Question asked by Tom
Is sponsorship and money for a an individual monk allowed by the vinaya rules?, because in the past I had a tibetan monk asking demanding, and persisting in me donating to him for his trips. I always thought the 30 nissaggiya pacittiya (confession with forfeiture) rules, specifically rule 18 amd rule 30 disallow this action. I know it's allowed for laypeople to donate to the sangha community, and a monestery as a whole but unsure about individuals. Could you pastors please clarify this for me?
Dear Tom,
Thank you for your question. A monk within the Buddhist tradition is called a Bhikshu in Sanskrit, this work roughly translates as ‘one who begs’. Therefore their means of physical survival depends on receiving sponsorship from others. While the central scripture of the monastic vows is known as the Pratimoksha Sutra, there are many other scriptures and commentaries in the Vinaya basket of teachings.
The vows you are referring to, actually state that a monk should not accept money themselves. In the past, monks had lay attendants who took care of their needs, or if they were in the monastery, their needs would be taken care of by the collective sangha. These days, this may not always be possible, therefore monks would need to take care of their own needs. This would necessarily include asking for sponsorship on an individual basis.
In regards to donating to individual monks, this is actually allowed, as long as the sponsor is willing to do so and the money is spent on something that is positive for the monk, and not something that would contradict his vows.
Leaving aside the topic of survival through materials needs, such as food, robes, shelter, etc. There are other areas in which a monk may ask for donations towards a specific project. For example, if the monk is helping in the construction of a monastic building, and asks for sponsorship, it is very good to give, because this will benefit people. If the monk requests for sponsorship towards Dharma items, such as printing of scriptures or making of Buddha statues, this is also a beneficial act. If a monk is travelling for Dharma purposes, this is also a good event to sponsor, since people will benefit from it.
That being said, the monk asking for sponsorship should be extremely humble when asking and should not be demand and persisting. They should follow the Vinaya rules well, to the best of their ability. If they are demanding this for their own personal trip, for non-Dharma purposes or for a reason that directly contradicts the monastic precepts, this is not in accord with the Dharma. If a monk asks or demands specific gifts from a sponsor, or asks for sponsorship which the sponsor originally intended for the sangha community at large, this contradicts the vows you have mentioned. I hope this helps.
Thank you.