Rules & Nibbāna

I would like to say that the rules of the Vinaya are set for everyone; especially for monks and nuns living the monastic life. In my opinion. We don’t necessarily have to follow every single rule out of a book. Rules are set as guiding principles. A compass to help keep us on the right track should we ever fall off and need help getting back on track. That’s what rules do. They just help keep us on the right path. That doesn’t necessarily mean you must follow. I understand there are boundaries and a level of respect and responsibility one should take because weak people need rules to protect them from strong people. It’s been like this since we were cavemen. Tribes needed rules and systems to prevent the strong man from coming and taking everything for himself with his strength & force. The weak ones needed to adapt using clever systems and work together to protect themselves from the dominant beastly hunter in order to survive. Suppose it depends on the leaders in question? They say the best leaders know when to break the rules.

Here I would distinguish my opinion from what the texts actually say: SuttaCentral’s “Numbered Discourses 2.280–309: The Chapter of Abbreviated Texts on Monastic Law” says the Buddha laid down training rules for the well-being and comfort of the Saṅgha, for keeping difficult individuals in check, for restraining defilements and unskillful qualities, for inspiring confidence, and for supporting the continuation of the true teaching and the training. So my idea of rules as a “compass” captures one useful aspect of training, while the Vinaya itself presents the rules as an actual framework of monastic discipline rather than simply optional guidance. (SuttaCentral)

The Dhamma doesn’t require you to reject or immediately abandon life; it teaches you to life wisely in the world while gradually becoming less enslaved by the things of the world. In my opinion. You can live life on your own terms; in accordance with ultimate reality. Let’s be realistic. Nibbana isn’t some easy thing we can expect to attain in a short amount of time. There are no shortcuts. I would say that for one who is truly committed to living life to the full; in accordance with the Dhamma and deeply wishes to reach Nibbana after it’s all been said and done. Then go for it. How you could approach this? I’m sure there are many ways. It’s not necessarily a competitive race, however, I will say that one way worthy of consideration could be to experience the worldly life yet living it with the intention to apply Dhamma to it every single day as much as you possibly can. Real life experience will teach you things academic education never could; especially when we relate our experiences with Dhamma reflection. This takes living to a higher level and we learn lessons outside of institutions that limit our learning experiences. Take everything you can learn from your real life experiences as to make you into a stronger and wiser individual who is well equipped to strive toward Nibbana.

SuttaCentral gives support to part of this idea: “Long Discourses 31: Advice to Sigālaka” presents a Dhamma life for a householder involving responsibility toward family, friends, workers, teachers and spiritual people. The Buddha therefore clearly taught a way of practising Dhamma within ordinary life, rather than presenting spiritual development as something reserved exclusively for monastics. (SuttaCentral)

At the same time, SuttaCentral’s “Linked Discourses 12.23: Vital Conditions” presents liberation as the culmination of a conditioned sequence involving faith, joy, rapture, tranquillity, immersion, knowing and seeing, disillusionment, dispassion and liberation. This supports my opinion that Nibbana is not something to treat casually or expect through a shortcut. (SuttaCentral)

For a monk, however, the situation is different: monastic life is specifically structured around renunciation and ultimately overcoming attachment altogether. I would therefore conclude that while a monk is positioned favorably in terms of support as to attain Nibbana either due to his khamma or because he’s more intelligent spiritually—the man who lived his life out in the world and got all that real life experience is better able to help certain groups of individuals with specific sorts of problems depending on the experience that man has got. Now in a spiritual sense that worldly experienced man whether he’s a monk or not now is able to help put so many people on the right path to liberation or at least point them in the right direction even before he reaches the liberation himself. It’s similar to the goal of a Mahayana Buddhists.

Here again, this is my interpretation rather than a direct claim from the early texts. The “Greater Discourse on the Simile of Heartwood” (MN 29) gives a powerful warning to monastics: gain, honour, reputation, morality, concentration and even knowledge and vision are not themselves the final purpose of the holy life. The heartwood is unshakable liberation of mind. (SuttaCentral)

It’s up to You to carve out your own path for your own life. Personally I find the biggest challenge as a monk is valuing the Dhamma so much more then everything else. Having genuine intentions to reach Nibbana if I haven’t already? Or at least had a glimpse of it? Nibbana sounds sweet. It’s just a very difficult erm.. thing to imagine possible to experience when you have a sense of responsibility, a level of respect, and appreciation to a longer-term vision of family and worldly life. I’ve no doubt in my mind that all of these potentials are achievable, and I suppose I could say that a well educated individual with higher level of intelligence could acquire profound knowledge and insights with their intellects as to support them in their practice possibly in a way that is more uniquely structured or perhaps more coherent which could be very fruitful indeed given how deep this Dhamma really is.

And perhaps that is where the real practice begins.

Whether we are living in the world or living in the monastery, we can ask ourselves every day: Am I becoming less attached? Am I becoming wiser? Am I becoming more restrained? Am I understanding suffering more clearly? Am I moving toward liberation?

The Vinaya can provide structure. Worldly experience can provide lessons. Education can provide knowledge. Meditation can provide direct experience. Yet the Buddha’s teaching ultimately points beyond all of these toward liberation.

SuttaCentral’s “Vital Conditions” shows liberation unfolding through a gradual chain of practice and understanding, while “The Greater Discourse on the Simile of Heartwood” reminds the monastic that the final purpose is liberation rather than status, learning or achievement. (SuttaCentral)

So my opinion remains that each person must take responsibility for their own path, while the early Buddhist texts give us a standard against which our opinions can be examined.

That, to me, is daily Dhamma practice: live, observe, reflect, learn, restrain the mind, develop wisdom, and keep moving toward Nibbana.