Merle,
Historically, those old places lived on the handouts and donations of others,
already!, themselves!, and they had to be very, very careful about who they let
in. In old China, there was even some sanction by the government, and the
monasteries had to be extra scrupulous and truly frugal, and squeeze every
resource to dedicate them for their established students, and for the
best-of-the-best incoming neophyte candidates. They were like sports teams!:
they didn't just recruit every neighborhood waif drifting in, to shoot some
hoops. They knew how to recognize talent. And there was an established way of
proving one's fervor and stamina. If you failed those tests, they sent you
home to your parents.
This is called true compassion! It resulted in a vibrant teaching system, and
the preservation of the living Dharma, to this day.
Else, we would not even be typing here! ;-)
The monasteries were Places of the Way, not way-places (not Inns).
I prostrate to those old teachers, head-monks, head-nuns, and those
Gate-Keepers. And to the folks who applied and tried, but who were not suited
to that life, and were turned away.
--Joe
-> Merle Lester <merlewiitpom@...> wrote:
>
> compassion doeth not judge.
>
> .if a man needth shelter and food for a thousand nights that is what must be
> done in the name of universal love and compassion.
>
> ..none of us know another man's journey...
------------------------------------
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