The monk needs to practice Patimokkhasanvarasila (Restraint in accordance with the monastic disciplinary code) with faith because Patimokkhasanvarasila is achieved by faith (Saddha-sadhana). Monks who ordain in this religion must observe the precepts enacted by Lord Buddha with faith and keep them at all costs in order to purify Patimokkhasanvarasila. Lord Buddha said, “Monks must observe Sila with respect all the time, like a bird protecting its eggs, a Yak protecting its tail, a mother guarding her children or the one-eyed man protecting his other eye.”

Lord Buddha said, “The Ocean has a natural limit and will not cross the beach. Paharada!. This is the same with the Tathagata’s disciples who observe well at all costs the precepts that the Tathagata enacted.” Here is an example:

Bandits tied a senior monk with vines and left him lying in the forest. While the senior monk was lying, he practiced Vipassana for seven days and attained Anagami (Non-Returner), then, he died and was reborn into the Brahman world.

In another example, bandits tied another senior monk with vines and left him lying on Tambapannidipo. When a forest fire came close, he practiced Vipassana until he attained Arahant (a Perfect One). He passed away (Parinibbana) from there. Another senior monk named Abhaya was traveling with 500 monks and found the body of that first senior monk and they built a Cetiya to contain his relics. Thus, monks with faith will purify the Patimokkhasanvarasila at all cost and will not destroy the Silasanvara enacted by Lord Buddha.

The monk who observes Patimokkhasanvarasila well with faith, also observes control of the senses (Indriyasanvarasila) with mindfulness because Indriyasanvarasila is achieved through Mindfulness. Indriyasanvarasila, well observed with mindfulness, will not allow unwholesome states such as covetousness to arise. The monk recalls Indriyasanvara in the Adittapariyaya Sutta, “Monks, it would be better that the eye sense-faculty were pierced with a red-hot iron pin all aglow with flames than holding onto visual image objects or their details. When consciousness of the sense doors such as the eye door withhold attachment to the Nimitta such as dangerous covetousness, perfection of mindfulness arises.”

If a monk does not observe Indriyasanvara (control of the senses) carefully, Patimokkhasanvarasila will not stand. It becomes like a rice plant trampled because there is no fence to protect it. A monk who does not observe Indriyasanvara will be easily attacked by the bandits of defilements, like a house without a locked door that the bandits can enter at any time.

In addition, lust pours into the mind continually like rain pouring into a shelter with a leaky roof. According to Lord Buddha, “Monks, restrain the sense doors well in sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch if the sense doors are left unrestrained, they will destroy [the one who does not observe restraint]. It is like a bandit destroys a house with no locked door, or rain destroys a shelter with a leaky roof. Lust always pours into the mind that is not well guarded.”

If the monk is well restrained with Indriyasanvarasila (control of the senses), Patimokkhasanvarasila will stand like a rice plant protected by a fence. The bandits of defilements cannot destroy the monk who observes Indriyasanvarasila well. That is like a house with a locked door that the bandits cannot enter. Lust will not flood into the mind, like rain pouring off a shelter with a solid roof.

Normally, the mind is always changing quickly, so a monk must be always on guard observing Indriyasanvarasila in order to calm any lust through contemplation of Asubha. Here is the story of Phra Vanghisathera as a newly ordained monk:

While the newly-ordained monk followed Phra Anandhathera for alms, he saw a lady coming and lust arose in his mind. He told Phra Anandhathera, “I am burning with lust. My mind is all excited, please tell me the trick for calming it down.” Phra Anandhathera told him, “Your mind is excited because you are mistaken. You need to ignore the sensual Nimitta which causes lust. Stabilize your mind with impurity perception. Contemplate compound things as impermanent, suffering and non-self. That will eliminate lust.”

As long as a monk observes Indriyasanvarasila well, with mindfulness, he can achieve Pure Livelihood or Ajivaparisuddhisila. Pure Ajivaparisuddhisila is achieved by Right Effort (Viriyasasadhana). A monk with Right Effort will not conduct wrong livelihood. He does not search for requisites improperly. He only consumes requisites obtained properly and avoids improper requisites which are like poison. This makes Ajivaparisuddhisila pure, based on Right Living such as going on alms round with Right Effort.

For the monk who does not undertake Dhutanga (Austere Practice), requisites given to the Sangha by devout laity based on virtues such as giving a sermon are pure requisites. Requisites obtained on the alms round are also pure requisites. For the monk who undertakes Dhutanga, if he obtains requisites on the alms round given by laity devoted to the virtues of his Dhutanga, this is pure obtainment of requisites.

When a monk who undertakes Dhutanga receives pain killer medicine plus the four types of traditional Madhura medicine and suddenly thinks of his companions who are in need of four types of traditional medicine, so he only consumes the pain killer, this is proper. This monk is called an Ariyavansika-bhikkhu (a monk who performs the traditional practice of the Noble Ones) of the supreme type.

A monk who observes Ajivaparisuddhisila with effort will also observe Paccayasannissitasila because Paccayasannissitasila is achieved by wisdom (Pattasadhana). A monk with wisdom is able to see dangers and benefits of consuming pure and impure requisites.  Paccayasannissitasila is pure when a monk eliminates sensual desire for requisites and contemplates the properly-obtained requisites with wisdom before consuming them.

There are two basic types of contemplation of requisites: (1) When obtaining them and (2) When utilizing them. Monks who utilize requisites such as a robe, will contemplate it by element or by impurity even if they obtain and keep it for use later. This avoids danger even during consuming.

Four types of utilization of requisites are (1) Consuming like a thief, (2) Consuming like a debtor, (3) Consuming like an heir, and (4) Consuming like an owner.

Monks with broken Sila consuming the requisites in the middle of the Sangha are called consuming like a thief. The monks with Sila but utilizing requisites without contemplation are called consuming like debtors. Robes must be contemplated every time they are used. Food must be contemplated every time it is swallowed. If he does not contemplate before or after consumption or within the first watch, the second watch or the third watch and if he does not contemplate before dawn, he will consume like being a debtor.               

Shelter needs to be contemplated each time it is used. Mindfulness is proper, both at the time of obtaining and the time of using shelter. If a monk contemplates while obtaining it, but does not contemplate while using it, he commits an ecclesiastical offence. If he does not contemplate while obtaining it, but contemplates while using it, he does not commit an ecclesiastical offence.

Four types of purity of consumption are: (1) Purity by confession  (Desanasuddhi), (2) Purity by restraint (Sanvarasuddhi), (3) Purity by searching for (Pariyetthisuddhi), (4) Purity by contemplation (Paccayekakhanasuddhi).

Patimokkhasanvarasila is Desanasuddhi because it is purified by confession. 

Indriyasanvarasila is Sanvarasuddhi because it is purified by intentional restraint, “We will not do this again.”

Ajivaparisuddhisila is Pariyetthisuddhi because it is purified when the monk always searches for and obtains requisites in proper ways. 

Paccayasannissitasila is Paccayekakhanasuddhi because it is purified by contemplation. If one does not contemplate while obtaining but does contemplate while consuming, there is no ecclesiastical offence.

Consuming requisites by the seven types of learners (Phra Sekha) is called consuming like an heir receiving the inheritance of their father [Lord Buddha].

One may ask whether they utilize the requisites of Lord Buddha or the requisites of the laity. The answer is that even though the requisites belong to the laity who have given them with faith, they also belong to Lord Buddha because Lord Buddha allowed this. So the learners utilize the requisites of Lord Buddha.

Utilizing requisites by Perfect Ones (Arahants) is called consuming like the owner. They are the owners of the requisites because they are liberated from the slavery of craving. Consuming like an owner and consuming like an heir are proper for every type of monk. Consuming like a debtor is not proper for any monk. Consuming like a thief is not mentioned.

Monks with Sila who contemplate and consume requisites are called consuming without debt, which is the opposite of consuming debt. It is considered consuming like an heir. This is because a person with Sila is also called a learner due to observing precepts well. Thus, when a monk wants to consume like the owner, he will observe Paccavekakhana well and then utilize the requisites. A monk who always behaves like this is called Kiccakari (one who always does the proper thing). It is written:

A disciple with knowledge or wisdom who listens to the sermons of Lord Buddha always contemplates beforehand and then consumes rice, uses shelter, a stool, or water for washing his robe. Thus, the monk will not cling to these things. They fall away like a drop of water that cannot stay on the leaf of a Lotus.

When he receives food from faithful laity, the monk must be mindful of what he is consuming and how much he is consuming, like a person with a scar who knows how much the medicine is needed to cover the wound.

A monk with mindfulness will consume just enough food to sustain life, like a wife and husband who eat the flesh of their child [who had already died] in a remote place in order to survive or like a merchant who drops oil on the axle of the ox-cart in order to reach his destination.

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