Monkhood
In the “Buddhist order” the authors of each of the papers talk about the duties that monks must follow. Every action that a monk makes must reflect Buddhist beliefs. In line with this, monks follow two ideals very strongly. The first is control on desires and the second is mental tranquility. Monks that stay on earth are known as bodhisattvas or the enlightened ones. This means they have chosen to stay on earth to educate people of the middle path and other Buddhist principles rather then reaching a state of self-realization.
The most important aspect of being a Bodhisattva is setting an example for the lay person to follow. The rules for monks are very strict. For example, monks are not allowed to have any form of sexual intercourse and are not allowed to have the “emotion of love”. This includes the banning of physical contact with women in any way when excited by “passion or pervertedness”. Finally, monks are not allowed to pollute themselves with cologne's. All of these guidelines must be followed by monks as a bare minimum. Any breaking of one of these rules will cause expulsion. As mentioned earlier, the role of monks it to set a good example for people. Keeping full control of ones senses in the presence of the opposite sex requires extreme discipline and I don't think most lay people would agree to that. Instead, the purpose of practicing this ideal is to make people see that keeping control of ones desires should be an important goal in life. Along with the rules that Buddhist monks must follow, they must have respect for monkhood and always be content with the situation they are in. Overall, it takes a lot of mind power and will to make this happen. Yet most are able to keep this level of composure through out life. Monks are constantly teaching and I believe that many enlightened monks take the Bodhisattva path to be a living example of the teaching that one's desires.
The enlightened monks are a representation of another ideal to the lay person. This is of mental peace. In the article “mindful and self-possessed”, Vesali talks about being composed in all aspects of life and being mindful of ones actions. When Vesali mentions that it is obvious he is not only referring to monks but to lay people as well. They too should be mindful of there actions and maintain there mental tranquility at all times. This idea ties into the middle path. The middle path states that life should be based on moderation. One should not do any action excessively. The passage called “No Falling Back” mentions that one should not lose his aim when work is at hand. At the same time it says that one should be mindful of one's actions and follow a moderate path rather then taking things to extremes.
In conclusion, the purpose of monks is to help lay people in finding that path that will help them realize who they are as individuals.
