..續本文上一頁at. I have no idea where he had arranged the food to put in my bowl -- but he wouldn”t do it repeatedly. He knew and he sympathized with me. On the occasions when he”d put food in my bowl, he”d say, ”Maha, please let me put food in your bowl. These lay people came late...” -- and his hand was already in my bowl -- right when I had placed my bowl in front of me and was contemplating my food. I didn”t know what to do, because of my respect for him. So I had to let him do it in his kindness -- but I wouldn”t let anyone else do it. He”d do it only once in a long while. In one Rains Retreat, he”d do it only three or four times at most. He wouldn”t do it repeatedly, because he was every astute. The word majjhima -- just right: You”d have to hand it to him, without being able to find anything to fault.

　　So ever since then I”ve stuck to my practice all along, up to the present. As for the monks and novices who couldn”t get it together, they all ended up in failure, which has made me think -- made me think without ceasing -- about my fellow meditators: ”What is it with their hearts that they don”t have any firm principles, that they keep failing like this

　　 What mainstay can they have for the future when the present is already a failure

　　” Events like this have kept me thinking in this way without ceasing, all the way up to the meditators who are living with me at present.

　　For this reason, the ascetic observances are very important principles in the practice. Eating from the bowl: There are many people, monks among them, who don”t see the value of eating from the bowl. In addition to not seeing the value of this ascetic practice, they may see it as unbecoming or inappropriate, both in the monastery and in society at large, in that all sorts of food -- meat dishes, desserts, etc. -- get mixed together in the one bowl. They may even think that it”s ugly or messy -- which is an opinion of the defilements trying to efface the truth of the Dhamma. There are few who see the value of any of the thirteen ascetic practices, even though all thirteen are tools for us monks to wash away defilement. It”s well known that the defilements and the Dhamma have always worked at cross-purposes from time immemorial. Those who give their hearts and lives in homage to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha will practice in line with what the Buddha taught. Those who give their hearts and lives in homage to the cycle of defilement will practice in line with the opinions of defilement. So to whom are we going to pay homage now

　　 Hurry up and decide. Don”t delay. Otherwise the defilements will pull you up to the chopping block -- don”t say I didn”t warn you. The Dhamma has already been taught, so hurry up and start walking. Don”t waste your time being afraid that it”s out of date, or you won”t be able to make a step.

　　Pansukula-civaram -- the practice of wearing robes made from cast-off cloth: This is to counteract our feeling for price, ostentation, pride, and excess -- the type of beauty that promotes defilement and steps all over the Dhamma -- so that these things don”t encumber the hearts of meditators whose duty is to eliminate the defilements in order to promote the Dhamma and nourish the heart to be gracious and fine. The items of consumption we collect from what is thrown away are good for killing the defilements of greed, ostentation, and excess, love for beauty and haughtiness. Sages have thus praised and followed this practice all along up to the present. We can see their footprints in using this method to kill defilement as a treat for our hearts and eyes so that we won”t die in vain in having followed the homeless life.

　　The practice of going for alms: This is so that we”ll perform our duties in line with the Buddha”s instructions -- pindiyalopa-bhojanam nis…

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