The Distinction Between Monastic Life and Lay Life

First, what is a home, and what is the concept of a home? A home, first and foremost, requires a house, providing a place for the entire family to live together and carry out daily activities. Second, it requires family members—whether parents, a spouse, or children—who accompany, depend on, and rely on each other. Third, it involves a shared secular life, such as eating, daily routines, entertainment, and so forth. Fourth, it necessitates shared property and material resources as the foundation for communal living, along with sources of economic income. Fifth, it requires shared life goals and rules.

When these conditions come together, they form a family. This concept only applies to the human realm within the Desire Realm of the Saha World, because human beings here possess heavy desires. They need houses to conceal their sexual activities, preventing others from peeping and avoiding ridicule. Originally, in the human realm of the Saha World, beings from the Second Dhyana Heaven descended to Earth. Due to indulging in the "earth-fat" (a dense, edible substance), their bodies became heavy and they could no longer fly back to their heavenly palaces, forcing them to remain on Earth as humans. The earliest humans were these Second Dhyana Heaven beings, who had no distinction between male and female forms. Later, as their numbers increased, emotions arose among them, leading to mutual greed and affection. Humans then differentiated into male and female forms. These men and women engaged in sexual activities, initially avoiding others, and later established houses, gradually forming families. With the birth of children, families began, and the concept of "home" emerged.

It can be seen that a home cannot exist without men and women, nor without their sexual activities. If there were no sexual desire between men and women, people would not form families, nor would they have children. Desire Realm deities with thin sexual desire do not have families; even humans in Uttarakuru (the northern continent in Buddhist cosmology) lack families. All beings in the Form Realm heavens have no distinction between male and female forms, no sexual desire, and remain in meditative absorption. They certainly have no families, nor do they need to rush about to support a household or have sources of income. Therefore, the concept of "home" only applies to the human realm of the Saha World, and the act of "leaving home" (ordaining as a monastic) only exists in the human realm of the Saha World. Where there is no family, the question of leaving home or not does not arise. Furthermore, since there is no need for economic sources or rushing about to support a family, such beings are not considered "householders" (laypeople).

As for the Buddha-lands where Buddhas and Bodhisattvas reside, they are all heavenly environments, even more sublime than heavenly realms. There are no distinctions of male or female form, no secular life, no need to toil for livelihood, no worldly occupations. Everything done is for the benefit and happiness of sentient beings; all activities are Buddha's work. Therefore, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have no need to manifest the so-called "monastic appearance" identical to that in the human realm of the Saha World. There is no need to shave their heads to remove the "hair of afflictions" – they have no afflictions. There is no need to wear the monastic robes of the Saha World's human realm; their form bodies inherently have no binding nature, and neither Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, nor sentient beings cling to the appearance of a physical body. Any form they manifest is the "monastic appearance," not the "householder appearance," because there are no householder affairs whatsoever.

We sentient beings of the human realm in the Saha World cannot be compared to the Buddhas of the ten directions, nor to all the Equal Enlightenment and Wondrous Enlightenment Bodhisattvas, nor even to the Tenth Ground Bodhisattvas, thinking that beings in this Evil Age of the Five Turbidities need not manifest the monastic appearance, need not leave home, and are thus the same as those who have left home.

In reality, for each person living in this world, the difference between being ordained (left home) and being a householder is immense. Householders are burdened by secular life, unable to extricate themselves, and face very significant limitations on the spiritual path. Many people suffer under the weight of worldly responsibilities, unable to concentrate on cultivation. Even if they wish to leave home, karmic conditions bind them and prevent it; some leave home several times only to be pulled back by karmic ties. This is the true situation in the human realm of the Saha World. We cannot ignore this reality and irresponsibly claim that being a householder is the same as being ordained, that there is no difference—when in fact, the difference is vast. Each person should search their conscience; one should not flatter oneself by claiming to be the same as those who have left home.