From: https://youtube.com/watch?v=s03XpZlOGYM

Context: Throughout this transcript, Bhante Vimalaramsi is the speaker unless otherwise indicated.

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it is possible Brahman to describe

gradual training gradual practice and

gradual progress in this dhamma and

discipline just as Brahman when a clever

horse trainer obtains a fine

thoroughbred Colt he first makes him get

used to wearing the bit and afterwards

trains him further so when the tataka

tha obtains a person to be tamed his he

first disciplines him thus come monk be

virtuous restrained by the restraint of

the paddy mocha be perfect and conduct

and resort and seeing fear in the

slightest fault train by undertaking the

training precept the potty mocha is the

rules for the monks every morning to

take precepts you have six old precepts

monks have 227 of them we have a lot of

things that's why when you came to start

give me a hug I started backing away one

of the precepts is that I don't touch

women on purpose and there are a variety

of other rules that I have to keep so my

behavior is not the same as a normal

layman in a lot of ways

one of the things and I think it's good

to get this on tape that monks are not

supposed to do when you give a gift to a

monk the monk is not supposed to say

thank you because if the monk says thank

you that turns that gift into a personal

gift between one person and another when

you give a gift I'm the representative

of all monks and I accept that gift on

behalf of all the monks so when I say

when you give a gift I will say solder

solder means well done and the amount of

merit that you make for giving that gift

to the entire saga is huge and it comes

back in all kinds of wonderful ways for

you but if I say thank you that turns it

into a personal gift between one person

and another you still make merit but not

very much so when I don't say thank you

but I say sigh do instead I'm actually

giving you the highest gift that I can

give you at that time and that is the

appreciation of the Sangha with the

Buddha at his head

so in this country we are all trained to

somebody gives us something we say thank

you

somebody helps us in some way they say

thank you but the training of the monks

is not to do that training of the monks

is to acknowledge your gift by saying

well done or there was one monk that he

was continually saying I rejoice in the

merit that you're making as personal

preference on that one anyway it takes a

long time to understand the rules of the

monks it takes a long time to practice

so that you don't have any breaks and

that every new moon and every full moon

when there are four monks together they

get together in a place called a SEMA

which is a consecrated ground where the

monks do all their official acts and the

we recite the entire paddy mocha in

sight we recite all of the rules when I

was in Burma had got to be a contest

amongst when they started reciting to

see how fast they could recite it now

this is 227 rose and it's a lot of pages

of rules and the the guy that had the

record at the monastery that I was at it

was 25 minutes and it was like he was

reciting and it was like no no no no no

like that that wasn't the intention of

the Buddha giving us all those rules and

to say it that fast it was for us to go

over the the rules to remind us that we

need to keep those roles and remind us

what the rules are

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