Standards of Discipline

The Buddhist Monk's Discipline: Some Points Explained for Laypeople, by Bhikkhu Khantipalo

One important principle to remember about the Vinaya is that a life based upon its principles is very different from the ordinary life. The Vinaya guides a bhikkhu in conducting himself so as to "go against the stream" (of craving) and his life and way of doing things is often opposed to the ways of one who "enjoys the five strands of sense-pleasures." Take food again as an example. An ordinary person not undertaking any religious discipline may eat, his mind delighted by sense-impressions of taste, smell, color, and so forth, and probably therefore overwhelmed with greed. He may chatter with others and, if the food is delicious, overeat. Restraint and mindfulness, by contrast, are the marks of a good bhikkhu taking his food, which he regards as medicine to keep his body going and, should greed arise, he uses the meditation upon the loathsomeness of food to dissolve it. He talks but little, has his senses under control and eats only moderately.

The reason for this difference of attitude is not hard to see. One who is blown about by the winds of craving throughout his life, not understanding kamma and its fruits, and therefore not grasping the meaning of dukkha, is set on no sure course and wins little advantage in his or her life as a human being. One who wishes to become a bhikkhu, on the other hand, has determined upon a definite course of action which is given guidance by the Vinaya and his practice of it, after his acceptance (upasampada). The Dhammapada (verse 75) emphasizes this:

One is the way to worldly gain,
Another to Nibbana leads.
Clearly comprehending this
The bhikkhu-follower of the Buddha
Should not delight in honor and gain
But devote himself to solitude.
— Dhp 75

It may be that some of the training rules to be dealt with below will seem strange and complicated — even unnecessary. They are unnecessary for a layman, but they have a definite part in the life of a bhikkhu and help him generally in developing that scrupulousness which is so essential to bhikkhu-life. For this reason, lay-people who are so fortunate as to be able to invite a good bhikkhu to their towns, should be truly pleased to help him keep the Vinaya. Those who do this, which is the doing of what is a little difficult and therefore requires effort but bears splendid fruit, are themselves undertaking the training rightly. A bhikkhu such as the verses below depict is really worthy of help and support:

For a bhikkhu wise who practices this Sasana,
Control of senses and contentment too.
And by the Patimokkha well-restrained,
And company of keen and noble friends
Who follow purity of livelihood —
Such things as these being the holy life.
The bhikkhu who has in the Buddhasasana
Serenist joy and faith that satisfies,
Surely he can reach unto the State of Peace,
The bliss of pacifying all conditioned things.
— Dhp 375, 381

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Source: http://www.accesstoinsight.org