Does one really need parental consent to become a monk?

Why do you want to become a monk? This is very important

Being a monk is not an escape. Today’s monks may not be pure

Look at the people coming and going in every temple from morning to night There are many people, more people than those who come into contact with at work and at home

There is very little time for real practice

I see that many people who practice at home are more comfortable and leisurely than those who become monks

There is little time at home Troubles at home

There are troubles about becoming a monk

Whether you are a monk at home or a monk, only by letting your heart be calm, see through and let go can you truly realize that the four great things are empty

The four great things are empty, they are earth, water, fire and wind. I am empty

The truth is profound and unclear

If you see through me, will there be anything else in the world

Everything is either what you think or what you are attached to

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Let go and free yourself. As long as you help others, you can also feel the value of your existence and you will be happy

Don't use their mistakes to punish yourself and face life well

Stargazing. Laugh at the floating clouds and understand all things. Now that you have seen it through

What else is there...Thank you to the person who hurt you because he has tempered your will

Thank you to the person who deceived you because he has enhanced your will. Insight

Thank you to the person who whipped you because he eliminated your karma

Thank you to the person who abandoned you because he taught you to be self-reliant

Thank you for tripping you up Thank you to the person who scolded you because he strengthened your ability

Thank you for the person who criticized you because he strengthened your concentration and wisdom

What is a true monk

Unprofitable No merit is to become a monk. Those who have a dharma can be said to be beneficial and meritorious. The husband who becomes a monk is doing nothing. There is no benefit and no merit in the inaction method. . A monk has no other, no here, and no middle. Away from the sixty-two views is Nirvana. The holy place where the wise go.

Subjugate all demons and save the five realms. Purify the five eyes, gain five powers and establish five roots. Don't be upset with him. Abandon all miscellaneous evil and destroy all heretics. Beyond pseudonyms comes out of the mud. No ties, no self. Nothing is disturbed. I cherish the intention of loving and protecting him. Follow the meditation and stay away from common mistakes. If you can really become a monk like this. Then Vimalakīrti spoke to all the elders’ sons. You should become a monk during the dharma rectification. So what? The Buddha’s world is hard to come by. All the elders said. layman. I heard the Buddha's words. If your parents don't listen, you can't leave home. Vimalakīrti spoke. Then you will take up the aspiration of Anuttara-samyaksambodhi and become a monk. That is enough.

What is the goal of becoming a monk

The conditions and methods of becoming a monk

(1) Based on the Tathagata’s dharma and vinaya, and the country relevant regulations. People who want to take the ordination and become a monk must, in addition to having pious, respectful and correct beliefs, also meet the following conditions:

1. The consent of parents or guardians (Buddhism can be accommodated), and the parents’ Bring the written consent, along with your ID card, household registration certificate (issued by the police station), and physical examination certificate (not required in some places) to the temple you think you are destined for.

2. Complete limbs (Buddha system). (Those with missing limbs, crooked limbs, paralysis, polio patients, leprosy patients, crooked heads, etc. who cannot walk upright are not allowed to take the ordination and become a monk.)

3. The five senses should be straight (Buddhist system). (Blind, cross-eyed, deaf, missing ears, crooked mouth, rabbit mouth or missing mouth, mute, etc. are not allowed to take the ordination and become a monk.)

4. Have not contracted any serious contagious disease (Buddhist system) , you can become a monk after you recover). (Such as AIDS, various skin diseases, etc. However, colds are not included in this example.

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5. Those who do not have debt problems (Buddhist rule, you can become a monk after paying off your debts). (For example: those who are bankrupt or have failed businesses and are in debt.)

6. Those who have not violated national laws (criminal) or are involved in lawsuits. (Referring to those wanted by the police. This does not apply to those who have committed crimes but have been released from prison.) (Buddhist system can be accommodated)

7. The novice must be no less than 7 years old (Buddhist system), The age of a novice is not less than 17 years old (Government). (In the Buddhist system, those who are over 20 years old can receive great ordination, and those who are under 20 can become a novice monk. There is no upper limit for the age of becoming a monk. When the Buddha was alive, he had to be 120 years old before he became a monk and received the ordination. But at least he must be able to take care of himself and have the ability to practice and practice. Keep the precepts, otherwise you are not allowed to become a monk.)

8. Be mentally sound (Buddhist rule, you can become a monk after recovering from illness). (Refers to those who do not suffer from any mental illness, such as schizophrenia, schizophrenia, epilepsy and other diseases that cause loss of consciousness and reason.)

9. Mentally sound and normal. (Hermaphrodites are not allowed to become monks. Buddhist system) [Buddhist system]

(2) Methods and regulations for the implementation of the ultimatum system in Chinese Buddhism across the country.

Those who want to become a monk must be voluntary, possess the six roots (including no physical defects), be in good health, have pious beliefs [Buddhism], be patriotic and abide by the law (including no legal disputes), have parental permission, and have no marriage or romantic relationship. . For those who request to become a monk, the temple will find out their identity and origin, and determine that they meet the conditions for becoming a monk, and pass the inspection by the Sangha for more than one year (things to be done in the test stage: recite five lessons, [non-Buddhist system] learn novice rituals [Buddhist system] ], learn basic knowledge of Buddhism), you can worship a monk, and women can worship a bhikshuni as a tonsure master, and regularly hold tonsure ceremonies in front of the Buddha, that is, shave off the beard and hair, and replace secular clothes with monk attire [Buddhist system]. [Non-Buddhist system] Remove the secular surname and change it to Shi, and the master will choose a Dharma name and title according to the respective Dharma sect. and issue ultimatums as required. Then after a short period of training, you can receive the Ten Precepts and become a novice or novice. Novice monk is translated according to ancient Indian phonetics, and its meaning is "one who stops evil and does good". Those who have obtained the qualification of novice or novice are candidates for bhikkhu or bhikshuni.

(3) The academic requirements for becoming a monk are not a university degree as many people say. There are no national regulations (only monks who serve as abbots are required to have a junior high school education or above, but the requirements are not too strict). Local governments set their own standards according to their own actual conditions (the Chengdu Civil and Religious Affairs Bureau currently stipulates that it is a high school education, but in fact many still have elementary school education). Cultural monkhood). (Non-Buddhist system)

Unless it is marked as [Buddhist system], all the above are not Buddhist system. The basis for this is found in the "Sifen Vinaya". Since unordained lay people and novice monks are not allowed to read the "Sifen Vinaya", the specific sources of the classics are not listed. The above [Buddhist system] content is not comprehensive enough, but I hope it will be helpful to those who want to know how to become a monk.

You can become a monk in any temple

The most important thing is the purpose of becoming a monk

Why you become a monk

Seeking the conditions for becoming a monk 2007 -08-24 20:41 Master Shengyan

Some people think that becoming a monk is the easiest thing. As long as you shave your hair and change your clothes, you will be a monk. But there are also some people who often ask monks: "What are the conditions for becoming a monk?" The answer they can get is also very simple. It either says, "There are no conditions, just have faith." Or, " There are so many conditions that it’s impossible to explain them all at once.”

In fact, before Buddhism, not only was everyone equal, but all sentient beings were equal, so everyone was eligible to become a monk, no matter what. Rich and poor, noble and humble, wise and foolish, saints and mortals, Buddhism accommodates all. So it is very easy to become a monk.

However, bribery is just based on basic equality, and does not mean acceptance without discrimination. Otherwise, Buddhism will become a trash can harboring filth and evil! Therefore, the prerequisite for learning Buddhism (not being a monk) is to come. If you don’t refuse, the requirements for becoming a monk include thirteen levels of difficulty and sixteen levels of lightness. Now they are as follows:

The first and thirteenth level of difficulty: those who are bad at both inside and outside Taoism (heretics who do destructive work to become a monk) Those who break other's holy life (those who are also pure precepts and commit adultery), those who have a treacherous mind and enter the Tao (those who eavesdrop on the precepts), those who have yellow gates (people who have no sexual function), those who have two roots (those who have both male and female sexual organs), those who transform animals into human forms , non-human beings transformed into human form, committing side crimes (those who once took the precepts but violated the major precepts), killing their fathers, killing their mothers, killing Arhats, breaking the harmony of the monks, and bleeding the Buddha's body.

Second, sixteenth grade: not to save slaves, not to save thieves, not to save debtors, not to give full precepts to those under twenty years old, not to save leprosy, white leprosy, carbuncle, People with mental disorders and other diseases (anyone who is mentally and physically weak or whose facial features are not correct will not be saved), those whose parents do not listen will not be saved, and those who are not serving in the military and public service shall not receive the great precepts without robes or beggings, nor may they accept the great precepts by borrowing someone else's robes. Those who do not take the precepts by their own names are not allowed to take the precepts; those who refuse to call the monks by their names are not allowed to take the precepts; those who teach people to beg for precepts but do not beg for precepts are not allowed to take the precepts; and those who wear layman's clothes and decorations are not allowed to take the precepts. Just as it is said in Baiyi Karma: "Those who are upright will become a monk, and those who are pure will become a monk (receive the great precepts)."

This is the condition for becoming a monk. The so-called difficult people, as long as they take on one difficulty, they will be successful in this life. If you don't listen to the Buddhist teachings and become a monk, even if you cover it up lightly, it can eliminate the cause. You can become a monk at any time. According to the Sa?vata treatise, "When you are sixty years old, you are not allowed to receive the great precepts. If you have a teacher or a monk to forcibly teach you, you are not allowed to take the precepts. You can only accept the precepts as a novice. If you are under seven years old, you will not receive the precepts. If you do accept the precepts, you will continue to do bad things." ."

No one is allowed to become a monk if he is too young or too old. The Sangha Rule says, "If you are seven years younger or older than seven years old, you should not become a monk." If you are over seventy, you will be able to do anything. If you are less than seventy, you will not be able to do anything. You will have to sit down and stand up, and you will not be allowed to become a monk. If you are over seventy, you will be healthy and able to practice various karma, you will be allowed to become a monk."

It can be seen that no one under the age of seven or over seventy is allowed to become a monk. Before the age of twenty and after the age of sixty, although they are allowed to become a monk, they are not allowed to receive the monk's ordination. The younger one is the novice monk, the older one is the old novice monk. He will eventually become a great monk, but the old novice will never receive the great ordination. The requirements for these conditions are all set by Buddhism. However, some Buddhists are limited to talking about it on paper. When they go to the altar to hold the instructions, the professors and ordained monks will certainly ask for help, but they have never seen a new ordination being difficult. Lived and covered. In some ordination halls, because of the greed of many disciples, they know that the young novice monks are not twenty years old yet, so they actually teach them to lie and say that they are over twenty years old. If the ordination halls are made more beautiful, the ordained monks will give them a few years in order to make up for it. Twenty years old, this is a joke! People with leprosy, blindness, and lameness can also receive full precepts. As for those who are over sixty years old, of course it is more convenient! Can those people get it? Precepts, of course, are a problem. Whether the precept masters in the precepts field should take some responsibilities of taking the law lightly and slowing down the rules is another question! Because of this, no wonder most people think that monks are the best to do.

If it is required to be more in line with the requirements of the Buddhist system, in modern times, ordinators certainly use careful criteria to select disciples who become monks; You must submit a health examination form and undergo an in-person oral examination before deciding whether to ordain. Otherwise, the conditions mentioned are not conditions at all, but a false pretense.

The key is your understanding. If you feel that becoming a monk is the best choice in life, and only by taking this path can your life be meaningful. Having this concept is the most basic condition for choosing to become a monk. If you haven't formed this understanding yet, don't become a monk yet. In addition, the relationship at home must be handled well. It is said in Buddhist scriptures that if parents do not listen, they cannot leave home. But this is not a principle. In history, there were many eminent monks and great virtues, such as the old monk Xuyun, who became a monk even though they did not seek the consent of their parents. There are many such situations in real life, because many parents do not understand Buddhism at all, and it is impossible to get them to agree to become a monk. Therefore, some people run away regardless of whether their parents agree or not, and there are many such cases.

If you are married, of course you must divorce before becoming a monk.

In terms of age, the precepts stipulate that you cannot become a monk under the age of 7, and you cannot become a monk over the age of 60, because at that age you cannot even take care of basic life on your own, and you have to be supported by others. Therefore, you cannot become a monk if you do not have the ability to live independently, and you cannot let others take care of you after becoming a monk. There are also other conditions. For example, if you hold a more important party and government position, you must resign before you can become a monk; if you owe a debt, you must pay off the debt before you can become a monk; there are also other conditions, such as intersex people cannot become a monk. , those who have committed serious crimes such as destroying other people's holy lives, stealing their homes, etc. cannot become a monk. That is, people who have pretended to be family members and participated in important meetings within the Sangha cannot become a monk. In short, there are thirteen situations that will cause obstacles to becoming a monk. This is mainly to ensure the healthy development of Buddhism.

Now let’s answer some other questions you are concerned about. For monks, neither household registration nor records are important. Many monks in monasteries do not have household registration, and few have actually transferred their household registration to the temple. There are more than 300 monks living in Nanputuo where I live, and only about 20 to 30 people have household registration. If the temple hopes that some people can live there for a long time and stably, it will try to move their household registration to the temple, but for monks, these are not important. Regardless of whether they have household registration or not, the treatment is the same. In addition, whichever temple you live in will provide you with daily needs and medical expenses. The temple's economy is independent, and the state's policy towards the temple is to support itself. Each temple has its own source of income. Some temples own land and can engage in some agricultural production, and many temples derive their income from tourism. The basic life of the monks is absolutely guaranteed, and when possible, the temple will use part of its income for charity and Dharma promotion activities.