Alms Round – The Path of Liberation for the Renunciant

 Alms Round – The Path of Liberation for the Renunciant

Within the endless flow of the Buddha’s Dhamma, one who has gone forth does not enter the homeless life in order to dwell in grand buildings with comfort and luxury, waiting for offerings or seeking consolation through praise and admiration. The Buddha taught that the life of renunciation is the abandoning of attachments, the direct realization of impermanence, suffering, and non-self, and the cultivation of purified wisdom.

Alms round, eating only one meal a day, is not a mere external ritual or an empty form of asceticism. It is a profound practice that serves as a means to purify body and mind and to let go of clinging.

A renunciant who goes on alms round does not do so merely to sustain the body, but also to cultivate patience, humility, and mindfulness. Every step taken along the streets, every portion of food received from the generosity of people, becomes a living lesson in dependent arising: the giver – the receiver – the offering – the mind – the result of kamma.

Through alms round, the renunciant directly witnesses the relationship between the world and the Dhamma, without becoming trapped in illusions of power or external appearances, where titles, status, grandeur, and accumulated writings can sometimes cause the true essence of the Dhamma to become obscured.

Eating only one meal a day — ekāsanika — is a practice found in the early Buddhist tradition, helping the body and mind become simple, reducing sensual desire, and creating conditions for the mind to settle deeply into meditation.

When no longer burdened by excessive food or attachment to material comforts, the renunciant can truly listen to the Dhamma, observe the mind, and directly see the nature of impermanence, suffering, and non-self.

This is the path of deep wisdom cultivation, transcending all fame, appearances, and external knowledge.

In reality today, many monasteries have transformed the life of renunciation into peaceful environments but have gradually lost the direct and living spirit of the Dhamma. Offerings can become merely formal practices, and sometimes wealth or comfort can obscure the true purpose of spiritual training.

To overcome this, there should be a transparent system of management and accountability for monastery resources, ensuring that all offerings are used for their proper purposes: maintaining only necessary facilities, supporting renunciants in their practice, and contributing to acts of generosity and compassion.

In this way, greed and attachment to material possessions will not become obstacles that cover the light of wisdom.

Alms Round, Eating One Meal a Day, Simplicity, and Letting Go of Wealth

Alms round, eating only one meal a day, living simply, and renouncing attachment to wealth are not merely practices of discipline; they are also expressions of wisdom, compassion, and the spirit of service to society.

A renunciant who truly practices in this way can illuminate both their own mind and the minds of others, transforming the Buddha’s teachings from mere theory into direct realization, gradually progressing toward Nibbāna.

And in order for the Buddha’s teachings not to be mixed with external forms or superstition, I propose that the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha place emphasis on preserving and spreading the original Buddhist scriptures — the Pāli Tipiṭaka, consisting of the Vinaya Piṭaka, Sutta Piṭaka, and Abhidhamma Piṭaka.

Because the early scriptures preserve the pure and foundational teachings, maintaining the most complete value for the practice of virtue (sīla), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (paññā).

Later-developed scriptures, although they may carry cultural or symbolic values, can sometimes lead people away from the direct practice of the Dhamma realized and taught by the Buddha, introducing elements of superstition, ritual seeking, or wrong views that obscure wisdom and mindfulness.

Furthermore, so that these teachings do not remain only on pages or within lecture halls, every renunciant should practice alms round daily, live simply, and maintain direct contact with the world, rather than only sitting in chanting ceremonies, striking ritual instruments, or explaining scriptures that were not spoken by the Buddha.

When this happens, the early Buddhist teachings will become a living guiding principle, illuminating the human mind, nurturing wisdom and compassion, and allowing the Dhamma to remain truly pure, profound, and accessible to human life.

Only when practitioners live in accordance with the original teachings will the Dhamma avoid sinking into empty external forms. Then the Pāli Tipiṭaka will become a lamp illuminating the path, guiding all beings on the journey toward awakening that the Buddha revealed.

– TrueDhamma –

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