Duties and Responsibilities for Monks
-Alms Gathering
-Temple cleaning
-Confession
-Chanting and Meditation
-Mindfulness
-Caring for Teachers
-Management, Maintenance and Exercise
-Dhamma and Monastic Studies
-Caring for Temple Property and Responsibility
-Behaviour worthy of Respect
9. Caring for Temple Property and Responsibility
Temple property means anything that has been donated to,or built for in the name of religion.
Every monk in the temple must co-operate to help care for all these things. Otherwise laymen will not continue
to make merit by donating goods. You will see that some temples have been abandoned, and the reason for this is
that the monks did not take proper care of the temple. Taking care of the temple will instill a desire for fixing
and looking after things.
If one screw falls out of a car engine, for example, there might be a squeaking noise. If left uncorrected, it might lead to greater problems that can have more seriousconsequences, when you actually get around to fix it, it might cost much more money that if you had simply replace that first missing screw. Moreover,this all could have been avoided if you have the inclination to fix problems when they occur, rather than procrastinating. How can we avoid all these
problems? When you become a monk you should yourself by constantly be aware of things that need to be done and doing them sooner ratherthan later.
Monk’s responsibilities are things that he must do, on top of all the usual daily routine he must perform, such as chanting in the assembly hall, chanting for special occasions, or any sort of activity that must be done for the temple. Paying attention to one’s duty means paying attention to all of the needs of the temple.
The Benefits of Caring for Temple Property and Responsibility
It helps you to become a person who has self-sacrifice and consideration.Even if you leave the monkhood, people will respect you and care about you for these qualities.
