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The Blessings of Piapta

by

Bhikkhu Khantiplo

Buddhist Publication Society Kandy Sri Lanka

The Wheel Publication

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Copyright Kandy, Buddhist Publication Society, (1964) BPS nline !dition ("##$) %igital &ranscription Source' BPS &ranscription Pro(ect )or *ree distribution+ &his ,or- .ay be republished, re*or.atted, reprinted and redistributed in any .ediu.+ /o,e0er, any such republication and redistribution is to be .ade a0ailable to the public on a *ree and unrestricted basis, and translations and other deri0ati0e ,or-s are to be clearly .ar-ed as such+

The Bodhisattas Piapta


1 &hen our 2ord, 3*ter the .anner o* a 4ishi, hailed &he rising orb, and ,ent5ablutions .ade5 %o,n by the ,inding path unto the to,n6 3nd in the *ashion o* a 4ishi passed )ro. street to street, ,ith begging7bo,l in hand, 8athering the little pittance o* his needs+ Soon ,as it *illed, *or all the to,ns.en cried, 9&a-e o* our store, great sir:9 and ;&a-e o* ours:9 <ar-ing his godli-e *ace and eyes en,rapt6 3nd .others, ,hen they sa, our 2ord go by, =ould bid their children *all and -iss his *eet, 3nd li*t his robe>s he. to their bro,s, or run &o *ill his (ar, and *etch hi. .il- and ca-es+ 1 But he Passed on,ard ,ith the bo,l and yello, robe, By .ild speech paying all those gi*ts o* hearts, =ending his ,ay bac- to the solitudes &o sit upon his hill ,ith holy .en, 3nd hear and as- o* ,isdo. and its roads+

Lord Buddhas Piapta


ne slo, approaching ,ith his head close shorn, 3 yello, cloth o0er his shoulder cast, 8irt as the her.its are, and in his hand 3n earthen bo,l, shaped .elon,ise, the ,hich <ee-ly at each hut7door he held aspace, &a-ing the granted dole ,ith gentle than-s 3nd all as gently passing ,here none ga0e+ &,o *ollo,ed hi. ,earing the yello, robe, But he ,ho bore the bo,l so lordly see.ed, So re0erend, and ,ith such a passage .o0ed, =ith so co..anding presence *illed the air+ =ith such s,eet eyes o* holiness s.ote all, &hat, as they reached hi. al.s the gi0ers ga?ed 3,estruc- upon his *ace, and so.e bent do,n @n ,orship, and so.e ran to *etch *resh gi*ts, 8rie0ed to be poor6 till slo,ly group by group, Children and .en and ,o.en dre, behind @nto his steps, ,hispering ,ith co0ered lips, 9=ho is heA ,hoA ,hen loo-ed a 4ishi thusA9 !d,in 3rnold Light of Asia

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The Blessings of Piapta


&o those ,ho li0e in lands ,here the teachings o* the 2ord Buddha ha0e been long established, the sight o* a bhikkhu (Buddhist .on-) collecting *ood in the early .orning, is a co..on one+ But ,here the teachings are ne,ly arri0ed, or ,here bhi--hus are *e,, the practice o* gi0ing *ood to ,andering .on-s is -no,n only by pictures or *ro. ,ritten accounts+ Beither o* these con0ey the real at.osphere o* this gi0ing and recei0ing to those interested in the Buddhist =ay and yet li0e in countries ,here the &eaching is not the traditional *or. o* religion+ !0en .any Buddhists li0ing in Borthern Buddhist lands .ay -no, little o* piapta61 *or the practice o* al.s7gathering by bhi--hus there has, *or 0arious reasons ,hich ,e need not here in0estigate, been largely discontinued and the traditional practice no, sur0i0es only in Southeast 3sian countries practicing the &hera0Cda Buddhist tradition+ &hough this too is also a ,ritten account o* al.s7gi0ing and collecting, it is ,ritten *ro. eDperience and ,ill try to be as e0ocati0e o* the at.osphere o* the piEFapCta as possible, and as .any *actors basic to the Buddhist ,ay o* li*e are in0ol0ed in this si.ple act, it is hoped that this .ay pro0e use*ul to all those Buddhists ,ho are *ar separated *ro. these Buddhist lands+ 3part *ro. his three robes, a bhi--hu>s .ost pri?ed possession (and he only possesses eight articles") is his bo,l (patta)+ /e ta-es great care o* it so that it .ay last long' a*ter eating he ,ipes it care*ully each day to pre0ent it rusting6 al,ays places it on a stand so that it .ay not *all and brea-, and o*ten carries it in a sling *or it is hea0y ,hen *ull o* *ood and .ay be dropped by tired hands+ @n doing so he carries out the 2ord Buddha>s in(unction to practice .ind*ulness ,ith regard to his bo,l, ,hich has been gi0en hi. by others and ,ithout ,hich he .ay not collect *ood+ Practice 0aries in di**erent countries and vihras (.onasteries)+ @n those 0ihCras ,here .editation is practiced, the bhi--hus ,ill ha0e arisen early, sitting long in the cool dar-ness o* the .editation hall+ @n the country, the only sounds at this ti.e are the night insects, a *rog or t,o, perhaps a *or,ard coc-erel long anticipating the da,n and a cool ,ind in the trees ,hich .ay blo, a,ay the e0er7present .osGuitoes+ &he Guietness is at last ended as the asse.bled .on-s prostrate the.sel0es be*ore the Buddha7i.age and clear rings out the ho.age to the !nlightened ne' Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samm sambuddhassa &,o hours or so ,ill ha0e passed in this ,ay be*ore it is light enough to gather *ood+ Bot only .ust the bhi--hus allo, the lay,o.en (upsik) ti.e to coo- *ood, they also ha0e to consider the dangers o* going out ,hile it is yet dar-+ @n counties ,here sna-es, centipedes and scorpions abound, it is ,ise to be able to see the ground under one>s *eet6 and apart *ro. this Guite i.portant *act there are the *ears and suspicions o* others to consider, as one rather a.using incident in the <a((hi.a Bi-Cya sho,s+ 3 bhi--hu ,andering *or *ood ,hile it ,as still dar*rightened a ,o.an ,ho sa, hi. in the lightning *lash+ She .istoo- hi. *or a de.on and cried out ;/o, terrible: 3 de.on is a*ter .e:9 (see Middle Length Sayings Bo+ 66)+ nly a*ter ha0ing robed hi.sel* correctly does the bhi--hu start upon his *ood7collecting round+ Both shoulders are co0ered at this ti.e *or he is going ;a.ong the houses9 and .ust
1

&he PCli ,ord piapta, the co..on ter. *or the Buddhist .on->s al.s7*ood gathering, .eans literally ;the *ood7.orsel>s *all (into the al.s7bo,l)+9 " &hey are' upper robe, under7gar.ent, double robe, girdle, al.s7bo,l, ra?or, needle, ,ater strainer+

ha0e his body co0ered *ro. the nec- do,n to belo, the -nees+ /e .ay go ,ith a senior bhi--hu, in ,hich case the latter ,al-s in *ront and he *ollo,s, or a no0ice ( smaera) .ay acco.pany hi.+ So.eti.es the sC.aEera or a young boy *ollo,ing hi. .ay collect the liGuid curries, soups, etc+, in a ti**in7carrier+ So he sets out, obser0ing good conduct in .any ,ays+ Perhaps he re.e.bers at this ti.e the earnest in(unction o* the %ha..apada' Better it ,ere to s,allo, an iron7ball, 4ed7hot as the bla?e o* a *ire, &han to eat the al.s o* the people 3s an i..oral and uncontrolled .an+H %hp H#$ So.eti.es one sees bhi--hus *ollo,ing gently and Guietly a*ter an elder .on- (thera), perhaps carrying his bo,l *or hi. until the *irst house is reached upon the al.s7round+ &he .on- does not spea- unless spo-en to, silence being considered a part o* the training during one>s round+ Bor does he loo- here and there but -eeps his eyes directed to the ground in *ront o* hi.6 by so doing he practices restraint o* the eye (ca--husaI0ara)+ 2astly, ,hether his round ta-es ten .inutes or t,o hours, he does not rush along as though anDious to get o0er it and be done ,ith it+ &he ,ell7trained bhi--hu ,al-s ,ith .ind*ulness, steadily and digni*ied+ =e re.e.ber that it ,as the noble bearing and restraint o* the Jenerable 3ssa(i, one o* 2ord Buddha>s *irst *i0e disciples, that deeply i.pressed Kpatissa, ,ho shortly a*ter beco.e -no,n as Jenerable Sriputta, the *ore.ost a.ong 2ord Buddha>s disciples+ @* a bhi--hu practices .editation, he ,ill stri0e to -eep his sub(ect o* .editation in .ind ,hile both going and co.ing+ @t is related that the Jenerable SCriputta de0eloped access concentration in the practice o* lo0ing7-indness (mett-bhvan) ,hile ,al-ing *or *ood7 collection+ 3s so.e bhi--hus are engaged in the practice o* the study ( gantha dhura), rather than .editation, they *reGuently ta-e ,ith the. a passage o* the PCli scriptures ,ritten upon a s.all piece o* paper and .entally recite this ,hile ,al-ing+

$
Bo, that ,e ha0e gathered so .any *acts, ,hat is the picture o* piEFapCta li-eA @.agine the ti.e about siD in the .orning+ @t is still cool but there is light and bhi--hus are robing the.sel0es in the sl (a hall, o*ten ,ithout ,alls)+ @* they practice the Jinaya strictly they ,ill go out ,earing all three o* their robes5none should be le*t behind in the .onastery lest they be stolen, so precious are the robes+ 3t this sa.e ti.e .onastery boys are scuttling about on last7.inute preparations ,hich ought to ha0e been .ade on the pre0ious day+ &hen ,hen e0eryone is ready, they set out, in groups or singly+ @* the vihra is in the country the little groups o* .on-s can be seen li-e an orange ripple spreading out into the green country7side+ Soon they are lost to sight as the roads or paths they ,al- upon, ,ind bet,een trees, o0er canals, through *ields, around hills or a.ong 0illages+ n the .orning ,hich ,e describe, the sun shines brightly, at *irst a great red ball glo,ing upon the hori?on and all is easy going under *oot+ ther days .ay be di**erent, ,ith bhi--hus slithering o0er .uddy trac-s, sin-ing deeply into blac- oo?e, and huddling beneath u.brellas ,hich so.eti.es -eep o** so.e o* the torrential .onsoon rains+
H

3ll Guotations *ro. the %ha..apada in this essay are *ro. the translation by Buddhara--hita &hera (<aha Bodhi Society, Bangalore, @ndia)+

3s, ho,e0er, this day is bright, let us *ollo, one o* these bhi--hus and obser0e ,hat happens upon his round+ /e ,al-s as ,e ha0e described, holding his bo,l in its sling dra,n under one he. o* his upper robe, and he ,al-s until it is apparent to hi. that in so.e house ,hich he is approaching a lay7supporter ,ishes to o**er so.e *ood+ /o, does he -no, thisA utside that house there .ay be a little table on ,hich *ood (and perhaps little bunches o* *lo,ers, incense stic-s, and candles as additional o**erings), is placed6 or lay7supporters .ay ha0e in0ited hi. to ta-e *ood *ro. their house e0ery day+ r perhaps he (ust percei0es a lay7 person co.ing out o* the house ,ith a tray o* o**erings+ @* he passes such a house, he .ay hear (in &hailand) the ,ord ;nimon9 called out to in0ite hi. to stop there (PCli' nimantana L in0itation)+ 3ny o* these things ,e .ay obser0e+ =e shall also see that he stops to ta-e *ood *ro. everyone ,ho ,ishes to gi0e+ 3 0ery poor person .ay in0ite hi. and re0erently spoon out so.e coarse rice into his bo,l6 at a ,ealthy house the donor .ay ser0e perhaps *i*ty or .ore .on-s e0ery .orning and they .ay recei0e the *inest rice, curries in little plastic bags, and s,eets ,rapped in banana lea0es5it is all the sa.e to hi. and, ,ithout discri.inating, it all goes into the sa.e bo,l+ 4 2ord Buddha out o* his great co.passion once accepted *ro. a poor child, ,ho had nothing else to o**er, a hand*ul o* dust6 *ro. this one learns that it is not hat is gi0en that is i.portant but rather ,hat is at the heart of the giving+ But be*ore ,e proceed, ,e shall notice a 0ery curious thing+ /ere is .an, ,ithout any other .eans o* getting *ood (*or a good bhi--hu has no .oney), and yet he .a-es no e**ort to attract the attention o* anyone+ Muite the contrary, he underta-es to train hi.sel* in a rule o* conduct ,hich *orbids hi. to .a-e any sound ,hile he goes ;a.ong the houses+9 @* he co.es to a house ,here a regular supporter o* his li0es or ,here he -no,s that *ood is to be o**ered, he (ust stands in silence,N neither does he cough, nor sta.p his *eet, and unli-e .any other ascetic orders originating in @ndia, he .ay not carry any .usical instru.ent or sing as they do, to attract attention+ &his is a ti.e *or culti0ating patience ( khanti), a 0irtue ,hich in the Buddhist training *inds its highest eDpression in the per*ection o* patience (khanti-pramit)+ /e .ay ,ait *or .any .inutes be*ore anyone sees hi., or he .ay decide that no one is gi0ing hi. anything that day and go his ,ay+ @t happens so.eti.es that a bhi--hu, ,ho patiently ,aits, gets nothing at all+ @t e0en happened at least once, to 2ord Buddha and a little story *ro. .odern ti.es ,ill e.phasi?e this+ &here ,as a young bhi--hu ne,ly co.e to Bang-o- so.e years ago+ /e -ne, no one, he had no supporters on the *irst .orning+ /e ,ent out *ro. the .onastery ,here he ,as staying and ,al-ed through the streets to gather *ood5,ith hundreds o* other bhi--hus *ro. the .onasteries around+ /e recei0ed nothing+ /e ,ent bac- to his kuti (d,elling) and practiced .editation+ &he second .orning he ,ent out again recei0ed nothing and again spent the day in .editation perhaps consoling hi.sel* ,ith the ,ords o* the Buddha'
4

&his is a continuation o* 2ord BuddhaOs practice6 *or he accepted out o* co.passion *or the donors any *ood that they ,ished to gi0e 7 apart *ro. the *lesh o* *orbidden ani.als (including .an, dog, tiger, and bear) and apart *ro. .eat or *ish ,hich is seen, heard, or suspected to ha0e been -illed specially *or .on-s+ &here is considerable disagree.ent bet,een the di**erent Buddhist traditions as to ,hether the Buddha ,as or ,as not a 0egetarian and ,hether bhi--hus ,ere to be so or not, but ,hat is e0ident is that they ,ere allo,ed to accept any sorts o* *ood apart *ro. those .entioned abo0e+ 2ord Buddha hi.sel* ignored the arti*icial barriers o* caste distinction ,hen he ,al-ed *or piEFapCta+ /e too- 7 and his .on-s still ta-e 7 *ood *ro. all, regardless o* their social status+ 3ll .en ha0e the right to practice gi0ing (dCna) i* they ,ish to do so and to reap the .erits deri0ing there*ro.+ N @n Ceylon, so.eti.es, the ,ords sukhi hotu 7 P<ay you be happyP 7 are spo-en in a lo, 0oice+

/unger is the ,orst disease, Co.pounded eDistence is the ,orst distress, Kno,ing this as it really is &he ,ise reali?e BibbCna, the highest bliss+ %hp "#H &he third day, *eeling a little ,ea-, he passed silently through the streets and at one house he ,as gi0en a banana+ 3nd that ,as all+ /e ca.e bac- to his .onastery and sa, there a star0ing dog+ pening his bo,l he ga0e hal* the banana to the dog+ But bananas are not *are *or dogs5 e0en star0ing ones5and ha0ing sni**ed it, it li.ped disdain*ully a,ay+ &he young bhi--hu reached out his hand to ta-e that re(ected hal* bac- into his bo,l, &hen he paused re.e.bering that ,hen a bhi--hu has gi0en so.ething to so.eone, it .ust be returned into his hands by a lay.an5and there ,as no lay.an in sight+ &he bhi--hu closed his bo,l and ,ent into his -uti ,here he ate his hal* o* the banana ,ashing it do,n ,ith a good draught o* ,ater+ &he neDt day his patience and co.passion ,ere re,arded and therea*ter so.eone o**ered hi. *ood e0ery day+ =hen <Cra closed peoples> hearts against gi0ing *ood to hi., 2ord Buddha spo-e the *ollo,ing *a.ous 0erse *ro. the %ha..apada sho,ing his po,er to obtain spiritual *ood *ro. .editation' /appy, indeed, ,e li0e, =e ,ho possess nothing, )eeders on (oy shall ,e be, !0en as gods o* the radiant real.+ %hp "## &he bhi--hu o* ,ho. ,e ha0e spo-en also practiced .editation, and later beco.e a *a.ous teacher and a *ounder o* a ne, school o* .editation in Bang-o-+ /e has but recently passed a,ay+ &o co.e bac-, a*ter this little digression, to our bhi--hu on piEFapCta+ =e shall notice perhaps ,ith surprise that he is treated ,ith great respect by the lay7people+ Perhaps only yesterday he ,as a lay.an hi.sel*, yet today, shorn, bare*oot, in orange robes, and bo,l in hand, he is re0erenced by those ,ho ser0e hi.+ People passing hi. .ay stop, crouch do,n, and raise their hands to their *oreheads in re0erence, others .ay ,al- past hi. the hands re0erentially raised, ,hile lay.en and lay,o.en ,ho ,ish to gi0e hi. *ood sGuat do,n, raise their hands in ,orship be*ore o**ering to hi. ,hate0er they ha0e prepared+ Seeing this, one .ight as- ,hy they did it and ,hy do they regard hi. so highlyA &he s-eptical .an o* this .aterialistic age .ight indeed as- ,hat all this *uss is about+ /e .ight say, ;/ere is this beggar, ,ho does no ,or-, contributes no .aterial gain to society and yet people treat hi. as though he ,as a god ,al-ing in their .idst+9 @n saying this, he ,ould be right, *or Buddhist .on-s in these countries are beggars in the sense that they depend *or their sustenance on others6 .oreo0er, the ,ord by ,hich they are -no,n (bhikkhu) is deri0ed *ro. the root ;bhik9 ,hence ;bhikkhati9 L to beg *or *ood+ &hey ,ould also be correct in their limited assess.ent o* his ,orth to society as he does not indeed increase the society>s .aterial ,ealth+ 3gainst such a .aterialistic approach born o* conceit, an ancient 0erse .ight be Guoted and then t,o rele0ant considerations regarding this charge'

)or one e0er eager to honor and respect elder, &hese *our blessings accrue' 2ong li*e, beauty, happiness, and po,er+ %hp 1#9 (;!lders9 here .eans not only elder relations but re*ers to theras5i+e+, senior Buddhist .on-s)+ &he *irst consideration .ust be to stress again that a bhi--hu does not beg as do ordinary beggars but passes on silently !olle!ting offered food6 and secondly, it is a narro, syste. o* thought indeed that assesses a .an>s ,orth by .aterial gain alone+ &he Bhi--hu is treated ,ith re0erence si.ply because he o**ers to others an eDa.ple by his o,n pure conduct+ /e sho,s the ,ay to deli0erance, and i* all cannot *ollo, his eDa.ple co.pletely and lay o** the cares o* the ,orld, then there can be .any ,ho .ay pro*it *ro. seeing his li*e and listening to his ad0ice+ /e is thus highly regarded as one ,ho is stri0ing *or deli0erance *ro. su**ering, *or that supre.e bliss ,hich is BibbCna (nibbna" parama" sukha")+ &o attain this, it is e.phasi?ed all through the Buddhist tradition that renunciation (nekkhamma) is essential+ &hus he is ,orshipped as an eDa.ple o* renunciation' one ,ho has gi0en up ,orldly pleasures and co.*orts, gi0en up *a.ily attach.ents, and one ,ho tries to .a-e the greatest renunciation5 that o* the cra0ing7and7ignorance co.pleD+ @ndeed 2ord Buddha>s ,ords in the %ha..apada ha0e a deep truth in the.' Bot there*ore is he a bhi--hu <erely because he begs *ro. others+ Bot by adopting the out,ard *or. %oes one truly beco.e a bhi--hu+ /e ,ho ,holly subdues e0il, Both s.all and great, @s called a .on- (bhi--hu) Because he has o0erco.e all e0il+ %hp "66, "6Q Such are so.e o* the paths ,hich thought .ight ta-e as ,e ,itness a householder gi0e *ood to hi.+ )ollo,ing the scene be*ore us ,e see that the lay7supporter has raised the bo,l o* *ood to be gi0en, to her *orehead and re.ains thus *or hal*7a7.inute or so+ =hile doing this, she is .a-ing so.e *er0ent ,ish or 0o, that the good .erit ( pu##a) ,hich accrues to her by this bene*icent act shall result in so.e particular blessing5health, ,ealth, *a.ily, or those ,ho thin- *urther, the attain.ent o* hea0enly states, or higher still, the end o* rebirth5the unsurpassed peace o* BibbCna+ &he *ood is placed in the bo,l by the supporter and ,hile this is ta-ing place, the bhi--hu does not loo- to see ho is gi0ing hi. *ood+ =e notice that, ,ith senses ,ell7controlled, he -eeps his eyed *iDed upon the open bo,l and is not inclined to spea- to lay people unless they as- hi. so.ething+ @n this ,ay his .ind is not disturbed by the sight o* the .e.bers o* the opposite seD or any other desire7arousing ob(ect+ &he sa.e applies to Buddhist nuns (!hee, in &hailand) ,hen they go out *or the collection, though 0ery *e, o* the. do so+ &he ,riter obser0ed in Bang-o- a *e, nuns ,ho, ,earing the dar- cloth indicating a .editati0e li*e, ,alon piapta ,ith great dignity and e0ident sincerity+ &hey, o* course, are concerned to a0oid the sight o* .en+ &his is one practical application o* the step o* Buddhist training called restraint o* senses (indriya-sa"vara)+ &he *ood ha0ing being placed in his bo,l, the lay7supporter .ay, as the .on- is turning to go on his ,ay, re0erence hi. again (as the sy.bol o* renunciation o* ,hich he is an eDa.ple)+ n his part the bhi--hu *eels no elation at re0erence, nor distress i* such salutation is not Q

per*or.ed, *or in the Buddhist teaching re0erence is a s-ill*ul act (kusala kamma) and pro*its hi. ,ho per*or.s it+ )urther, as ,e are ,ithin earshot, ,e .ay be surprised by another *act' the bhi--hu utters no than-s *or his *ood+ /e goes as silently as he arri0es and *ro. ,hat ,e see it appears indeed as though the lay7supporters *eel .ore disposed to than- hi. *or ha0ing ta-en the *ood *ro. their hands+ 3s ,e *ollo, our bhi--hu, this .atter .ay gi0e us *urther *ood *or thought5until he reaches another house ,here ,e can again obser0e ,hat ta-es place+ =hy then does the bhi--hu o**er no than-s *or ,hat he has recei0edA &he ans,er to this lies in an understanding o* the Buddhist teaching regarding .erit (pu##a)+ <erit is acGuired by the per*or.ance o* s-ill*ul action ( kusala kamma)+ 3n eDa.ple o* such an action ,hich is easy *or all to practice is ;gi0ing9 (dna)+ @ndeed, this too is not only a per*ection in the highest ranges o* Buddhist practice but is the *irst a.ong all the ten per*ections' the per*ection o* gi0ing (dna-pramit)+ So deeply is gi0ing *elt to be an essential *or the beginning o* the holy li*e, that it stands *irst also in the triad o* practices so o*ten reco..ended *or the Buddhist laity (gi0ing, dna6 .orality, s$la6 .editation, bhvan), and the bhi--hu practices it by gi0ing to other bhi--hus and to lay7people the gi*t o* &eaching (dhammadna), ,hich is the highest (%hp HN4)+ ;&o gi0e9 opens the heart and is .ani*estly opposed to the ,orldly ,ay ;to get+9 &he latter is lin-ed to attach.ent, ,hile the *or.er is generosity and close to renunciation+ &hus than-s *or gi0ing lie in the 0ery act itsel* and the householder is happy that the bhi--hu has gi0en hi. the opportunity to gi0e+ &he .erit ,hich one ;gets9 *ro. gi0ing is really not a ;possession9 ,hich ensures a good birth in the *uture, etc+, but a change in heart, a raising in the le0el o* s-ill*ul consciousness so that one per*or.s and re(oices in per*or.ing s-ill*ul acts+ &his, o* course, does ha0e its e**ect (but o* this .ore belo,, as our bhi--hu has no, arri0ed at another house)+ 3 little *a.ily group stands outside the house' an old lady, a young lady, perhaps her daughter, and t,o s.all boys, one o* ,ho. is only (ust old enough to toddle+ &hey cry out (oy*ully and loud enough *or all the neighborhood to hear, ;&he bhi--hu has co.e+9 &he .other o* the house balances a tray on her -nees as she crouches do,n, her daughter re0erences li-e,ise, ,hile the s.all boys each ha0e to be restrained *ro. running to,ards the bhi--hu in order to gi0e hi. so.ething5so great is their desire to do so+ &he bhi--hu opens his bo,l, and bends do,n so that the elder o* the little boys can gi0e a little bo,l o* rice+ &his ha0ing been success*ully engineered into the bo,l, the bhi--hu s.iles+ Bo, the s.aller boy reaches up to place curry in a plastic bag into the bo,l, e0en this is success*ul and he .anages this ,ithout *alling o0er ,hich indeed he ca.e close to doing+ &hen ,ithout pro.pting he raises t,o podgy hands in the direction o* his *orehead and toddles unsteadily bac- to the girl+ &he elder one, ho,e0er, is rather boisterous and has *orgotten this bit o* training+ &hen that .on- says to hi. *or his good, ;%ai phra95;Salute the bhi--hu95and the boy laughingly, gently, duti*ully raises his hands+ &he people o* the house, ,ho ha0e in0ited hi. to ta-e *ood *ro. the. e0ery day, then inGuire *ro. hi. ,hen there ,ill be a preaching (desan) at the 0ihCra and ,here the teacher (!ariya) is no,+ /a0ing learned such7li-e .atters, ,hich ta-e but a .inute *or the bhi--hu to relate, they in0ite hi., as he goes on his ,ay, to co.e again on the .orro,5and the little boys call out again and again, ;Co.e again: Co.e again:9 &he bhi--hu goes on his ,ay, the sun rises higher and it begins to be a little ,ar.+ /is neDt donor (dyaka) is nearby and he ,al-s slo,ly to gi0e her ti.e to co.e *ro. her little house+ =e see hi. suddenly step rather ,ide and not until ,e are up to that place do ,e see ,hy he did so+ 3cross the road there .arch in .illing .illions, an ar.y o* ants and, Guite apart *ro. the

undesirability o* being bitten by this species, the bhi--hus .ust go bare*oot *or piapta&their ,ay o* training instructs the. to practice har.lessness (ahi"s)+ &hat is, ne0er to ta-e li*e intentionally and to be as care*ul (L .ind*ulness, sati) as possible so as not to -ill, e0en ,ithout intention+ @n the %ha..apada ,e read one o* 2ord Buddha>s beauti*ul 0erses' Rust as a bee gathers honey *ro. a *lo,er =ithout in(uring its color or *ragrance, !0en so let the sage .o0e in the ,orld (&o collect al.s)+ %hp 49 3n old, old ,o.an, bent ,ith age and hard ,or- totters out *ro. her little cabin to in0ite hi. to recei0e+ @t is true that she need not eDert hersel* in this ,ay *or she has a younger ,o.an li0ing ,ith her, but she desires, as her li*e gro,s shorter and death co.es nearer, to gi0e to a bhi--hu e0ery day and so pile up as .uch .erit as she .ay in the short ti.e le*t to her+ She li0es by the side o* a little canal and .a-es a perilous li0ing by rotting do,n *ish in ,ater and salt and so producing the ubiGuitous ;*ish7,ater,9 ,hich is used as sauce and source o* salt, by .any &hais+ 2eaning on a stic- she brings her thin, toil7,orn hands sha-ily up,ards ,hile her *ace, bron?ed by the sun and ,rin-led in a thousand places, re*lects a serene de0otion+ She carries an old and rusty tin out o* ,hich she ladles so.e o* her *ish7,ater+ 3s silently as he opened his bo,l to recei0e her o**ering so silently, he closes it, as she turns, no, happy, to,ards her door+ 2ord Buddha has said' @* a bhi--hu does not despise =hat he has recei0ed, !0en though it be little, /i. ,ho is pure in li0elihood 3nd unre.itting in e**ort, !0en the gods praise+ %hp H66 =e *ollo, again as he goes on his ,ay to the right o* the road+ &here is at this point, a lo, area o* .arshy s,a.p in ,hich gro, tall sedges+ @t is rather surprising there*ore to see the bhi--hu apparently step into this s,a.p and yet go *or,ard *reely+ &he .ystery is soon resol0ed as ,e see a single7plan- gang7,ay in *ront o* us ,hich ,ill carry the ,ary ,al-er so.e t,o hundred yards across to *urther side+ &he bhi--hu has already gone *ar along the plan-s, care*ully pic-ing his ,ay, and so there is nothing else to do but to *ollo, hi.+ 8ingerly ,e set out, the siD7inch ,ide plan- s,aying and bending ,ith our ,eight6 it see.s 0ery li-ely that at any .o.ent ,e .ay be precipitated into the oo?e beneath+ /ere is indeed, a ti.e *or .ind*ulness: =e .anage the ha?ard ,ell7enough5it is perhaps .ore a .atter o* good luc- than (udg.ent5 and ,hen at last ,e raise our eyes *ro. the gang7,ay, the bhi--hu is al.ost out o* sight+ /o,e0er, ,e .anage to catch up ,ith hi. (ust in ti.e to see that he entered the courtyard gate o* a big house+ !0idently he is in0ited to ta-e *ood here each day6 indeed, he has already been in0ited to sit do,n *or a *e, .inutes+ =e ,atch the .on- and his supporters through the open gate+ &he co.pound lying inside this gate see.s to be a 0ery large one and at least three good si?ed houses are 0isible interspersed by la,ns, trees, courtyards and such decorati0e *eatures as so.e hundreds o* orchids gro,ing hung up in little pots, or great gla?ed blue7and7,hite Chinese ,ater7(ars and in the. ,ater lilies *lo,ering+ &he bhi--hu sits in a little su..er7house and be*ore hi. is placed a table upon ,hich are three trays ,ith little bo,ls o* rice and 0arious *ruits, ,ith un-no,n *oods done up in banana7lea0es+

<ean,hile a cro,d o* bhi--hus has gathered+ =e did not notice the. co.e but no, they stand silently, ,aiting+ 3 young .an carries a stout table and places it outside the gate ,here the other bhi--hus are standing and co.es bac- shortly a*ter,ards staggering under the ,eight o* a huge bo,l o* stea.ing rice+ 3n elderly lady in the traditional dress *ollo,s hi. carrying a large tray stac-ed high ,ith oranges and banana7lea* pac-ets+ 3 bhi--hu is standing near us and so ,e as- hi. Guietly ,hose house this is+ ; h,9 he says, ;this house belongs to one o* the noble *a.ilies closely related to the -ing+ !0ery day they gi0e *ood to about eighty .on-s+9 =e ,atch this general al.s7gi0ing in progress+ !ach bhi--hu approaches the table ,hen the one be*ore has already le*t+ !0erything is 0ery orderly and each bhi--hu is ob0iously 0ery care*ul to a0oid (u.ping his turn+ Soung bhi--hus and sC.aEeras are seen to in0ite elder .on-s to ta-e their *ood *irst6 courtesy and care are obser0ed by all+ &he rice, spooned out into bo,l a*ter bo,l, gro,s less and the nu.bers o* ,aiting .on-s d,indle6 but the lady householder see.s happier and happier ,ith e0ery spoon*ul she gi0es+ &he .on-s silently go5 old theras (elder .on-s) o* .any years standing go slo,ly, ,hile little sC.aEeras, scarcely *our *eet high or t,el0e years old, .a-e o** at a good speed+ ur attention no, re0erts to ;our9 bhi--hu+ /e has been seated the ,hile and o**ered a glass o* co**ee+ 3 lady sits at a respect*ul distance upon the su..er7house *loor ,hile her s.all daughter ,anders about+ She has been as-ing hi. so.e proble. regarding the teaching and he has brie*ly replied+ She gets up and in0ites hi. saying ;nimon9+ 3s it is her daughter>s birthday, the lady holds the tray o* o**erings ,hile the little girl places the rice and 0arious *oods into his bo,l+ &hus the s.all girl has earned great .erit upon this day+ @ndeed, it is co..on in Buddhist lands to gi0e on the day o* one>s birth6 and ,hate0er the gi0ing .ay be, the birthday is thought an eDcellent occasion *or .erit7.a-ing+ &hose ,ho cannot a**ord, or so.eho, (ust do not gi0e on other days, usually .a-e a point o* o**ering to a .on- or .on-s piEFapCta on the day o* their o,n or their children>s birth+ &he elder lady ha0ing *inished her gi0ing at the gate, no, co.es and salutes the bhi--hu+ She pro0ides hi. ,ith *ood *ro. another tray+ &he young .an, her gardener, o**ers yet another, ,hile (ust as the bhi--hu is preparing to depart, a cry o* ;nimon9 halts hi. as another .e.ber o* this .any7branched *a.ily co.es up ,ith his o**ering+ =ith a bo,l no, beco.e hea0y but ,e hope a little re*reshed by the co**ee, the bhi--hu goes on his ,ay, the elder lady o* the house in0iting hi. to co.e again on the .orro,+ &he last house on his round ob0iously also belongs to an a**luent *a.ily+ /e ,aits, as they ha0e pro.ised *ood+ 2oc-ed gate and ,ide la,ns separate the *a.ily *ro. the roadside and they do not see hi. as easily as his other patrons+ 3t last so.eone spots hi. and sings out, ;the .on- has co.e+9 &he householders here do not co.e to the door but send ,ho are possibly their son and daughter ,ith *ood+ &hey are both near to gro,n7up and perhaps ,ith less understanding o* their teaching than they ought to ha0e+ 3t any rate, they are rather careless' the boy ,hile opening their big gates drops a banana or t,o on the ground, ,hich they ,ipe be*ore o**ering, ,hile the girl, tipping rice into the bo,l in a lac-adaisical *ashion .anages to e.pty hal* o* it on the ground+ &hey chatter ,hile doing this and then prance o**+ @t see.s that they do this as though it ,as all rather a drudge+ &he bhi--hu care*ully re.o0es the rice grains *ro. his robes and *ro. his bo,l7sling, so that they do not beco.e soiled, and starts bac- on his long ,al- to the .onastery+ /e passes do,n the ,hole road o* rich .en>s houses but there is nothing+ /e does not care, *or he has .ore than enough to -eep hi. going, enough ;.edicine9 to allay the disease o* hunger *or another day+ Still ,e note that those ,ho gi0e .ost (and i* ,e ,ent ,ith hi. e0ery day, ,e should note

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those that gi0e .ost o*ten) are, i* not poor people, at least those in the .iddle ranges o* inco.e+ 4iches, alas, do not usually lead to great generosity: @t is the poor and those .oderately ,ell7o** ,ho gi0e generously+ &oo .any o* the rich are too .uch sun- into the supposed co.*orts o* this ,orld to thin- o0er.uch o* gi0ing+ 2ord Buddha has taught the. ,ith the *ollo,ing ,ord o* ,arning' 4iches ruin the *ool, But not i* one is in the Guest o* the beyond By cra0ing *or riches &he ,itless .an ruins hi.sel* and ruins others+ %hp HNN But those ,ho -no, the sting o* po0erty, -no, also a ,ay to rid the.sel0es o* this sting+ By giving ho,e0er little it is, they .ay attain to greater ,ealth in *uture than they possess no,5 and greater happiness, too+ ne o* the *actors ,hich go0erns the lac- or possession o* ,ealth is ,hat one had done ,ith .oney, ,hen one had it+ @* one .isuses it *or others> pain, sGuanders it all upon *leeting pleasures, or only a.asses a great collection o* status sy.bols about onesel*5 then in a *uture li*e one is 0ery liable to .eet ,ith po0erty and .isery ,hich this entails+ &he results (vipka) o* action (kamma) are, so Buddhis. teaches, 0ery (ust indeed+ &hose ,ho gi0e, ho,e0er, are assured o* recei0ing, so that all that .ust be decided is ho, and ,hat should one gi0e+ Besides occasional gi0ing (such as the construction o* a rest7house, bridge, school or i* one is rich, a ne, ,ing to the hospital and so *orth), there are gi*ts .ade to the Sangha (order o* Buddhist .on-s)+ 3ccording to a ,ell7-no,n passage in the PCli scriptures, the bhi--hus (especially i* they are e.ancipated sages5ariya) are ;anuttara" pu##kkhetta" lokass'ti95;&he supre.e *ield (in ,hich to so, the seed) o* .erit in the ,orld+9 3ll this is su..ed up as *ollo,s' @n this ,orld it is good to ser0e .other, 8ood is it to ser0er *ather, 8ood is to ser0e the .on-s, 3nd good is it to ser0e the ariyan sages+ %hp HH" Bo, again o!!asionally bhi--hus reGuire robes, d,ellings or .edicines, but every day they ,alout *or *ood7collecting+ &here*ore, this is a great opportunity to gain .erit ,hich should not be .issed6 *or all, ,hether poor or rich, can do ,ith .ore .erit: &here is indeed nothing li-e .erits .ade in this ,ay *or ensuring a happy li*e, a peace*ul death, and a bliss*ul li*e herea*ter+ 2ord Buddha has said' =hen a .an a*ter a long absence, 4eturns ho.e sa*e *ro. a*ar, /is relati0es, *riends and ,ell7,ishers, =elco.e hi. on his arri0al+ 2i-e,ise his o,n good deeds =ill ,elco.e the doer o* the good, =ho had gone *ro. this ,orld to the neDt, 3s -ins.en ,elco.e a dear one>s arri0al+ %hp "19, ""# &his is ob0iously one reason ,hy people gi0e to the bhi--hu ,ho passes their doors5and it is a 0ery i.portant reason+ &he s-eptic .ight butt in, ob(ecting that the .oti0e *or that gi0ing is 0ery sel*ish5to .a-e onesel* happy in *uture+ But then he .ust be told that it is possible in 11

Buddhis. (,here kamma-vipka is not a rigid personal cause7and7e**ect), by .eans o* good,ill (mett) and co.passion (karu), to .a-e o0er one>s .erits *or the good o* others+ &hus a .other .ight .a-e .erit by gi0ing *ood, etc+, *or her children>s happiness, or reco0ery *ro. sic-ness+ r a -ing .ay .a-e .erit, turning this o0er to the ,el*are o* his people+ 3nd eDpressions o* utterly sel*less5indeed uni0ersal5bene0olence are by no .eans rare a.ong the .erit7dedications o* Guite ordinary *ol-, ,hile the unli.ited co.passion o* the ,isdo. beings (bodhi-satta5those ,ho ,or- to,ards beco.ing a Buddha) is eDpressed in .any subli.e engra0ings and ,ritings+ =ith the .erit ,hich such a one piles up, he 0o,s to lighten beings innu.erable and to deli0er all *ro. the ,oes o* continued eDistence+ /o,e0er, *e, aspire so high6 their reasons *or gi0ing are correspondingly less eDalted, though ne0ertheless they .ay be deeply religious+ )or instance, .any laypeople gi0e out o* great de0otion (saddh) to their religion+ So.eti.es, too, a particularly estee.ed bhi--hu .ay be the ob(ect o* this great de0otion+ &hen there are gi*ts to relati0es ,ho are no, bhi--hus, *or in the country, a bhi--hu .ay li0e in his o,n 0illage te.ple and pass his *or.er house and relati0es o*ten+ Baturally, they gi0e to hi.+ &hen there are those ,ho gi0e out o* habit or *ro. con0ention+ ne so.eti.es co.es across cases o* this6 such gi0ing being no longer acco.panied by the ,ar.th o* de0otion tends to beco.e .echanical+ @t is Guite easy to understand that in this case the .erit *ro. gi0ing is decidedly less+ 2astly co.es a category o* gi0ing ,hich hardly applies to our present sub(ect' grudged gi0ing+ )ro. this and *ro. gi0ing *or co..ercial ad0antage5purely sel*ish, this5co.e the least a.ount o* .erit+ &he attitude o* ;=hy should @ gi0e so.ethingA95,hich really .eans ;=hat do @ get out o* itA95is hardly *ound in Buddhist lands+ =here the Buddhist &eaching has distinctly taught that deliberate actions are liable to gi0e rise to results, e0en those ,ho ha0e little -no,ledge o* the heights o* Buddhist philosophy, ,ill readily understand that the results o* gi0ing is happiness+ &he ,riter ,as once as-ed i* people ,ho gi0e .uch and o*ten, but ne0ertheless ca.e across disasters and grie* in their li0es, ,ould lose *aith and therea*ter cease to gi0e+ But the Buddhist reaction is not thus+ %isasters and grie* do not arise causelessly, nor yet *ro. one cause (the ;,rath o* god9 *or instance), but they are o*ten attributed .ore soundly, it ,ould see., to .isdeeds co..itted in the past5i* not in this li*e then in the indi0idual>s past eDistences+ /ence a Buddhist thin-s that such .isdeeds can only co.e to *ruition i* conditions are suitable, ,hich is .ore li-ely to be ,hen one has but little a storehouse o* .erit+ &here*ore, to cure this la.entable circu.stance, the ans,er is to gi0e .ore and gi0e .ore o*ten, rather than neglecting to gi0e+ &his connection bet,een -no,ledge and generosity is illu.ined by a 0erse in the %ha..apada' Jerily .isers *are not to hea0enly real.s, Bor, indeed, do *ools e0er praise liberality6 But the ,ise .an re(oices in gi0ing, 3nd by that alone does he beco.e happy herea*ter+ %hp 1QQ 3nd again on this sub(ect, ,e *ind' Should a person do good, 2et hi. do it again and again6 2et hi. *ind pleasure therein, )or, bliss*ul is the accu.ulation o* good+ %hp 11$

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3nd so ,e ha0e no, *ollo,ed the bhi--hu bac- to his .onastery+ /e is, perhaps, a little *oot7 sore and, i* his bo,l is *ull (and it easily *ills up, *or generally people are .ar0elously generous), his shoulder .ay ache6 and his hands and ar.s also i* he uses no sling *or the bo,l+ <e.ories arise at this point o* ha0ing seen in so.e boo- a ,riter co.plaining o* the si?e o* a bhi--hus> bo,l5as though to i.ply that they ,ere greedy: &his is *ar *ro. the truth+ )irstly a bhi--hu>s bo,l has to be reasonably large to acco..odate all the *ood that people ,ish to gi0e hi.+ =e should not *orget that lay7supporters ,ish to .a-e their .erit each day and that a 0ery s.all bo,l ,ould .ean that he ,ould ha0e to re*use their o**erings+ Secondly, a bo,l .ay be really large i* the bhi--hu to ,ho. it belongs goes ,andering on *oot staying in ca0es, .ountain *astness or *orest+ /is bo,l is then his suitcase and in it .ust be pac-ed the 0ery *e, ite.s ,hich he can easily ta-e along ,ith hi.+ Bac- to the .onastery, the *ood that all ha0e collected is shared by all, and the bhi--hu hi.sel* .a-es a little .erit by o**ering so.ething choice *ro. his bo,l to his teacher, usually an elder .on- (thera), and also by seeing that those ,ho ha0e collected little *ood that day5 and such is the *ate o* .any sC.aEeras (no0ices)5ha0e su**icient *are+ /e practices thus one .ethod o* pro.oting lo0ing7-indness (mett) a.ong his *ello,7.on-s5that is, ;the sharing o* the contents o* e0en an al.s bo,l+9 @n the .onasteries ,here .editation is practiced it is co..on (in &hailand), to underta-e also the ascetic practices (dhuta(gas)+ @n such .onasteries, there*ore, the .on-s ta-e only one .eal, at about eight in the .orning, i..ediately a*ter returning *ro. piapta+ &heir al.s7*ood is shared ,ith the .onastery7boys and anyone else ,ho cares to eat+ Bo one need star0e, or be ,ithout a .eal in a Buddhist country5one has only to go to a .onastery (be*ore .idday), and so.e sort o* *ood ,ill be a0ailable+ 3s *or the .on-s5bhi--hus or sC.aEera5i* they ha0e underta-en the dhuta(gas they .iD all their *ood together, deter.ining (ust ho, .uch ,ill be suitable *or the., and then apply the .editation on the loathso.eness o* *ood, ,hich pre0ents the arising o* greed+ (See )he *ath of *urifi!ation, Chapter T@, p+ HQ"+) @t is eaten in silence so as to .aintain this concentration+ 3nd ,hen *ingers ha0e scooped enough o* this .edicine into the .outh, .onastery7boys ,ill be happy ,ith re.aining delicacies, ,hile the .iDture still unconsu.ed ,ill *eed the ani.als ,hich ha0e ta-en re*uge in the 0ihCra grounds a,ay *ro. the harshness o* ,orldlings+ &hus none o* this precious *ood is ,asted+ @n all ,ays there are bene*its to be seen *or all5*or the donors ,ho gi0e there is .erit, *or the bhi--hus ,ho ta-e there is support, and *or .any other beings there is good *ood+ &his little description o* piapta and its 0irtues .ay be *ittingly brought to an end ,ith another 0erse eDpressing ,herein lies the taste o* truth' /a0ing tasted the s,eetness, * solitude and peace (BibbCna), =oeless and stainless he beco.es, @.bibing the *la0or o* dha..a>s bliss+ %hp "#N <ay all beings, ,heresoe0er they be, taste o* this truth+

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