Fine Manners Offenses

Seventy Fine Manners Offenses (Shaiksha)

1. A bhikshu should not talk, laugh, joke, whistle,

sing, shout to someone far off, chew his food, use a

toothpick, or talk on the telephone while walking.

2. A bhikshu, while walking, should not join his

palms in greeting, snap his fingers, swing his arms,

sway his body, move his arms and legs as if he

were dancing, skip, turn his face up to the sky, or

walk in haste.

3. A bhikshu, while walking, should not be putting

on clothes or adjusting his robe.

4. A bhikshu, while walking, should not drag or

stamp his feet, nor take very long strides.

5. A bhikshu should not speak in such a way to

probe into someone’s personal life to discover his

faults. He should not speak with a sharp, sarcastic,

or rough voice, nor should he interrupt someone

who is speaking.

6. A bhikshu should practice to speak softly and

slowly, not talking too fast and swallowing his

words. He should not speak so loudly that his

voice drowns the voices of others.

7. A bhikshu should not tell ghost or horror stories

which water the seeds of fear in another person.

8. A bhikshu should not imitate someone else’s

way of speaking or manner in order to make fun of

that person.

9. A bhikshu should not laugh too loudly, open his

mouth too wide, nor yawn or pick his teeth

without covering his mouth.

10. A bhikshu should not squat. He should sit

solidly and at ease with his back upright, without

shaking his legs or swinging or tapping his feet.

11. A bhikshu should not sit in a place where

people are drinking alcohol, eating meat, gambling,

using abusive language, disrespectfully teasing each

other, or speaking badly about others.

12. A bhikshu should practice lying on his right

side to go to sleep as this is the most peaceful and

healthy position.

13. A bhikshu should not lie down in a place where

people pass by, nor should he read or chant the

sutras when lying down, except in special cases.

14. A bhikshu should not stand with his hands on

his hips, nor should he hold his hands behind his

back.

15. A bhikshu should not choose only the best

tasting food for himself.

16. A bhikshu, while eating, should not talk and

should not chew and swallow his food in a rush.

He should chew each mouthful slowly about thirty

times before swallowing.

17. A bhikshu should not chew and slurp loudly,

lick the food from his bowl or plate with his

tongue, nor should he open his mouth too wide

when putting food into it.

18. A bhikshu should not put down his empty

bowl when those who have been ordained longer

than him are still eating in a formal meal. He should

not stand up in the middle of the meal, nor stand

up as soon as he has finished eating, before the

sound of the bell.

19. A bhikshu should not leave leftover food when

he is finished eating.

20. A bhikshu should eat lightly in the evening so

that he feels light in body and avoids wasting time

cooking.

21. A bhikshu should not buy luxurious and

expensive food items, such as tea, sweets and so

on, except in special cases.

22. A bhikshu should care for his alms bowl with

respect and should not use more than one alms

bowl.

23. A bhikshu should not make noise with his

spoon or chopsticks against his alms bowl.

24. A bhikshu should always be neatly dressed

wearing his long robe when he goes outside the

monastery.

25. A bhikshu should dry his undergarments in the

designated place.

26. A bhikshu should not dress untidily or wear

dirty robes and should bathe regularly enough so

that his body does not have odors.

27. A bhikshu should exercise regularly so that he

remains strong and healthy and should learn the

way to conserve the three energies (sexual, breath,

and spirit.)

28. A bhikshu should clean his teeth after every

meal and while cleaning his teeth should not walk

back and forth, talk, laugh, or joke.

29. A bhikshu should not sleep on the same bed as

a layman, except in special circumstances for

which he has informed the other bhikshus.

30. A bhikshu should not sleep on the same bed

with another monk. In the case in which there are

not enough beds, it is possible to share a bed

temporarily, but they should not use the same

blanket. In the case in which there is no other

option and they have to share a blanket, they

should be fully clothed.

31. A bhikshu should not sleep without wearing a

shirt and should not sleep wearing only shorts.

32. A bhikshu who has a nightmare should not

allow himself to go back to sleep immediately, but

should sit up and massage so that the blood

circulates evenly, or practice walking meditation

outside for ten minutes before going back to sleep.

If he has a seminal emission while sleeping, he

should rise early to take a shower and change his

clothes so that he is on time for the early morning

sitting and chanting.

33. A bhikshu should not join his palms to bow in

a mechanical way, without mindfulness. When

receiving an offering, he should bow, joining his

palms like a lotus bud.

34. A bhikshu should practice looking deeply

while touching the earth, not just prostrating

mechanically, and while in this position his four

limbs and forehead should touch the ground.

35. A bhikshu should not urinate or defecate near a

stupa or shrine, in a place which is not shielded

from view, in a vegetable plot, or in a flowing body

of water.

36. A bhikshu should knock slowly three times

before entering someone else’s room.

37. A bhikshu should not leave his shoes or

slippers untidily, but should leave them neatly in a

straight line.

38. A bhikshu should neatly arrange and tidy

everything when he is finished using it.

39. A bhikshu should not leave his clothes soaking

for a long period of time without washing and

drying them so that they do not disintegrate in a

short time.

40. A bhikshu, before inviting the sound of any

bell, should breathe in and out mindfully three

times and recite the gatha for inviting the bell.

When he hears the sound of the bell, he should

stop all thinking, speech, and movement, and

practice mindful breathing.

41. A bhikshu should respect the schedule of the

Sangha by being present and arriving on time for all

activities so that he may be a model for his fellow

practitioners.

42. A bhikshu should not arrive in the Dharma Hall

after the teacher has arrived and should not leave in

the middle of the Dharma talk. While listening to a

recording of a Dharma talk he should sit upright,

listening with all his attention and respect as he

would in the Dharma Hall.

43. A bhikshu, when hearing the telephone ring,

should give rise to mindfulness, returning to his

breathing for at least three breaths before picking

up the telephone. He should use the telephone

only for necessary conversations, sitting in an

upright posture, using loving speech, and without

speaking too loudly, teasing, or joking.

44. A bhikshu, upon hearing the person on the

other end of the line making unnecessary

conversation, should find a way to politely excuse

himself before hanging up the telephone.

45. A bhikshu should not use a portable telephone

during sitting or walking meditation, sutra chanting,

Sangha meetings, or study classes.

46. A bhikshu, while bathing, should not sing,

recite the sutras, talk loudly, tease, or joke.

47. A bhikshu, while cooking or working, should

practice mindfulness just as he does during sitting

meditation or other Dharma practices and should

move around in a calm manner, without rushing.

48. A bhikshu who is given a special task by the

Sangha should not use it in such a way to give him

authority or consider that his work is more

important than others’ work. He should be aware

that all kinds of work done to serve the Sangha are

equally important.

49. A bhikshu, when receiving a task from the

Sangha, no matter how important it is, should

always do it with ease and freedom, not taking

advantage of it to unnecessarily excuse himself

from activities of the Sangha.

50. A bhikshu should not take on more work

beyond his capability or state of health. He should

not be afraid of inconveniencing others and accept

more work, which will then make him anxious,

tired, and dispirited.

51. A bhikshu who is studying teachings of a

profound, metaphysical, and mystical nature,

should constantly ask himself how he may apply

these teachings in his daily life to transform his

suffering and realize liberation.

52. A bhikshu should not read books and sutras

without applying the basic and essential practices

of Buddhism in order to transform his afflictions

and habit energies.

53. A bhikshu, in addition to reading books on

Buddhism, should also read books on the history

of civilizations of the world, general history and

teachings of other religious faiths, applied

psychology, and the most recent scientific

discoveries. These areas of knowledge can help him

to understand and share the teachings with people

in a way that is appropriate to their situation.

54. A bhikshu should only ask to leave his Sangha

and practice elsewhere when he sees that there are

not enough conditions for his progress in his

present situation. He should choose to go to a

monastery where there is harmony and happiness

in the Sangha.

55. A bhikshu, when he sees anger arising in

himself, should not say or do anything, but

practice mindful breathing, not continuing to listen

and give attention to the person whom he thinks is

the cause of his anger. If necessary he may go

outside to practice walking meditation to look

deeply, recognizing that the main cause of his anger

is the seed of anger within himself.

56. A bhikshu should have another monk as a

second body to look after and support, just as he

himself is the second body of another monk who

supports and looks after him.

57. A bhikshu should not go outside the monastery

at night, except in an emergency. If he does have to

go outside, he should let the Sangha know and

another monk should accompany him.

58. A bhikshu should bring one formal robe with

him if he has to be away from his monastery

overnight.

59. A bhikshu, while driving, should not make

unnecessary conversation, tease, joke, talk on the

telephone, or read the map. He should not drive his

vehicle alongside another vehicle to hold a

conversation with the driver of the other vehicle

nor honk the horn of his car in irritation at another

vehicle. He should not drive faster than the official

speed limit.

60. A bhikshu, while driving, should wear his seat

belt, should have his driver’s license and the

official papers of the car he is driving with him.

When getting into a car or onto a motorbike he

should arrange his robes so that they do not hang

outside the car or get stuck in the wheel of the

motorbike.

61. A bhikshu who is driving on a long trip and

begins to feel sleepy or tired, should ask someone

else to drive. If there is no one to replace him, he

should stop the car and rest until he feels refreshed

and awake, aware that the lives of the passengers

in the car he is driving depend on his careful

attention.

62. A bhikshu should not go into a shop or area

where toxic books, magazines, and posters are

displayed or sold.

63. A bhikshu should not tease and joke with a

vendor.

64. A bhikshu who, going outside of the

monastery, meets a high monk or nun of his own

tradition should stop, join his palms, and exchange

greetings with him or her. If he meets a monk or

nun of a different tradition, he should do the same.

65. A bhikshu should not visit his family more

frequently than the Sangha’s guidelines allow. He

may regularly write home to his family, sharing his

happiness and spiritual practice so that his

family’s happiness and faith in the practice will

increase. He should not tell his family about the

difficulties he encounters in his life as a monk in

such a way that they become concerned and

anxious about him.

66. A bhikshu, when helping to resolve difficult

situations in his family, should use his energy of

mindfulness and share the practices of deep

listening and loving speech.

67. A bhikshu, when visiting his family, should not

keep asking for one thing after another, and when

his family gives him something, he should share it

with the Sangha.

68. A bhikshu, when receiving and talking with

visiting laypeople in the monastery, should refrain

from taking part in conversations about worldly

matters containing blame, criticism, or

discrimination. Rather he should listen deeply to

the lay practitioner’s suffering, and using his own

experience in the practice, should offer concrete

practices which will help the lay practitioner

transform himself as well as the situation in his

family and society.

69. A bhikshu, when receiving and talking with

visiting laypeople in the monastery, should not

listen to tales about the shortcomings of other

practice centers or monks or nuns from other

temples.

70. A bhikshu should not try to find ways to be in

close contact only with people who are powerful,

wealthy, or famous.

From Freedom Wherever We Go by Thich Nhat Hanh