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Thirty-Seven Fine Manners: The Beauty of Freedom of a Practitioner
Fine manners are the beauty expressing the dignity of a practitioner, the smile and way of interacting in daily life; they are a sign of the presence of mindfulness, sovereignty, freedom, and stability. There are thirty-seven chapters on fine manners to learn and practice. The first chapter is on respecting the teacher: do not call him directly by name; stand up when the teacher arrives except when chanting, shaving one’s head, eating formal meals, doing community work, or being sick; the status of a Dharma teacher is attained after five years, and an Upadhyaya after ten years. The second chapter is on being an attendant: learn the way the teacher walks, stands, lies down, sits, speaks, interacts, and helps others; knock on the door three times gently; do not prostrate when the teacher is sitting in meditation, doing walking meditation, eating formal meals, giving a Dharma talk, practicing mindfulness, bathing, or using the restroom.
The third chapter is on following the teacher: prepare robes, clothes, medicines, hot water bag, sitting mat, towel, sutras, and Dharma instruments; walk behind the teacher, avoiding stepping on the teacher’s shadow. The fifth chapter is on prostrating: five points touching the ground, letting go of the self, offering one’s whole body, health, talent, intelligence, and knowledge to the Buddha and the Sangha. The seventh chapter is on listening to Dharma talks: listen with a mind free from comparison and judgment. The eighth chapter is on studying sutras: focus on basic sutras such as the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing, the Four Establishments of Mindfulness, the Four Right Diligences, and the Four Bases of Success; do not read novels, detective stories, martial arts stories, sentimental stories, romance stories, and miscellaneous books and newspapers.
When eating, practice the Five Contemplations, chew carefully thirty to fifty times, and do not eat separately from the Sangha. When entering a temple or stupa to pay respects to the monks, enter through the left or right door, and circumambulate from left to right. When working with the Sangha, follow the direction of the work coordinator, and do not lose yourself in the work. One must take the spirit of the Six Harmonies as a compass, knowing how to love, help, share, and support one another.