[Buddha-l] H.H. The Dalai Lama vs Geshe Michael Roach

[Vicente Gonzalez]

Bankei wrote:

B> A Bhikkhu sexually active is just not acceptable.

this remember a past thread about the need of Vinaya precepts for the
lay people.
 
In a recent article "The challenge to the Sangha in the 21st century"
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=8,2928,0,0,1,0 
Bhikkhu Bodhi writes about a challenge for the future of Buddhist
Sangha, which will be solved by means more technology, education and
scholar knowledge for the monks.

I think he can be mistaken. What people expect of Buddhist monks it's
authenticity, an open heart and a respect for their own style of 
life. People don't look the help of Buddhist monks to be dazzled with
more technology, scholarly knowledge and the rest. We are surrounded
of information an knowledge every day. Our society is increasing
hedonist and selfish, and when somebody turns his look towards
spiritual solutions, nobody need more useless knowledge and
technology. 

In this way, demanding Vinaya precepts or some strict moral schema for
beginners (as some people suggested here) it will be a quick way to
reject teaching. Because it cannot be conciliated with our actual
urban societies.
At the other side, when people turn their look towards monks who are
following Vinaya, there is the hope to find a reflection of Buddha
life. Never some erudite "who knows more than me", because when one 
leave for some time the lay life, one don't expect to find that type
of knowledge. This list and others are replete of erudites and it is
useful for the practice only in a very scarce part, and everybody
knows this. 

So I think these cases of discipline vows are also close related with
a more clear delimitation of these borders. Because in fact, that man
wants to be a monk living a lay life, and he thinks that's possible,
and also some people around him seems to be able of believing that.


br,