The Life or Legend of Gaudama, the Buddha of the Burmese (Volume I)Bigandet, Paul Ambroise
Religion
The Life or Legend of Gaudama, the Buddha of the Burmese (Volume I)
Bigandet, Paul Ambroise
Buddhism -- Burma; Burma -- Religion; Gautama Buddha
who make a part of their greatness consist in placing themselves
above public opinion, above moral and religious precepts, for
enjoying the unrestrained gratification of the basest appetite.
Though divorce be a thing of common occurrence, it is looked
upon as an imperfection, merely tolerated for the sake of human
frailty.
[6] Buddhist monks, out of humility and contempt for all worldly
things, do not allow hairs or beard to grow. They walk
barefooted, wearing a yellow dress of the simplest make. They
are bound to live on the alms that are freely bestowed upon
them. The regulations of the Wini are, in this respect, most
explicit, and leave no room for false interpretation. A Rahan,
having renounced the world, and divested himself of all worldly
property, is bound by his professional vows to rely for his
daily food on what he may obtain by begging. Hence the
appellatio of Bickus, or mendicants, always bestowed on them by
Gaudama, whenever he addresses them in particular on certain
points regarding their profession. In Burmah, as soon as the day
begins to dawn, a swarm of yellow-dressed monks sally forth from
their abode with the patta under the left arm, and perambulate
the streets in quest of food. They never ask for anything; they
accept what is voluntarily tendered to them, without uttering a
single word of thanks, or even looking at their generous
benefactors. This action of bestowing alms on the Rahans is
deemed a most meritorious one. The offerer, therefore, becomes
liberal, not on account of the person he is assisting, but
because of the abundant merits he hopes to derive from the act.
This notion agrees very well with the leading tenets of
Buddhism.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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