Practising Alms Food-Collecting (Pindapata) in Singapore

According to the spokesman of Palelai Buddhist Temple (PBT), alms food-collection and consumption is a duty of the Theravada Buddhist monk and this is enshrined in the ordination procedure of the monk. As part of the ordination procedure, every newly ordained Theravada Buddhist monk will be given the following admonishment by his preceptor:

"Going-Forth has alms-food as its support. For the rest of your life you are to endeavour at that."

Buddhist monks sustain their lives on the support of benevolent devotees for their four requisites of robes, food, shelter and medicine while providing spiritual guidance and advice to lay supporters in return. The acts of benevolence also give lay supporters an opportunity to acquire merit that results from their kind intentions. What do monks have to say about alms food-collecting in Singapore and their comments on bogus monks soliciting money during alms rounds.

According to Venerable Jinadatta, a resident monk of PBT who goes for daily alms round at the hawker centre at Block 59, Upper Changi Road, alms food-collecting is the right livelihood for those who have gone forth from home to homelessness (i.e. monks). It is not just a custom or tradition, but a religious observance (vatta) or mode of life to be observed by monks. The terms for "monks" in Pali is "bhikkhu", which means a religious mendicant - one who quits his home or family and lives only on alms. He added that the practice also allows a platform for monks to interact with the devotees during the alms round and thus strengthen the relationship between the Buddhist community of monks and lay devotees.

As for what items go inside the alms-bowl, Venerable Jinadatta said within the alms-bowl, lay people can offer cooked food or ripened fruits. Other requisites such as robes, medicine can be offered outside the alms-bowl when the monks are in the monasteries.

Venerable Jinadatta regarded the issue of monks soliciting money instead of food in their alms round as a phenomenon of the world which is relative or imperfect.

"Since the world is not absolute but relative, there will always be the pair of opposites such as good-evil, right-wrong, healthy-sick etc like the railroad tracks which run in parallels. The wholesome and the unwholesome are the reality in the world, so we have to accept the existence of this unwholesome or unpleasant aspect of reality. But bodily and verbally, we could adopt some measures in order to protect Buddhism against the unwholesome reality." Monks of PBT started their daily alms round in Bedok area 5 years ago by its resident monk, Venerable Ajaan Keng, with the intention of educating the public on the proper practice of alms food-collecting. During the alms rounds, volunteers (when available) who accompany the monks will explain to the public that the alms bowl is meant for collecting donations of food and not monetary offerings. They also inform the public that monks of the Theravada Buddhist tradition only consume food between the break of dawn (around 6.45am) and 12 noon and therefore, they do not collect alms after 12.00 noon.

Australian monk Bhante Dhammika said that the problem of "fake monks" had been going for a long time and was surprised that Buddhist leaders had not warned the public about it long ago. He also pointed out that it is quite possible that some of these "fake monks" are not "fake" at all but have been properly ordained in Thailand. He also said that the problem is as much with such monks as it is with the public.

"If lay Buddhists were not so superstitious, naive, ill-informed and ignorant about Buddhism, they would not have given these monks anything. The only reason why these monks come here is because they know that people will give them something." Bhante Dhammika said that in ancient times the purpose of pindapata was to allow monks and nuns to get their food in a simple uncomplicated way so they could spend their time on more important things like meditation. But in traditional Buddhist countries today, pindapata is as much a ritual and a custom as it is a means of providing food. Bhante said that he thought that going for pindapata in Singapore would be inappropriate.

"This is an entirely different country from traditional Buddhist countries. Most people really have no idea what pindapata is, many people are not Buddhists; because of the way houses are built most people could not see a monk waiting at their door and most importantly, it would be too complicated. Remember, its original purpose was to help simplify a monk's life. If going for pindapata requires special arrangements, it would defeat the whole purpose of it.

Is alms food-collecting an offence?

According to the view of the Curator of Nei Xue Tang -

Buddhist Art Museum and a practising lawyer in Singapore Mr Woon Wee Teng, the practice of Pindapata per se is NOT an offence because the government is not against Buddhist practice.

But if a person has not been ordained as a Buddhist priest and goes about alms-gathering with an alms bowl and wearing yellow robe and having a shaved head like a monk, then he is an imposter and he should be reported to the police for action.

If the alms-collector has been ordained in the Theravada tradition which according to its vinaya, restrict monks from eating after noon and he still goes for his alms-collecting after 12, then he breaks his precept. He should be reported to the Chief Abbot of his monastery for disciplinary action.

For Thai Buddhist monks present in Singapore, there is a Singapore Thai Sangha Council (i.e. Singapore Thai Samatca) and they take a serious view of any Thai Buddhist Monks violating precepts and they will take disciplinary action as well. Thai Buddhist monks are actually issued with identification cards as proof of their monkhood.

How to Tell: Who is Real? Who is Bogus?

Real (food-collecting) Monks:

1. Stand still outside hawker centre.

2. Wait for food donor to approach.

3. Alms bowl covered with a lid which is opened when donor wishes to offer food.

4. Do not carry pendants/ amulets.

Bogus (monetary-collecting) Monks:

1. Walk from table to table in hawker centre.

2. Approach patrons at tables.

3. Alms bowl open all the time.

4. Carry pendants/ amulets as a form of repayment to donors.

Table information provided by Palelai Buddhist Temple. Article by WeiDu

Paying monks contradicts Buddhist code

April 7, 2009

ST.com News: Paying monks contradicts Buddhist code

AS A Buddhist group of 3,000 members, we are concerned when we hear of monks and nuns who have chosen the path of a renunciant only to accept a salary or payment for services rendered. Receiving a salary or payment is not in keeping with the spiritual pursuits of a renunciant, a path these individuals have chosen to take of their own free will.

The Buddhist code of discipline states that monks and nuns cannot accept money for themselves, or instruct someone else to keep it for them to spend as they like or to invest in businesses, financial instruments or properties. They are also not allowed to buy and sell things for themselves using money.

The intent of the rules was to set renunciants apart from the majority of people, and thus, become a constant reminder to all that a life based on materialism is not the only way to live. If an organisation wishes to appreciate a monk’s or nun’s contribution, the honorarium or donation should be made to the monastery or supporting organisation.

As some argue that times have changed and that monastics must adapt, we should pose the question: Is it not better to be an exemplary Buddhist by observing the five precepts of not harming, lying, stealing, consuming intoxicants and committing adultery than to be a less than exemplary monastic who is unable to adhere to the monastic code?

It is timely for Buddhists to take stock of how we need to support our monks and nuns to help them stay on the spiritual path while they serve the community. It is also important that monastics must not be above being questioned or challenged whenever they deviate from the code of discipline they have chosen to live by.

Over time, monastic groups have relaxed many Buddhist rules and like all things, left unchecked, the relaxation may have gone a step too far, to the point where there is little difference between some monastics and lay-Buddhists.

Angie Monksfield (Ms)

President, Buddhist Fellowship Singapore

VINAYA

Monks and Money Ajahn Brahmavamso

(reprinted from BSWA Newsletter, January-March 1996)

This is the second article in the series about the Vinaya, the body of monastic rules and traditions binding on every Buddhist monk and nun. In this article I will be concerned with the controversial issue of a monk’s or nun’s dealings with money.

The issue has been controversial for over 2,000 years. Around 200 years after the Buddha’s final passing away, there arose a great quarrel in which “both endless disputations arose and of not one speech was the meaning clear” [1]. This dispute arose because a large community of monks were accepting money in defiance of the Vinaya. The proceedings of the dispute became known as the Second Council and it sowed the seed of the first great schism in the Buddhist world, which happened soon after.

Then, as now, there is no excuse for uncertainty on this point, for the Buddha’s own words make it plain...

On Monks and Money

Buddhist monks (bhikkhus) and nuns (bhikkhunis) are not allowed to accept money for themselves. Nor are they allowed to tell a trustworthy layperson to receive it on their behalf and keep it for them (e.g. keeping a personal bank account). Such practices are explicitly prohibited in the 18th rule of the section of Vinaya called Nissaggiya Pacittiya.

Nor may monks or nuns buy and sell things for themselves using money. This is prohibited by the 19th rule in the Nissaggiya Pacittiya.

Some people argue that these two rules refer only to gold and silver but such a view is indefensible. The Vinaya specifically states that these rules cover “whatever is used in business” [2], i.e. any medium of exchange.

Other people try to get around this rule by saying that it is only a minor rule, inapplicable to monastic life today. Indeed, the Buddha once did say that the Sangha may abolish the “lesser

and minor” rules.

But is this rule a minor one?...

‘Monks, there are these four stains because of which the sun and moon glow not, shine not, blaze not. What are these four? Rain clouds... snow clouds... smoke and dust... and an eclipse. Even so, monks, there are these four stains because of which monks and priests glow not, shine not, blaze not. What are these four? Drinking alcohol... indulging in sexual intercourse... accepting gold or money... obtaining one’s requisites through a wrong mode of livelihood. These are the four stains, monks, because of which monks and priests glow not, shine not, blaze not.’ [3]

Obviously, the Buddha thought that the rule prohibiting the acceptance of gold or money was, indeed, a very important rule.

The non-acceptance of money has always been one of the fundamental observances of those who have left the world. Money is the measure of wealth and to most people material wealth is the goal of life. In the renunciation of money by monks and nuns, they emphatically demonstrate their complete rejection of worldly pursuits. At one stroke they set themselves significantly apart from the vast majority of people and thus become a constant reminder to all that a life based on the struggle to accumulate money is not the only way to live. Through giving up money they give up much of their power to manipulate the world and to satisfy their desires. Thus, as the Buddha once said when asked whether money was permissible to the monks and nuns:

‘

Whoever agrees to gold or money, headman, also agrees to the five strands of sensual pleasure, and whoever agrees to the five strands of sensual pleasure, headman, you may take it for certain that this is not the way of a recluse, that this is not the way of a Buddhist monk.’[4]

References

[1] Book of the Discipline, volume 5, page 424.

[2] Book of the Discipline, volume 2, page 102.

[3] Anguttara Nikaya, volume 2, page 53. (my translation)

[4] Samyutta Nikaya, volume 4, page 326. (my translation)