instruct younger monastics at this time.

If monastics live in a smaller monastery they may take time, especially on weekends to talk with and counsel the many lay devotees that come to visit the monastery and do their own retreat or to receive teachings. A considerable amount of a monastics time in these smaller temples is spent showing the laity into the temple and offering teachings.

During the monsoon period (traditionally August to October in Asia) the monastics do a three month retreat, this is still followed by some Tibetan monastics to this day. The Buddha said this period of contemplation was essential for one's spiritual progress as a monastic and for community building.

Considerations before becoming a monastic

The life of a monastic is not an escape from society. As a lay person one has much freedom to run one's own life. When one feels ill at ease one can ring a friend or turn on the tv. No such escapes exist for monastics, they lead restricted lives, but this restriction gives them a kind of inner freedom, because they are forced to look at themselves and transform the mess inside. The wisdom of living a monastic life could aptly be called 'the wisdom of no escape'.

Living in vows is more powerful than living without them. But one should carefully examine the vows and see that one is capable of keeping them and that one would have a suitable Teacher to guide one as well as a monastic community to support one in one's monastic life.

When you become a monastic you are supposed to give up your own possessions, house, clothes etc. You change three things, your name (one should use one's monastic name which has special significance), one's clothes (one should no longer wear lay clothes, but wear monastic clothes at all times) and one's mind (obviously this is the most important thing to change!).

Traditionally people who are in debt, mentally or physically unwell, on the run from the law etc are not candidates for ordination. This is because the life of a monastic is very arduous and to uphold the good name of the community.

Becoming a monastic is not just an individual decision. You can't just do what you want when you become a monastic. You first need to be stable in your practice, to have studied, have a good motivation and moral conduct and have a qualified teacher to guide you. Being a monastic is not just about you, when you are a monastic you join the Sangha, the Buddhist monastic community and you represent Buddhism. As a member of the Sangha, you should dwell with other monastics and be willing to compromise your desires for the wellbeing of the group. As a Sangha member we also respect senior monastics and should be willing to take their advice and train under them in a mentor/pupil relationship (as long as their advice corresponds with the Dharma and you feel that their training and wisdom are sufficient).

As a monastic people no longer just see you, in fact 'you' dissappear and are replaced by the symbols of the Triple Gem, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Because as a monastic you are highly visible, it is a great responsibility to uphold Buddhism. You should conduct yourself properly at all times. A monastic should not (ideally) live with lay people (vinaya). They should learn to keep the vows and spend time in a monastery. It is recommended to save money for several years before becoming a monastic so that one does not have to leave one's monastery/Centre for the first few years of ordination. There are now several monasteries in the world for non - Himalayan monastics, unfortunately, most of these places charge money for monastics to stay there.

Starting communities specifically for monastics where the policy is to not charge monastics money, but rather to train them so they can become teachers and building monasteries in the West seems to be essential at this time for the future of Dharma and considering the desperate situation of many non-Himalayan monastics. Forming co-operatives with other monastics and sharing money, food, robes and resources, even if certain monastics are not from your teacher's tradition and building a sense of community and fellowship with other Foreign monastics is very beneficial. If we are to survive as a Western Sangha, we need to work together. It is clear that we can expect little help from Tibetans, whos priority is to preserve their own culture.

If you are someone who feels that they would like to keep their own home, car, job and way of life and would like to just focus more on retreat and their own practice monastic life may not be the best choice, as monastics traditionally renounce all personal property and hand it over to the Sangha community for communal use and undergo rigorous training in order to dedicate their life to the Sangha community, the preservation of the Dharma, its propagation and realisation. Monastics must give much of their time to serving the sangha and lay community and are more than just meditators or retreatants. Perhaps options in this situation are to wear white and take the 8 precepts (mentioned above) and be a kind of renounced householder yogi.

The Buddha said in the Vinaya that if you are not a holder of monastic vows you should not wear monastic robes, as this can just confuse people who may lose faith when they see a monastic hugging and holding hands with their partner and think that the monastic is breaking their vows or be confused when the lay practitioner wearing monastic robes becomes romantic with another member of their practice group. His Holiness Dalai Lama has asked householder Lamas not to wear monastic robes, but rather the robes of a householder yogi which may be a red or brown chuba with a shawl that is marked by stripes of red, white and red. In other Buddhist countries householder yogis wear white.

As a Foreign monastic you can anticipate little support to begin with, so it is advisable to have savings before you ordain and to find a suitable community. Work inside the monastery is preferable as is being with other monastics and having guides who can teach you about the monastic way of life and living in the vows, which is not something you can just learn from books.

Monastic life is not easy, nor is it better than lay life. The problems and sufferings we have in lay life follow us into monastic life, they just change shape a bit. There will always be problems in life, money problems, people we don't get on with, cultural differences. As monastics we are advised to dig up the root of all our problems, greed, hatred and delusion and be flexible and open minded with inevitable conflicts and difficulties that will arise.

Being a monastic makes us different from other people, our vows and way of life change, as does our focus and habits. Living with like minded people who are keeping the same vows and have the same values is highly recommended. Monasticism will never take off in the West if we don't have strong monastic communities and places where monastics can get essential traditional training.

If you live alone as a monastic, make a daily schedule of practice/study/ social work etc and try to remain mindful of acts of body/speech and mind at all times, especially things that you say can have a profound effect on lay people. Try to be worthy of the robes you wear. Spend time with other monastics and try to ask for teachings from your teacher/other well known teachers on vinaya and general Dharma. It may be preferable to leave your old place of residence and go and join a monastery. As a monastic we need to be flexible and willing to receive training and change our old habits and patterns to conform with the Dharma. Of course there will always be those monastics, who after some years of living in community and receiving training prefer to go off and be hermits and meditators, but they are still part of the Sangha community and go to vow recitations and usually come out of retreat years later to teach and serve the community and raise funds to support the next generation of monastics and householder yogis.

Having given a pragmatic description of monastic life, it's important to remember that the heart of a long and happy career as a monastic is to keep an open mind and an open heart, to try to put Dharma into every moment of life. The life of a monastic is highly meaningful. Not only do you create powerful good karma with all the study, service and meditation you do, as you're living in vows (of course the opposite is also true that you create heavy bad karma when you have vows (if you don't practice virtue and confession)). As a monastic you're following the lifestyle the Buddha himself chose. A simple and direct path to realizing the deathless, the way things really are. You are a symbol of the Triple Gem. Every moment of your life you're reminded of what you most deeply value and you are a reminder to others (provided you properly embody the Dharma and diligently practice and study). The Buddha said that monastic life, living in vows was one of the most powerful ways to practice and attain liberation and benefit countless beings.