How to Continue Life as a Monk

Morality is the road to liberation from samsara. With morality, it´s easy. Without morality, life creates obstacles for realizations, and then it creates sufferings. It destroys realizations and causes rebirths in lower realms.

People are looking for happiness, but the method is important. Hunting and killing animals is creating suffering. Other people commit suicide; they kill themselves while they are looking for happiness. The aim for everyone is reaching happiness.

Maybe it’s not possible do it every day, but at least once a week or every two or four days we should go over the sutra looking at the benefits of the vows. This is fuel and gives us energy. It is very important. It makes the mind strong, directs the mind to be strong, and strengthens the mind of renunciation.

The more you see the benefits and advantages, the more you enjoy your life as a monk. It’s like business. If you work very hard and your profit is increasing, then you will enjoy life. Or, if you think you are climbing Mount Everest, you can think of the benefits, like wealth, fame, etc. once you reach the top. So, no matter how hard times are, the ultimate benefit of morality is everlasting happiness, being totally free from oceans of samsara forever. Besides that, imagine having a human rebirth after this life through living in pure morality. In hundreds of lifetimes you’ll have the benefit of even one day of practicing morality. Imagine then the results of a lifetime of practicing morality.

So, the purer this lifetime, the more peace and happiness and less difficulties you will have. You will realize shamatha more easily when you are pure. Then, your mind can easily be stable for as long as you want. We achieve insight realization by refined analysis of emptiness, unified with shamatha. That realization makes us able to cut the root of delusions by hitting on the same point. Shamatha is like that. Morality is also important. You can compare it to a 20 million dollar-project.

Another point is that we must realize impermanence and death. Live your life and be aware of the karmic effects of daily life. Nagarjuna said that we have to remember the hell realms every day. This is very important. Then, you are very careful of course. Sojong is important, but prevention is better. The suffering of samsara is also very important.

Be aware of your hallucinations. Look at your feelings of sensual pleasure. They are also suffering, but we believe they are pleasure. We have so many hallucinations. Our own body is also an hallucination in which the “I” believes. It is 100% an hallucination made by an imprint left on our mental continuum based on ignorance. It is the same with nice songs, beauty, etc. Remember death—that you could die in a moment or a day. There are many reasons why things can happen, even in a minute. Hallucinations and projections mean “I am attached to my own view.”

We think, “This is really beautiful,” etc, but it´s totally empty; it really doesn´t exist. If you don´t practice mindfulness, then it looks like there really is a beautiful body there, then desire arises, then you think of someone’s beautiful face and that this is not only my view. However, it is only a view. In the view of emptiness, this is suffering. It´s skin, a skeleton, bones, fluid, and blood. Remember this very powerfully. Skin is also a collection of atoms, and those atoms consist of other atoms. It´s labeled. In the view of renunciation, that is all suffering. The nature of something beautiful is suffering.

With the wisdom realizing emptiness, you can see that one who is believed to be beautiful is ugly. This view can help you. Then, you see someone else who is more beautiful, and he or she is also ugly. This lessens your problems. Morality inspires you to enjoy being a monk. This is the way you have to think. It is inspiring and joyful. In relationships there are other problems: your own emotions, or your partner leaves you, etc. Remember those things; it will inspire you. A monk's life gives the most freedom to experience happiness and liberation.