Anagārika

Often very ordinary things will bring up craving.

When I first became an Anagarika, you were given your robes, you have your sabong, your white sabong and a white angsa, so your shoulders exposed.

And that

was it.

And I always wanted to support him in the path of being a monk, but it was hard for him, too.

Remember, we said to Ajahn Amaro, well, when he was in Anagarika, we talked to Ajahn Amaro and said, well, when Debbie comes to the monastery, can we just go off on a walk or something? And Ajahn Amaro was like, no.

But it affected him as much as it affected me.

And the thing that's so wonderful about it is there is a lot of mutual respect and that is, the relationship is, there's something more potent about it than just being friends in real life.

It's not that easy to have ease and wellbeing.

So then, uh, in the, in the community, we do these, we do these different practices where we support each other and just as an Anagarika, helping look after the kitchen, being the head cook, and driving.

They do a lot of driving.

And then as a novice, as a samanera, learning how to put the robe on, learning how to wear the brown robes, perhaps feeling out of place or a sense of not feeling worthy, not feeling worthy of the robes.

I'm only good because there are people worse than me.

At our monastery, we never speak to our monks, anagarikas or anagarikas, about any of these things that happen outside, about what's going

on with

certain members of the monastic order or the conduct that you are exposed to, that you see on TV, on social media.

He was, um, a young man.

His name was Jeremy, and he was a bhikkhu or he was an anagarika in Wat Banana Chard in Thailand, a new anagarika there.

And, uh, i-in [clears throat] in the schedule of the day, the monks very much looked forward to a cup of tea at some point in the afternoon, and the anagarika's job was to make the tea.

So there was another anagarika from France who was making the tea, but he'd been given tea that was very unusual, something like twig tea or something rather complicated.

He didn't know how to, how to make the tea properly.

So he did his very best, but he made a terrible mess.

This tea was going to be absolutely disgusting.

So Ajahn Amaro, Jeremy, turns up, and the, the anagarika is saying, "I just don't know what I'm gonna do.

You see dollar signs in his eyes.

All you can feel is fear, uncertainty and feeling a deep sense of why me? Why did I not just listen to Hamdur and go and become an Anagarika? If I had done that I wouldn't have to go through this experience.

So when you're suffering the consequences of not listening to what we tell you, those times.

So it's five minutes past 10 and this conversation has to go on for an hour or the client must sign.

Maybe I missed some things, so I did re-read these things later on.

But it's something I recommend for the new people now, the Anagarikas, because I did that, so I benefited from it, and I figure, well, we're not like...

Ajahn Chah or the Buddha don't necessarily know the best teaching for individuals, but if we can have these anagarikas read the suttas cover to cover, and it's not required, but it's just a recommendation.

read the suttas cover to cover, then there's going to be something in there.

What's going to happen tomorrow? Well, I've got this plan, but not sure.

Or what is it going to be like a year from now or...

Sometimes for Anagarikas, well, what is it going to be like when I become a novice? What's my name going to be? I'm not sure.

That might not be your name.

Let us not forget among them will be the monks and nuns, residing in local temples and nunneries, who have always been by your side, the thick and thin, coming to shine.

Let us also take a moment to transfer merits to Gurus and nuns, as well as all the monks who are in the monastery, as well as Anagarikas and Agarikas attached to the monastery.

I take a moment to transfer merits expressly of gratitude to those who made great efforts to spread the teachings of the Buddha, be there by translating the sermons, sharing them out with others, inviting others to join them.

May the power of the merits, if any of them, have been born in the Mokhu planes.

These are the things that we see every day, all day.

I mean, if you are like this, if you are this, could just imagine how good the monks must be, how good the Anagarikas must be, and how good the Anagarikas must be.

If you are like this, You understand what I mean? If you are this good, just imagine how good the people I live my life with are, and that is the people I spend every day with.

All we do is talk about good stuff, noble stuff, gentleness, kindness, paramita, effort, determination, resolve, perseverance.