Proper gifts for modern monks

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
Post Reply
User avatar
Vakkali
Posts: 54
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 6:52 am
Location: Cincinnati

Proper gifts for modern monks

Post by Vakkali »

Hi everybody!

I was hoping I could get some guidance from an experienced layperson or member of the sangha. I recently discovered that there is a vihara in my area, and I've started going to receive instructions from the bhikkhus there. I think it would be appropriate for me to occasionally bring something to offer them, but I'm not actually sure what that something should or could be. What kinds of things do laypeople usually give to bhikkhus and bhikkhunis? I don't want to put them in the uncomfortable position of having to accept something they can't use. They're from Sri Lanka, if that helps. I don't know whether monks and nuns from different countries are accustomed to different kinds of offerings or not.

I hope that I'm posting in the right place. I don't want to clutter up the wrong part of the board.

Thanks in advance!
User avatar
pilgrim
Posts: 1679
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 2:56 pm

Re: Proper gifts for modern monks

Post by pilgrim »

Bringing some cooked food for lunch dana would be appropriate. You may also say that you wish to make a gift and ask if they require anything specific. You could tell them the maximum amount you are prepared to offer for this gift.
User avatar
Vakkali
Posts: 54
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 6:52 am
Location: Cincinnati

Re: Proper gifts for modern monks

Post by Vakkali »

Thank you, pilgrim. Of course I could ask them; I don't know why that didn't occur to me earlier. I wonder if lentil soup would be okay? I'm not actually sure how they get their food, because the vihara is in the middle of nowhere. Actually, does anybody know how bhikkhus and bhikkhunis living in America feed themselves? Do they make alms-rounds? I can't imagine that the average American suburbanite would be comfortable providing any food for strangers going door to door.
User avatar
pilgrim
Posts: 1679
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 2:56 pm

Re: Proper gifts for modern monks

Post by pilgrim »

Lentil soup or any other food is fine unless they inform you they are vegetarian ( which is not common ). Quite likely, lay people will bring food to them or cook on site. You may wish to check before-hand but it is likely they begin their lunch meal around 11 am, so it is best to bring food just before then.
User avatar
Vakkali
Posts: 54
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 6:52 am
Location: Cincinnati

Re: Proper gifts for modern monks

Post by Vakkali »

That's good to know, pilgrim. I'll make sure that I talk to them beforehand, but as a general rule, should I only bring enough for a single meal? I thought I heard that they're technically not supposed to take more than they need for a day, but I could be misremembering.
User avatar
retrofuturist
Posts: 27848
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:52 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Contact:

Re: Proper gifts for modern monks

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings Vakkali,

Just to complicate things though, there may already be a "food roster" in place in which case your food offering, however well intended, may be superfluous to requirements.

Sometimes there might be a list of items/requisites posted up somewhere... toilet paper, teabags, batteries, fuel cans, detergents, razors - these things have to come from somewhere. Some modern establishments even have these lists posted on their internet sites.

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
User avatar
Monkey Mind
Posts: 538
Joined: Sat Dec 05, 2009 8:56 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest, USA

Re: Proper gifts for modern monks

Post by Monkey Mind »

Also consider donating your time. There is a lot of work that goes into maintaining a Vihara, I'd bet they have a group of lay people who organize work parties.
"As I am, so are others;
as others are, so am I."
Having thus identified self and others,
harm no one nor have them harmed.

Sutta Nipāta 3.710
User avatar
Monkey Mind
Posts: 538
Joined: Sat Dec 05, 2009 8:56 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest, USA

Re: Proper gifts for modern monks

Post by Monkey Mind »

A link that might be helpful:

http://www.abhayagiri.org/main/content/C43" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and here is the advanced version:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... guide.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"As I am, so are others;
as others are, so am I."
Having thus identified self and others,
harm no one nor have them harmed.

Sutta Nipāta 3.710
User avatar
James the Giant
Posts: 791
Joined: Sat Oct 17, 2009 6:41 am

Re: Proper gifts for modern monks

Post by James the Giant »

Soup is kinda problematic actually, in my experience. At my local monastery the monks usually use one bowl to put everything in, so they have to get a separate little bowl for the soup.
I recommend burgers. Monks NEVER get given burgers, so even if they're cold by the time they get there, they will enjoy them. Or fries.
I once dana-ed a six-pack of energy drinks, and you should have seen the monk's eyes light up!
Then,
saturated with joy,
you will put an end to suffering and stress.
SN 9.11
santa100
Posts: 6811
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 10:55 pm

Re: Proper gifts for modern monks

Post by santa100 »

Any from the Four Requisites should be fine:
"The four requisites, food, clothing, shelter and medicines, are what lay people can offer as a practical way of expressing generosity and appreciation of their faith in belonging to the Buddhist Community"

(ref: http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/bud ... yguide.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; )
beeblebrox
Posts: 939
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 10:41 pm

Re: Proper gifts for modern monks

Post by beeblebrox »

James the Giant wrote: I recommend burgers. Monks NEVER get given burgers, so even if they're cold by the time they get there, they will enjoy them. Or fries.
I once dana-ed a six-pack of energy drinks, and you should have seen the monk's eyes light up!
I think that should be OK as long as the cow wasn't killed for the monks specifically. :) I think this might be a bit problematic (I really don't want to derail this thread into another argument about the consumption of meat), but these days the cows are usually slaughtered in some remote places like Kansas... for no one in particular.

It's all done for the "consumer"... an anonymous entity. The consumer is something abstract (almost like atta, actually)... it's basically a blanket term that covers anyone who consumes.

The monks don't have much choice in what they consume... but the laypeople still do. I think that this basically makes the sangha a reflection of the laypeople who support them. If the community gives them nothing but caffeinated drinks... then they'll become a sangha of caffeine addicts. (Bhante Gunaratana alluded to something similar in his biography... where he talked about the addiction of betel nuts.) If the laypeople give them nothing, then they'll just disappear. This is just something to think about.

The laypeople is supposed to support the monks' practices... so that the monks will be able to teach them something in return. They're basically a reflection of each other... which is pretty much kamma at work. There is no distinct atta that can be found in betweeen them, only dependent origination. It usually starts with ignorance (of the four noble truths)... but it doesn't have to. It's your choice. It's something that you need to figure out in your practice.

:anjali:
User avatar
bodom
Posts: 7216
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 6:18 pm
Location: San Antonio, Texas

Re: Proper gifts for modern monks

Post by bodom »

Giving in the Pali Canon
by
Lily de Silva


http://www.enabling.org/ia/vipassana/Ar ... Silva.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

:anjali:
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.

- BB
Post Reply