Rugged Interdependency - Amaravati Buddhist Monastery

Rugged InterdependencyGenerosity in the Land of the IndividualistAdapted from a Dhamma talk given at Abhayagiri Monastery on the occasion of the firstKathina ceremony held there, in October 1999.The Buddhist festival known as the Kathina revolves around the simple act ofoffering a piece of cloth to a monastic. But it’s really much more than that. Whatthis ceremony symbolizes is the profound relationship between the two halves ofthe Buddhist community: the Sangha and lay society. In the Kathina, there is a recognitionof the physical dependency of the monastics on their lay supporters.In the US, the idea of consciously becoming dependent on others is anathemato us. This is the land of the rugged individualist, where “we don’t need nothin’from nobody.” We get out there and do it on our own. Plough the land. Build ahouse. Make our own world. The way people relate to those living on welfare,handouts, or begging illustrates society’s view that dependence is a lower form oflife. You have failed if you are on welfare. You are in a degraded state if you needhelp. Most people would probably agree that this is the national mindset.So what on earth is this business of choosing to live on handouts for the restof your life? The setup in the Buddhist tradition runs counter to the self-sufficient,rugged-individualistic mindset. People often say to us: “You mean you don’t growanything? You just live on what people give you?” They become puzzled or upset.These things need to be explained.However it might be misconstrued by others, the Buddha himself was veryclear about the value of monastics being physically dependent on the greater laycommunity. For one, religious figures often get put into a high position in society.They become invested with a lot of power and authority by people around them.Begging is a brilliant way of limiting that area of power and control. While youmay be an extremely high and revered spiritual teacher, at the beginning of theday, your bowl is still empty. You have no money to buy what you want or to gowhere you like. There may be a lot of power and authority in some areas of yourlife, but there is zero in others. Physical dependence is a skillful way to keep thepower given to religious figures under control and in balance.We can also reflect on the four requisites as laid out by the Buddha: food,lodging, robes, and medicine. These are the basic supports for life. Because of ourdependency, we reflect on the physical needs that we have and we learn to use frugallywhat we have been giVen. We reflect on being easy to support. Of course,these are not highly refined metaphysical reflections; they are much more basic.The monk is hungry; give him food. This one’s cold; wrap some cloth around him.The relationship between the monastics and the lay community is built on thatphysical dependency. We are not able to ask for anything and therefore must relyentirely upon the effect of the quality of our lives. If our lives are useful and have114