The Sangha, or spiritual community, is the third of the jewels. According to Buddhist tradition, there are three levels of sangha: arya sangha, bhikkhus sangha and maha sangha. Understanding the meaning of each of these terms will allow us to more fully understand what the Sangha is in the traditional sense of the word.

Arya Sangha

The word arya as part of the expression arya-sangha literally means "high-born" and, in a broader sense, "saint." In Buddhist terminology, arya always means holiness as “contact with the transcendental.” Therefore, the arya-sangha is called so because it consists of saintly persons (arya-pudgala) who have certain transcendental achievements and experiences common to all of them.

These people are united on a spiritual level, but they may well not be in physical contact, because they are united by a commonality of spiritual experiences. At this level, the Sangha is a purely spiritual community, a collection of individuals from different parts of the world and different eras, sharing the same spiritual achievements and experiences, which removes space-time separation for them.

According to the general basis of beliefs and doctrinal positions adopted by all the different schools of Buddhism, there are four types of saints as follows: stream-enterers (srotaapanna), once-returners (sakri-dagamin), non-returners (anagamine) and arhats. They created a spiritual hierarchy that mediates between Buddhahood and ordinary human unenlightenment.

The path to Enlightenment, as taught by the Buddha, can be divided into successive stages in various ways. However, the main one is considered to be divided into three large stages: ethics (Sanskrit - sila, Pali - sila), meditation (samadhi) and wisdom (Sanskrit - prajna, Pali - rappa). Wisdom, the final stage, comes in the form of flashes of insight that illuminate the nature of reality. These flashes of insight are not conceptual, they are immediate and intuitive. They usually occur during deep meditation.

It turns out that in spiritual life nothing comes at once, everything happens gradually, step by step. Slow and systematic progress is required at all stages. So we find that insights come in different degrees of intensity. You may experience a faint flash of insight (if your meditation is weak, it will not give you more), or you will have a very bright, powerful flash of insight that illuminates the hidden depths of reality. Types of saints differ in the intensity of their insight.

This poses an important question: how is the intensity of insight measured? Traditionally in Buddhism, insight is measured in two ways: subjectively, by the number of spiritual shackles (Pali - samyaojana, there are in total “ten shackles” that chain us to the wheel of life in which we rotate) that it can break; and also objectively, by the number of rebirths coming after achieving a given level of insight.

Those who entered the stream.

Saints of the first level are called those who have entered (lit., “fallen”) into the stream (srotaapanna), which will gradually lead them to nirvana. Those who entered the stream developed a level of insight sufficient to break the first three of the ten shackles. Let us dwell on these chains longer than on the others, since they concern us most directly.

The first bond is called satkayadrsti (Pali - sakkayaditthi), which means “personal view”. It is twofold. The first is called sasvata-dristi. According to him, the self-identity of a person remains unchanged after death. This is the traditional belief in the immortality of the soul, any form of it. We, they say, have a soul (an unchanging self-identity, ego), which is different from our body and remains after our death (it either goes to heaven or is reincarnated). What is essential here is precisely that the soul is unchanging (like a kind of spiritual billiard ball that rolls forward without changing); it is not a process, but an existing something. Another type of “personal view” is this: after death comes oblivion: death is the end of everything, everything is stopped by it (the traditional term is “uccheda” - literally suppression). In other words, according to this belief, the mental side of life ends at the moment of death, along with the physical, material one.

According to Buddhism, both are extreme and incorrect views. Buddhism teaches a middle view: death is not the end of everything in the sense that with the death of the physical body there is no complete cessation of mental and spiritual processes; they continue. But this is not the continuation of the existence of an unchanging soul or ego. What lasts is nothing other than the mental process in all its complexity and constant variability and fluidity. From a Buddhist point of view, what continues after death is, as it were, a stream of mental events.

The second bond is vicikitsa (Pali - vicikiccha), which is usually translated as "skeptical doubts" and sometimes as "indecision." This is not the "good faith doubt" that Tennyson said:

“Really, there is more faith in honest doubt,

than in half of the religions."

It would be more accurate to say that vichikitsa is an unwillingness to come to a certain conclusion. People are hesitant, they would rather sit on the fence, they don’t want to jump to either side. They remain in this indecision, are not united with themselves, and do not try to do so. As for the question of posthumous existence, today they think one thing, and tomorrow - completely different. They don't take the trouble to figure it out thoroughly and think everything through clearly. And such complacency in hesitation is a shackle that, according to the teachings of the Buddha, must be destroyed.

The third bond is called silavrata-paramarsa (Pali - silabbata-paramasa). This term is usually translated as “attachment to rites and rituals,” which, however, is completely incorrect. The literal meaning of the word silavrata-paramarsha is “taking ethical rules and religious injunctions as an end in itself.” Sila here is not a ritual at all, but a moral precept or rule (if, for example, it is said that, according to the teachings of the Buddha, one cannot take a life, then this is a sila, a moral rule). Vrata is a Vedic word meaning vow, observance of a religious precept. The element that turns the expression silavrata-paramarsa into a term for "fetters" is paramarsa - "clinging". Thus, together it is “taking moral rules, even (good) religious precepts, as an end in themselves, clinging to them in themselves.”

This brings us back to the parable of the raft. As I already said, the Buddha likened the Dharma to a raft that transports us from this shore of samsara to that shore of Nirvana. Dharma in all its aspects, the Buddha taught, is a means to an end. If we begin to think that moral rules and religious precepts - even meditation or the study of sacred texts - are self-sufficient, then they will become our fetters, and the fetters must be broken. Thus, these fetters arise when religious practice and injunctions are viewed as an end in themselves. They are very good as means, but they themselves are not the end.

These are the first three fetters. One becomes a stream-enterer, therefore, by understanding the limitations of the “I”, the need for certain obligations, as well as the relativity of all religious practices and prescriptions. Upon reaching the stage of entering the stream, according to the Buddhist tradition, no more than seven rebirths remain in the wheel of life, and maybe less. Stream entry is thus an important stage of spiritual life. One can say more - this is spiritual conversion in the true sense of the word.

In addition, stream entry is achievable for every serious Buddhist and should be considered as such. There is no use in meditating lukewarmly and somehow following the five precepts, looking sideways at Nirvana. One should seriously believe that it is quite possible in this life to break the three shackles, enter the stream and firmly embark on the path to enlightenment.

Returning one day.

Saints of the second level, “once returning” (Skt. sakrdagamin), are those who will return as a person to earth only once; they broke the first three of the shackles and greatly weakened two more: the fourth, i.e. “the desire to exist in the sensory world” (kama-raga), and the fifth is “hostility” or “anger” (vyapada). These shackles are very strong. Breaking the first three is comparatively easier, because they are “intellectual”, so they can be broken by pure intellect, in other words, insight. And these two are emotional, rooted much deeper, and it is much more difficult to break them. Therefore, even weakening them is enough to become a one-time returner.

A few explanations about these two fetters. Kama-raga is the desire or urge to attain sensual existence. It takes a little reflection to realize how strong this urge is. Imagine that all your senses suddenly shut down. What state will your mind be in then? This will be experienced as a terrible deprivation. And your only motivation will be to regain contact with others, the ability to see, hear, smell, taste, touch. By thinking about this, we can understand to some extent how strong our craving for sensory existence is. (We know that at the moment of death we will lose all our senses - we will neither see, nor hear, nor smell, nor taste, nor touch. Death is torn away from all this, and the mind finds itself in a terrifying emptiness - “terrifying” for those who seeks contact with the outside world through the senses.)

The fourth bond is strong and difficult to loosen; so also the fifth, anger (vyapada). Sometimes we feel as if a source of anger has entered us, looking for an outlet. This happens not at all because something happened and made us angry, but because anger is always in us, but we are only looking for a target around us into which it could be directed. This anger is deeply rooted in us.

Serving people and going to great nirvana

“That incomparable island, where they own nothing, where they covet nothing, I call Nirvana - freedom from destruction, death and destruction. The key to the kingdom of Truth should be sought in the depths of one’s heart.”

Dhammapada

“At the time when the moon disappeared behind the mountain, the highest of the sages went to Nirvana.”

Shakyashri

Life of the Buddhist Sangha

The first bhikkhus of the Buddha lived in huts, caves, often spent the night in the forest, under a lonely tree, in a rock crevice and other uncomfortable, but conducive to in-depth and heightened perception places.

Buddha abolished and even banned the painful self-torture that was so close to the hearts of Indian truth seekers. The outward neatness of the Buddhist bhikkhus contrasted sharply with the dirty, ash- and dung-covered Brahman ascetics. Purity and strict beauty reigned in the viharas - the first Buddhist monasteries, which first arose in two groves donated to him - Veluvana and Jetavana. Buddhist monasteries for many seemed like paradise on earth, promised oases of internal and external purity, where a tired traveler could indulge in reflection and contemplative practice without interruption” in peace and quiet.

One raja once told Buddha: “In my time I have seen many shramanas, great ascetics, living a perfect life until their last breath, but such a perfect, complete ascetic life, Lord, is nowhere like here.” met. Everywhere there is turmoil, strife, unrest: kings fight with kings, princes with princes, townspeople with townspeople, brahmanas argue with brahmanas, mother and son quarrel, father with mother, father with son, brother and sister with each other, with each other. . Here, Sir, I see monks living in harmony, bhikkhus living in unity, without strife. Nowhere, nowhere, my Lord, have I seen such a unanimous meeting as here.”

In the Dhammapada there are such lines confirming the words of the Raja: “Oh, we live very happily, non-hostile among the hostile; among hostile people we live, non-hostile. Oh, we live very happily, non-sick among the sick; among "We, the non-sick, live with sick people. Oh, we live very happily, although we have nothing. We feed on joy, like shining gods."

Raising bhikkhus

The main influence on people was exerted by the deeds of the Buddhist bhikkhus themselves: many were convinced that bhikkhus Shakyamuni actually realized the ideal of life that the sages of India had spoken about since ancient times. “Many people are vicious,” the bhikkhus repeated the words of the Teacher, “but we, the followers of the great Buddha, will endure insults, like an elephant in battle - an arrow fired from a bow.” Mercy to all is the motto of bhikkhus. He knows how much evil there is in the world, and does not want to multiply it. “Everyone trembles before punishment, life is pleasant for everyone - put yourself in the place of another. You can neither kill nor force someone to kill.”

This principle of “ahimsa” - non-harm to living things and nature, which is one of the provisions of the eightfold path of the Arya, has always found a response in the hearts of the people of India. In order to reach such a level, a gradual struggle with passions is necessary. Therefore, the Buddha said: “Whoever holds back awakened anger, like a chariot trying to get off the road, I call him a charioteer: the rest simply hold the reins.” Mastering the steps of the spiritual path was considered by the Buddha as “a certain series of gradually ascending levels. Starting with an internal determination to conquer the excitement of the transitory and vain, a person suppresses his dark, evil qualities and inclinations. He must, firstly , be kind to everyone, in the name of liberating yourself and others from the power of evil. “A true bhikkhus,” said the Buddha, “will not destroy anyone’s life. And neither fear nor other considerations will force him to abandon mercy and compassion; he is friendly and attentive to all beings gifted with life. He, a bhikkhus, must avoid lies and theft, must be chaste, truthful, must discard rudeness, greed, idle talk, and seek justice in everything.”

Some ascetics, even having received initiation from the Buddha, had old habits. For example, they frightened the population of villages with their appearance or actions. But the Buddha did not advise bhikkhus to do this. He said: “Just as a bee, landing on a flower, does not break its petals, but only takes a certain amount of nectar, so a perfect bhikkhu, appearing in a village, does not disturb its peace in any way, taking a little food for himself. food."

The teacher advised not to succumb to the insults of others and in response not to cultivate anger towards those who did not perceive and blasphemed the Dharma.

“If those who are not with us, O bhikkhus, would blame me, or the Dharma, or the Sangha, then you should not fall into anger, enmity or annoyance because of this.

If you became irritated about this, then danger would arise for you, and not for your opponents, since you would lose the ability to judge: was what they were talking about true or not?” he asked. Buddha: “It shouldn’t, Teacher,” answered the bhikkhus.

“If they begin to speak like this, then, O bhik-shu, you must explain what exactly is wrong in their judgments, and tell them: “This is wrong, this is not so, we do not approve of this.”

The Buddha taught that a bhikkhus must have not only moral perfection, but also complete self-control and awareness, and patiently endure all the hardships and deprivations of an ascetic life.

“He who meditates wisely endures cold, heat, hunger, and thirst, is not afraid of poisonous insects, wind, sun and snakes. He does not respond in kind to words of reproach, he is calm in the face of bodily suffering, in the face of the most bitter, languid torments, restless, destructive to life."

When terror or fear attacked a bhikkhus, the Buddha advised in such cases to turn to the three jewels: “I tell you, bhikkhus, this: if fear comes upon you in the forest, or under a tree, or in an empty cell , numbness, frost on the skin, then remember the Tathagata in this way: “He, Gina, is a saint, truly enlightened, perfect in knowledge and behavior, Sugata, who has known the world, unsurpassed, the tamer of the violent, the Teacher of the gods and people, the Awakened One, Bhagavat." As you remember Me, that fear, numbness, frost on the skin that will come over you will let you go.

If you don’t remember me, then remember the Teaching: “It was proclaimed for good by the Victorious Buddha, the Dharma, visible, endless, addressed to everyone, attractive, internally cognizable by the discerning.” As you remember the Dharma, the fear and numbness that comes over you will let you go.

And don’t remember about the Teaching, remember about the Sangha: “On the good path is the Community of those who listen to the Buddha, on the straight path of the Sangha of those who listen to Jina. She is worthy of veneration, very worthy, worthy of reverence. She is the highest field of merit for the world.” As you remember about the Community, that fear, numbness and other things will let you go.

Why is this so? Because, O bhikkhus, the Tathagata is an Arhat, a Truly Enlightened One, free from passion, free from hatred, free from delusion, free from fear, free from fear, free from panic and fright.”

"A true bhikkhu walks through the excitement of life "quiet and free", does not seek honor or respect. He has tamed all the desires of the heart, does not condemn anyone, there is no hatred in him for sinners, but there is no approval either. He radiates into the world waves of joy and friendliness, mercy and compassion, with an equal attitude towards everyone. For the complete renunciation of the joyful, knowing and contemplating the truth. Perfectly firm in spirit, not causing suffering to anyone. Perfectly finished with all passion, victory over resistance The expression of the “I” is truly the highest pleasure.”

“Never will a drop of dew rest on a lotus petal; a wise man will never cling to anything that is visible, audible and created. He who has shaken off all sinful things will not accept in greed anything that is visible, audible and created He does not seek purification through another, for nothing coming from outside pleases or saddens him*.

Nirvana, which the Buddha taught his disciples about, is the lot of the diligent and diligent. The path to it is pure contemplation. An Arhat, having cast aside attachments, free from vanity, sadness and joy, tempered in the school of self-deepening, during his lifetime joins the “unmanifested being.” Thus, he frees himself from further wanderings in the worlds of samsara.

Visiting home

The glory of the great Buddha spread like a lion's voice throughout the land of Magadha. She also reached Kapilavastu, the homeland of the Awakened One. After five years of serving people, Buddha decided to visit his native places. For him they were like places of a kind of past life.

The news of his approach brought the Shakyas into confusion: the elderly Raja Shuddhodana was glad to finally see his only son and prepared a magnificent meeting. He ordered the palace to be filled with flowers and invited numerous guests. However, among the Shakyas there were also those who did not share their father’s joy: it seemed humiliating to them to greet with such honors a beggar vagabond who had abandoned his father and betrayed his duty. Their murmur caused Shuddhodana some confusion.

Meanwhile, the Awakened One with a large retinue of bhikkhus, in constant red-dish-yellow robes, approached his hometown and settled down in a grove not far from the main gate. Having learned about this, Shuddhodana did not know what to do. His paternal feeling attracted him to immediately rush to meet his son who had passed away many years ago, but, on the other hand, he could not eliminate the wounded pride of the raj and his dislike for the bhikkhus, whom he considered as the source of his misfortune, and this stopped him. After all, kings are not bhikkhus who are free from preconceived opinions.

In the end, the father in him defeated the king, and he went to the grove to look for Siddhartha. When he and his retinue saw the prince in beggar’s rags, with a shaved head, with a begging bowl, they could not utter a word out of sadness and indignation.

The Awakened One removed the burden of the moment by demonstrating miraculous transformations. He rose into the air and sat in a yogic pose, spreading from his body thousands of rainbow rays, at the ends of which shining buddhas were formed, releasing in turn the same rays with the same buddhas sitting in a lotus, slightly smaller in size , so that the next moment all visible space was filled with myriads of buddhas pulsating with light. Then the manifestation gave way to another: his face began to change in a striking way, revealing for a brief moment the images of the predecessor Buddhas and the future Buddhas, a dazzling flame burst out of his chest, then a stream of murmuring water, a whirlwind rose, sweeping the body of Muni into many smallest parts, which after some time gathered again, forming the standing figure of the Awakened One...

People were speechless with amazement. However, even such a manifestation of power, indicating complete mastery of the secret of manifested existence, did not overcome the Raja’s prejudices. He again saw the beggar ascetic. There was no cordial conversation, and there was no increase in understanding. The confused Raja left in the most conflicting feelings. Night fell and the bhikkhus had to spend the night in the open air.

Morning came and the Awakened One, together with everyone, as if nothing had happened, went to the city to beg for alms, lowering his eyes and in complete silence. When the news of this reached Shuddhodana, there was a commotion in the house. The pride of the Shakya Raja was even more astonished; he hastened to find his son and showered him with reproaches: “Can’t we really find food for your bhikkhus?” he shouted, “don’t disgrace our glorious royal family! there were no beggars in the family!

The Awakened One calmly and calmly answered that He most of all values ​​not blood, but spiritual kinship, and that His great predecessors, the Buddhas, also wandered, living on alms. Seeing that his father had softened, Buddha gave his consent to enter under the roof of his former home.

As soon as he entered, his wife Yashoda ran out to meet him. Seeing her husband in the clothes of a wandering ascetic-scar, she threw herself at His feet, bursting into tears. At this time, the father mourned the bitter fate of his daughter-in-law and said that from the very day of her departure she had been faithful to him and led an almost ascetic lifestyle.

As far as possible, sparing the human feelings of his former relatives, the Awakened Siddhartha Gautama spoke for a long time about the virtues and benefits of a renounced life, about the futility of worldly existence, about the causes of unrest in this world.

The spectacle was unusual and amazing. Warlike Shakyas and beggar bhikkhus were nearby. Pride, arrogance, arrogance came together with tolerance, humility and prudence. The Shuddhodana Palace had never seen anything like this. Many of the Shakyas, having left the past, heard from the former prince: “Come to me, O bhikkhus!” — put on monastic robes.

Buddha consoled Yashodhara by telling her about the predetermination of what had happened, about the inevitability for every living thing, sooner or later, to think about the eternal, indestructible abode. He told her and Shakyam about the eightfold path of the true Aryans, and not by gender and origin. He revealed to them the secrets of past births, explaining by the actions of the past the deep meaning of his and their destinies. The Buddha invited Maudgalyayana, the omniscient and wise one, to tell the ancient history of all the Buddhas and the origin of the Shakya family, which delighted those present, causing many to think deeply and fall after the story at the feet of the Teacher.

After some time, a boy approached him. All this time, he, along with everyone else, listened to the unusual wanderer, and when those looking after him were no longer able to hide from him who it was, he ran up and asked his father for the inheritance, as they told him. The father described his life in such a way that the relationship between father and son improved without intermediaries, and Rahula did not want to part with him, asking to join the Sangha. Despite some dissatisfaction with the stubborn Shakyas, “he left on his own, and even lured away the child.” He accepted Rahula into the Sang-hu, saying: “Come to me, O bhikkhus.” At the same time, the Buddha said that children can be accepted into the Sangha only with the consent of the parents.

A few days after the meeting, the bhikkhus continued to follow the Enlightened One, who was now walking next to his son. Many Shakyas followed along the dusty road, wearing the clothes of bhikkhus. The future will show that they, thus, not only found an invisible abode, but also literally saved their lives from destruction in the last battle for the Shakyas. Very many took the vows of Pancasila, becoming upasakas or upasikas, like Yashoda, the former wife of the prince.

Devadatta's machinations

After visiting Kapilavastu, the Sangha was replenished with many relatives of the Buddha himself. Many of His acquaintances from childhood and youth took the vows of bhikkhus. Such were Nanda, Devadatta, Ananda and many others who joined the community immediately after the sermon in the Suddhodana palace. Two of them, his cousins, Ananda and Devadatta, subsequently began to play a very noticeable role in the life of the Buddhist Sangha: one devotedly served Him all his life to the end, the other, out of envy and bad inclinations, in every possible way interfered with the Awakened One, trying to split the Community .

“When a fool, through his misfortune, gains possession of knowledge, it destroys his lucky lot, breaking his head. He may desire an unbecoming position among the bhikkhus and power in the viharas and the veneration of other clans,” these words of the Buddha were are said specifically about Devadatta, Gautama’s cousin, who caused the Teacher a lot of grief during the entire time he was in the sangha.

What methods did he invent to belittle the Buddha in the eyes of others and increase his own importance! He offered his power to the bhikkhus, proposed to remove the Buddha from the leadership of the sangha, and tried to take his place. He started intrigues at the court of Mahara-ji of Magadha with the aim of defaming Gautama Buddha, but Ajatashatru did not agree to Devadatta’s proposals. When disagreements arose among bhikkhus or laity, Devadatta found himself in the thick of what was happening and inflated all conflicts to impressive proportions.

Buddha had a flexible mind: if conditions changed, then some of the rules governing the life of the community changed accordingly. With the advent of vihara monasteries, many rules of the forest life of bhikkhus turned out to be, if not impossible to implement, then at least unnecessary in the new living conditions. Therefore, the Buddha abolished a number of rules based on the precedents of the early wandering life, and softened the Vinaya. This was immediately regarded by some adherents of a harsh life as a departure from holiness, which Devadatta did not fail to take advantage of.

This revealed De-vadatta’s immoderation, his duality. Firstly, when he gained the trust of the former prince Ajatashatru, he and his entourage, the younger monks who were with him, were served 500 servings of rice with milk every day. Unable to resist such honors, Devadatta became proud, which was the beginning of his downfall. Secondly, having already planned a split in the Sangha, Devadatta suggested that the Awakened One introduce more severe rules into the community, including completely abstaining from eating meat and fish, not spending the night indoors, and more. Thus, Devadatta was immoderate in the most literal sense: he did not know the limit and deviated from it first in one direction - excessive overeating, then in the other - excessive fasting.

Having thus gathered the dissatisfied, numbering about five hundred, Devadatta made a demand to the Buddha: to abandon innovations, from monasteries, from sedentarism, and to return to more frequent performances of the Pratimoksha ritual. Devadatta's demands were full of jealousy for the Buddha, and an outward, formal, and dogmatic attitude toward practice prevailed.

Buddha rejected all claims of the schismatic. Devadatta did not obey and left the sangha for the forest, dragging along half a thousand ascetics. The bhikkhus, thanks to the admonitions of Shariputra and Maudgalyayana, were returned - the two great sthaviras (“elders”) had to use miraculous transformations and arrange a most interesting debate, but Devadatta himself did not abandon his criminal plans. He sent hired killers to the Buddha, but they were attacked by fear and horror, and subsequently they accepted his Teaching.

Another time, Devadatta climbed a mountain and dropped a huge piece of rock onto the Buddha and his disciples passing below. But this stone fell on two peaks leaning towards each other, so that Buddha only slightly hurt his leg.

The third time, being in Rajagriha and knowing that there was a violent elephant there, trampling people to death, Devadatta persuaded the people to let him along the narrow street along which Bhagavat would go. The Arhats and Arya first asked the Teacher to turn somewhere and evade, but the Buddha reassured them, saying that “Buddhas do not die a violent death.” After this, the Arya saints really retreated, without tempting fate, only Ananda remained, who was not yet an arhat at that time, but “simply loved” the enlightened one. He tried to shield the teacher, but Buddha asked him not to do this and to move away. When the angry elephant approached, Buddha subdued it with kindness, and the animal calmed down and approached peacefully.

The Buddha often told his disciples about the karmic reasons that led Devadatta to the evil path. These reasons were sown in distant past lives, when Devadatta, being another being, created his own karma through evil deeds in order to resist Him during the life of the Awakened One. Shakyamuni accepted him solely out of mercy, in order to soften his subsequent fate.

The activities of the Buddha, even without the machinations of Devadatta, were full of all kinds of adventures and dangers. Despite his greatest authority during earthly life, he also had other enemies who created obstacles for him.

The ferocious robber Amgulimala, outlawed because he killed every traveler he came across, after an unsuccessful attempt to intimidate the Buddha, converted to Buddhism, was accepted as a member of the sangha and peacefully ended his days as a monk.

One brahman, named Magandiya, offered his beautiful daughter as a wife to Buddha, despite the latter’s belonging to a different caste and his vow of celibacy. By his refusal, Buddha made an irreconcilable enemy in the person of the beauty he rejected: she subsequently married the king’s son and tried to take revenge on Buddha.

He had to endure a lot: false accusations from opponents, preachers of other teachings, and outright contempt from people, especially relatives and friends of the Kshatriyas, who believed that such a healthy, strong man would be better off taking up farming or some other useful work.

However, with the exception of the machinations of a relative and individual enemies, the long life of the Victorious One flowed like a powerful, pure river, confident in its greatness, carrying along smaller streams in its movement towards the great Ocean of Awakening.

Therefore, those schools and directions that are generally considered as such by the tradition itself can be called Buddhist.

Also important is the fact of different attitudes in specific schools to the role of monasticism. The Buddhist community (sangha) began to split almost immediately after the Buddha passed into nirvana. It has been proven that the main role in this was played not by doctrinal disagreements, but by different understandings of the norms of coexistence, which, however, did not prevent representatives of different directions subsequently, provided they had a similar understanding of the moral, ethical and disciplinary code (Vinaya), from living in the same monastery.

The Sangha appeared when the Buddha turned the wheel of teaching (Dharma) for the first time: the five ascetics with whom he practiced before enlightenment came to him and became his first disciples. Buddha’s “audience” quickly grew, and some people accepted monasticism. Based on various cases, the Buddha supplemented the charter with new provisions. This is how the basis of the vinaya was formed. After the death of the Buddha, the sangha was divided into sthaviravadins (followers of the “teachings of the elders”) and mahasanghikas. These directions gave birth to the main schools of Buddhism - Hinayana and Mahayana. The Sthaviravadins, also known as Theravadins (Pali), argued that they were the ones who preserved the true teaching in its purity and completeness, while the rest introduced impermissible innovations into the dharma. There are different opinions regarding the meaning of the term “Mahasangha”: some Buddhist scholars believe that the Mahasanghas considered it necessary to expand the community by admitting lay people into it, while others believe that supporters of this movement represented the majority of the community.

It may now be appropriate to mention the doctrinal differences.

According to the Hinayana teachings, before enlightenment, the Buddha was for many lives an ordinary person, only endowed with great virtues and holiness acquired through perfection. After awakening (bodhi), which, according to the Hinayana, is nothing more than the fruit of arhatship, Siddhartha Gautama ceased to be a man in the proper sense of the word, becoming a Buddha, that is, enlightened and liberated from samsara, but not a god or any other supernatural entity. If we, as monks, follow the example of the Buddha, we will achieve the same result. Buddha went into nirvana and does not exist for this world, and the world does not exist for him, so praying to Buddha is useless; prayers and offerings are needed not for the Buddha, but for those who thereby repay his debt of memory and practice the virtue of giving. Hinayana is a purely monastic form of Buddhism. Strictly speaking, within this tradition, only monks can be considered Buddhists in the proper sense of the word. Only monks can realize the main goal of Buddhism - achieving the state of nirvana, only monks are open to all the instructions of the Buddha, and only they can practice the methods of psychopractice prescribed to them. The laity can only improve their karma through performing good deeds and accumulating merit gained through the support and maintenance of the sangha. Thanks to these merits, during the next births, lay people will become worthy to take monastic vows and enter the Eightfold Noble Path. For this reason, Theravadins never sought to engage in active missionary activities and involve lay people in the life of the sangha and in various forms of religious activity.

In the Mahayana, the above doctrinal aspects were approached completely differently. For the followers of this school, the ideal person was not an arhat who had achieved nirvana, but a bodhisattva striving to achieve Buddhahood for the benefit of all living beings. The goal of the Buddhist path within this direction is no longer nirvana, but enlightenment. For Mahayanists, Buddha is not just a man: he is a metaphysical reality, the true nature of all dharmas, only revealed to people in the form of a man.

It would be fundamentally wrong to diminish the role of monasticism in Mahayana Buddhism, but it should be noted that here taking monastic vows and tonsure are not a prerequisite for achieving Buddhahood. Some Mahayana texts extol lay people who have achieved a higher level of spiritual development than most monks and even some great bodhisattvas. The main slogan of the Mahayana teachings is to achieve enlightenment through the development of wisdom and compassion for the benefit of all living beings.

A special place within the topic under consideration is occupied by Vajrayana, which can be considered the final stage in the development of Buddhism in its homeland. There are no significant doctrinal differences from the Mahayana, but Vajrayanists focus on the effectiveness of their methods, that is, an adept of this school can achieve enlightenment not within three immeasurable kalpas, but within one life, which allows him to quickly fulfill his bodhisattva vow. During that era, Buddhism, as a widespread and influential religion, developed its own monastic elite, which was blinded by its own piety and which replaced the spirit of the Buddha’s teachings with scrupulous adherence to the letter of monastic rules and regulations. This prompted a number of followers to challenge the traditional monastic way of life in the name of reviving the spirit of teaching. Here the Mahasiddhas stood out, who preferred the experience of individual hermitage and yogic improvement to monastic seclusion.

In this tradition, the image of a guru, a personal mentor, is important, since the path of a Mahayanist is a narrow path on a steep mountain slope, from which one can fall at any moment: the wrong approach to practice can lead the yogi to madness and ending up in a special vajra hell. Mahasiddhas were, first of all, practitioners: they did not bind themselves by taking formal vows, led a free lifestyle and even looked different from ordinary monks (they had long hair and sometimes beards). They had the opportunity to freely communicate with fellow Hindu yogis who despised the restrictions of Brahmanical orthodoxy, which provided a source for an unlimited exchange of ideas and methods. Apparently, it was in this environment that the techniques and images characteristic of the tantras of the highest yoga class were formed, much later adopted (not in full) by monastic Buddhism.

The core of the Buddhist monastic community was the moral, ethical and disciplinary code - the Vinaya. As mentioned above, this code was based on the principle of precedent, that is, it was edited by the Buddha himself in case the monks committed misconduct. According to the principle of construction and in spirit, this is a legal system, but the significant thing is that among the monks, legal proceedings presupposed complete sincerity. The structure of the Vinaya text is as follows:

Vinaya-pitaka:
Sutta-vibhanga:
Parajika

Khandhaka:
Maha-ovagga

Citta-varga
The canon was called Pratimoksa. According to him, a monk took 227 vows, and a nun took 311.

The above-mentioned Parajika literally means “drive away” or “defeat”, in the sense of failure on the path to liberation from the bonds of samsara. Parajika included sexual intercourse, murder, theft and false claims of superpowers. In this case, the person was expelled from the community.

There was also Sanghadisesa, that is, parajiki for six days.

The nuns' parajika consisted of eight points.

Despite the strict prohibition on contact with the opposite sex, the nuns’ home had to be located next to the monks’ monastery, since defenseless women following ahimsa became easy prey for robbers; men could also always provide assistance if brute physical strength was required. However, a nun has always been lower in status than a monk, regardless of age and level of spiritual development. For the nuns, Sanghadisesa was half a month.

The vows of all monks included fasting - upasatha (upasodha).

The regulations given by the Buddha were recorded at the first Buddhist council, which took place in Rajagriha and lasted several months, since the Jains adopted the tradition of sitting in one place during the rainy season and spending time in philosophical debates and discussing various kinds of issues.

The Buddha said that after his passing, everyone should - and can - be their own mentor. The early community had no hierarchy, so it existed more as a movement than as an organization.

Anyone could become a monk, however, there were a number of professions that had to be abandoned when taking refuge (for example, the profession of a butcher). The audience was divided into the actual Bhikhu monks and the “volunteer listeners” of Sramanera. In order to become a monk, a novice turned to the community and asked to accept him. He was asked a series of questionnaire questions. After all questions were answered, the sangha silently agreed. Then he was told the four rules, then he was told the four commandments. Among the rules was the wearing of chivara (literally “rags”).

A person, regardless of guilt, could not be irrevocably expelled from the community, so it was always possible to try his luck elsewhere.

The main prohibitions were as follows: you could not have things other than your own clothes, a patra - a begging bowl and a rug. It is prohibited to own a house, livestock or engage in trade. Gold and silver cannot be accepted. If it was not possible to transfer money to a layman so that he could use it to meet the needs of the community, then in this case there was a special ritual for “disposing” of the money.

The monks' housing was arranged depending on the climate of the region. Living alone was expected, which, however, was very rarely possible.

The day began before sunrise. After performing hygienic procedures, the sutras were recited. Then they took their patras and went to the nearest village for alms. When collecting alms, one could not look at what was being given and one could not look into the eyes of the giver, so as not to force him to give more. Then the monks returned to the monastery and ate food together. The monks ate once or twice a day.

As time passed, different positions began to arise in the community. At meetings, a decision could not be made if at least one person was against it. Labor in the Buddhist monastic environment was not an educational element.

The upasatha ritual was especially important. It was a general meeting at which everyone, even the sick, was required to attend. Overall it was a collective confession. The mentor recited all the commandments. After reading each part, he asked the question whether anyone was guilty of violating the above provisions. If there were any, they should have voluntarily confessed. Confession was open, but nuns and lay people were not allowed to attend.

The Sangha was conventionally divided into bhikhu samgha and bhikhuni samgha, and together they constituted ubhato samgha.

When entering the community, women were subject to special requirements. The probationary period before receiving ordination was two years. In addition, a nun was not allowed to walk on the same road as a monk; in relation to a monk, the “path of speech” for a woman was closed, communication with the opposite sex was reduced to a minimum. The list of practices prescribed for nuns was no different from what monks were supposed to do.

This is the picture of early Buddhism. Over the years, dramatic changes have occurred in the organization of the sangha. In the 11th century, Buddhism was almost completely ousted from India. But, despite the fact that Buddhist teachings in all its manifestations are widespread in the Far East and in the countries of Southeast Asia, Tibet remains the most powerful citadel of Buddhism. Using Tibetan Buddhism as an example, we will try to imagine the current situation in the community.

During the heyday of Buddhism in Tibet, about half the population were monks. This is due not only to the high religiosity of the Tibetans, but also to rather harsh climatic conditions. Once Buddhism gained influence, the maintenance of monasteries became one of the most capital-intensive items in the budget. The community was treated with the deepest respect, and at a time when the people were in poverty, there was relative stability in the economy of the monasteries, which allowed the community to provide support to the population. Tibetan families have always been large, so parents sought to place at least one child in a monastery. Usually people entered the monastery at the age of 7-8 voluntarily, and the initiative could come from any party. The necessary conditions were health and age sufficient to “drive away the crow.” Although the children shaved their heads and wore monastic robes, they did not take vows until they reached early adolescence or until they had taken all vows, that is, until they were 21 years old. Children had the right to visit their relatives and spend holidays at home, helping with housework.

Traditionally, young monks lived in the house of their teacher, and if they went to a large monastery outside their region, they lived with their teachers in communities that made up larger units. In their mentors, young monks found role models and a second family. In their youth, the monks were subject to constant strict control by the monastery authorities. Scolding and beatings were common punishment even for tulkus.

The monastic education system remains unchanged to this day. It is limited to memorizing prayers and sacred texts; classes are held in groups. Only tulkus receive individual training. There is also a method of teaching through debate. Later, monks receive detailed instructions on texts and practices, and they can choose a specialization for further training.

A few words need to be said about the differentiation of monks in Tibetan Buddhism. It is logical that they differed from each other in the number of vows given. The first vows were given at an early age, there were five of them: not to kill, not to steal, not to commit adultery, not to drink intoxicating drinks, not to deceive. The initiate received the degree of genius (dge-bsnyen). This is followed by the first monastic degree - getsul (dge-zhul) and the adoption of five more vows: not to have money, not to have fun, not to sit in a high place, not to adorn oneself and not to eat at inappropriate times. A Gelong (dge-slong) is considered a true monk; he already follows more than two hundred and fifty vows. A monk could, if he wished, take an exam in the field he was studying and receive an academic degree, but as a result of parajika he could lose it.

The monk's property, in addition to what has already been listed, included a rosary, a whisk for brushing living creatures from the surface of the water, a razor and a hat. The clothing consisted of a panzali - a kind of skirt, a tsamtsa - a sleeveless shirt, a debel - a robe (could be summer or winter). The novices wore brown robes, the Getsuls wore red, and the Gelongs wore yellow.

The main person in the monastery was the Khambolama - the abbot. He had a deputy who served as an administrator - tsarjilam. Shirethulama presided over the services. This is followed by lower positions: the Gebkui Lama oversaw discipline, his attribute was a staff. Umzat Lama began reciting prayers, and the others followed suit. The most minor positions were the Chodpo Lama, responsible for offerings, and the Zhama Lamas, the monastic cooks.

The daily routine is different for all of them. Rise - at five in the morning; Gelong woke up first and woke up the others who were in the same room with him, but he got dressed only after the genius brought him clothes. The genyons were engaged in cleaning, and at this time the gelong performed a ritual aimed at “charity” to various spirits, which lasted 1.5-2 hours. Then Gelong ate food and engaged in social activities; students came to him three times a day. There was a meeting at about five in the evening, and at 10 o'clock he went to bed. The younger members of the clergy spent almost the entire day engaged in various practices.

As for lay Tibetans, their practices were limited to making offerings, burning incense, and reciting mantras. This is primarily due to a lack of education and the fact that mass meditation training has never been practiced in Tibet. Moreover, material for the systematic study of Buddhism in modern spoken Tibetan is not available. Lay people who practiced tantra with yogis were a minority.

In the West, the majority of the community is made up of lay people. Here people come to Buddhism already quite well-read, and they have the opportunity to receive the most detailed explanations, plus they can freely master any practices. It is not necessary for a European to have a mentor, since the books are written in modern language and are quite understandable. But the selection of material is lame, because Europeans rarely learn texts by heart and do not discuss them point by point. We do not go to monasteries, but to dharma centers and want to study serious teachings enthusiastically, without waiting for the qualifications necessary for practice. Sacred texts are rarely recited because they want them to be available in our language. The European's attention span is very limited, so without stimulation, many quickly lose interest. We do not tolerate gender discrimination and do not tolerate, like the Tibetans, learning at a slow pace, wanting quick results.

Due to the difference in culture, misunderstandings arise between student and teacher if they are born in different cultural backgrounds, and cases of deep comprehension of instructions and teachings are very rare.

In Europe, in the second half of the 20th century, the number of Buddhist monasteries increased. Some tulkus are even reborn in the West. However, there is no strong trend towards an increase in the number of monks.

Hello, dear readers! Today we will talk about what sangha is. Originally translated from Sanskrit, “sangha” means “many” or “assembly”. You will learn why Buddhists form communities, how to join them, and what rules of life they follow.

Who goes there

When Buddhist teaching first arose, the sangha meant the body of Shakyamuni's closest followers. After his death, all the monks who were part of the community were called sangha.

And now this definition means either all people who profess Buddhism, including lay people, or a group of believers formed on some basis, for example, territorial.

Buddhist sangha

The narrowest concept of sangha is a group of saints standing at the same level of enlightenment.

Why is consolidation needed?

Let's look at the benefits of the sangha and its role in achieving enlightenment for each of its members. Every person can achieve it independently, if there is such a goal or intention. But any task is easier to accomplish when you have like-minded people.

In our world, it has developed so that selflessness and any aspirations that do not have the ultimate goal of finding pleasure, enrichment or glorification are perceived by the majority unkindly, at best, as eccentricity. Therefore, a group of people united to achieve a selfless spiritual goal will feel more confident together and feel each other's daily support.

The necessary religious atmosphere is created in the community, in which it is easy to work, improving one’s consciousness. Here it is awkward to show one’s bad traits, which a person is not embarrassed to show to his family or which he is not ashamed of in front of himself. There are always other members of the community before your eyes - examples of spirituality, convincing you that there are opportunities for moral growth.

Hypocrisy has no place in the community. If someone happens to become proud of his own achievements, this becomes noticeable to everyone, and the adept is pointed out about his errors. The importance of the community lies in the fact that each member receives help in case of moral instability, he is not allowed to commit a moral failure, and there is an opportunity to atone for already committed bad deeds by publicly repenting.

Successful fulfillment of the educational and supporting functions of a community is possible with the sincere, friendly attitude of its members towards each other. In this regard, a parallel can be drawn between the Buddhist sangha and the commune, which was created for educational purposes by the famous teacher A.S. Makarenko.

When lay people unite in a community, their property remains with them, but they can, by a joint decision of all members of the community, financially support the poorest comrades, provide assistance to those in need in the form of advice or by working for their benefit.

The main difference between Buddhist communities and communes is their different approaches to ideology.

In the sangha:

• do not profess materialism;
• there are no negative feelings, such as hatred or contempt, towards ideological opponents;
• do not persecute the guilty;
• do not subordinate the will of one to the general will;
• nurture the individuality of the novice;
• create conditions for each adept to fully develop his abilities.

Gelug monks

Therefore, the Sangha is rightly considered one of the three Buddhist jewels, along with the Buddha and his Teachings -.

Emergence

Ayusheev does not recognize Buddhist communities that do not obey him. He believes that due to the formation of a strict state economy in China, it is short-sighted to allocate plots of land on the territory of Buryatia for the construction of Tibetan temples (as for the datsan on Bald Mountain), since in the future they could become a support for Chinese influence.

Conclusion

With this, friends, we say goodbye to you. Thank you for your support and for sharing our articles on social media.

All the best and see you soon!

The wise go away; there is no pleasure for them at home. Like swans leaving their pond, they leave their homes. They do not stockpile, they have a correct view of food, their destiny is liberation.”

The emergence of the Buddhist community.

We now return to the story of the Buddha's life. He began his preaching in the city of Benares. The Buddhist community, the Sangha, first arose here. In imitation of Gautama, his disciples shaved their hair and beard and wore yellow robes. From Benares, Gautama moved to Uruvela and there converted the sage Kashyap to his faith. The disciples of this yogi also became Buddhists. Very important for the young community was the conversion to Buddhism of Raja Bibmbisara, who donated a bamboo grove to the Sangha. In this grove, Buddha and his disciples began to spend the rainy season, and here the first version of a Buddhist monastic hostel arose.

Buddha lived 80 years. Until the last days of his life, he got up early in the morning and went to the city or village to collect alms. He walked from house to house with a wooden bowl, silently, with his eyes turned to the ground, regardless of whether his bowl was filled with something or not. After lunch, Gautama usually rested in the shade, and in the evening, when the heat subsided, he held conversations with his students.

As we said, Buddha and his disciples lived in the grove given to him only during the rainy season. The rest of the time they traveled. One day they approached Gautama's hometown of Kapilavastu and settled in a grove. Buddha's father Shuddhodana called him to the palace. Here Buddha saw his wife and son Rahula. He took this boy into the community.

The Buddha's preaching attracted not only men, but also women. At first, Gautama categorically objected to women joining the Sangha. Subsequently, he allowed a women's group in the order, but the attitude towards these women was rather dismissive.

At the same time, the problem of lay Buddhists arose. The Buddha declared that, although not all people can join the Sangha, all can contribute to the monastic community and thus prepare for themselves the conditions for a better rebirth in which these individuals can become monks. Lay Buddhists were given a simple ethical code of five precepts (Pancha Shila):

1. Refrain from killing.
2. Refrain from stealing.
3. Abstain from fornication.
4. Refrain from lying.
5. Avoid stimulating drinks.

In addition, lay people must maintain loyalty to the Buddha, his teachings and the Sangha.

Buddha ordered that persons in public service, those in debt, and slaves not be accepted into the community. About monks he said:

When Gautama was about 50 years old, there was an uprising against him in the Sangha. One monk, respected by everyone for his learning, committed a crime. He did not want to publicly confess his sin and submit to penance. He had supporters and opponents who started a heated argument. Buddha tried to calm the troublemaker, but the monks did not listen to him, and one of them said: “Go away, venerable teacher and lord. Take care only about your teaching, and we will get along with our quarrels and abuse without you.” To this, the Buddha declared that it is better to wander alone than with fools, and left the Sangha. He settled in a forest cave. Tradition says that an old elephant supplied him with food. Over time, the monks came to their senses and sent a delegation to Buddha, who begged him to return. Buddha has returned.

But this was only the beginning of the strife. One of Gautama's closest associates and his cousin Devadatta created opposition in the order. Oddly enough, the opposition opposed the too soft rules of the monastic rules. A group of monks, led by Devadatta, left the Sangha and formed their own alternative community. However, these schismatics soon returned.

When Buddha was already in old age, he had to witness the military defeat of his hometown. The Enlightened One looked indifferently at the ruins of Kapilavastu and at the corpses of his relatives.

One day Gautama was visiting a blacksmith named Chunda. The owner treated him to dried pork. According to legend, the eighty-year-old Buddha understood that this was too rough food for his stomach, but did not want to upset the owner by refusing the treat. Gautama died of food poisoning. His last words were:

“Monks! Everything that exists is transitory; pray for your salvation.”

The Buddha's body was burned and his remains were divided among the cities.

The term “Sangha” (“society”) can refer to all Buddhist monks in the world. This is due to the fact that all monks live according to the same rules set out in the Vinaya Pitaka. There are very few women's Buddhist communities. Even in Sri Lanka, where there are the most of them, there are about 20 women’s monasteries, while their total number on the island is 7,000. Therefore, from now on we will mainly talk about men’s monasteriesN="JUSTIFY">In the canonical interpretation of Theravada bikhu - this is a mendicant monk who lives on the alms of lay believers. Theravadin monks wear yellow or orange robes; nuns must wear white robes. A monk is not a clergyman, i.e. does not act as an intermediary between the layperson and the Buddha or gods. The functionaries in temples are usually lay people, not monks.

A person becomes a monk at will and stays in the community as long as he wants. However, according to tradition, one becomes a monk for no less than a month - for example, during a vacation. A shorter stay in the Sangha is considered indecent. Of all the countries where Buddhism is widespread, only Sri Lanka condemns leaving the community. There are no set rules for joining the Sangha. Anyone can become a member of the community, regardless of gender, nationality, skin color, caste and social status. Only infectious and mentally ill people, debtors and military personnel are not allowed into the Sangha. You can become a monk at the age of 20, and a member of the Sangha from the age of six; Among the members of the community there are boys, novices and monks. The vast majority of boys are from poor families: their parents send them to a monastery so that they receive a good upbringing and learn to read and write. Novices (“samanera” - “son of an ascetic”) become young men aged 10 to 20 years. The novice is obliged to observe 10 prohibitions: 1) not to kill; 2) don't steal; 3) do not commit adultery; 4) don't lie; 5) do not drink alcohol; 6) do not eat after noon; 7) do not dance, sing or attend shows; 8) do not wear jewelry and do not use perfumes and cosmetics; 9) do not use luxurious or simply high seats; 10) do not take gold and silver. In addition, the novice must study the Dharma and Vinaya Pitaka and prepare for the highest initiation.

Upon reaching the age of 20, the novice is ordained as a monk. The initiation rite is simple: the person entering the Sangha pronounces the formula three times: “I seek refuge in the Buddha, I seek refuge in the Dharma, I seek refuge in the Sangha.” In addition, he answers the questions: is he sick with leprosy, scabies, does he have boils, asthma, does he suffer from epilepsy, is he a person, a man, is he free, does he have no debts, is he exempt from military service, does he have whether his parents consent, whether he is 20 years old, whether he has a bowl for collecting alms and a monastic robe, what is his name and what is the name of his mentor.

A monk is required to follow the 227 rules laid down in the Pratimoksha and Vinaya Pitaka. The rules of the Vinaya are observed most strictly in Thailand, while in Sri Lanka the Sutta Pitaka is preferred, and in Burma the Abhidharma Pitaka is preferred. For ease of remembering, the rules of conduct for a monk are divided into 7 groups. The first group is the most serious offenses, numbering 4, for which a monk is expelled from the Sangha: having sex, theft, deliberate murder of a person, the monk’s false claim about his supernatural abilities. The second group consists of 13 serious offenses for which the offender must repent before the community: contact with a woman for voluptuous purposes; insulting a woman with obscene words, talking to a woman about sexual topics; pandering, etc. The third group is serious offenses related to property (there are 32 of them). The fourth is offenses requiring atonement (there are 92 of them). The fifth group is offenses requiring repentance (not typical for the present time. The sixth group is offenses committed during training, which lead to false deeds (out of 75). The seventh group is offenses associated with lies.

Despite the common rules for all monks, the practices and lifestyles of monastic communities and hermits are different. In each case these differences are necessarily justified by reference to the life of the Buddha and his disciples. At the same time, Burmese monks claim that true Buddhism is only in Burma, Thai monks in Thailand, Sinhala monks in Sri Lanka; urban monks prioritize knowledge of texts, rural monks prioritize spiritual practice, and wandering monks prioritize missionary activity. At the same time, everyone gives an example from the life of Buddha.

The daily routine of the Buddhist community is determined by the rules of the Vinaya Pitaka: rising at sunrise, going to bed at nightfall. You can eat food only in the first half of the day; Monks usually eat twice a day - early in the morning and from 11 to 12 noon. In all their free time, monks should study, read sacred texts and meditate. In addition, monks take part in numerous ceremonies, talk with lay believers, and in some monasteries they perform household chores. That is, those who intend to make a spiritual career study Sanskrit and Pali and memorize the sacred texts verbatim.