There are local Theravada monasteries near me, however I believe generally monks do not practice Vinaya so well. For example they might cook breakfast for themselves or keep their own money or not have a proper division where a lay board owns the property or they might participate in fundraising activities.
How do I participate in the community while not encouraging the monks to break their sila?
A concrete example where I’m not sure is I help a local monastery with their website. The monk asked me to have some page for donations with their monastery email, so okay I added it. Next I’m helping them setup an account for receiving monthly donations through a charity software, and I encouraged the monk to have the treasurer lay person set it up but the monk also choose to help. Are such things harmful for me and for them? Specifically I don’t know how much Vinaya-wise a monk can participate at all in fundraising. I recall vaguely they should not even hint at such a responsibility.
I ask all this because I’m generally quite desperate for a physical in-person community to buoy me in my practice and want to know the best way to go about it in a wholesome way, given the monasteries available nearby in Canada are not strict Vinaya monasteries.
Perhaps they don’t have a kappiya and need one. You can volunteer. However, they often don’t like other people to get involved even though they say they get involved because nobody else will.
While helping is a great way to get contact with monks in settings outside of formal talks, if you are not living there, you can say what you are not comfortable doing. You can do that with a statement like, “I don’t feel comfortable doing this. Can I help in another way?” If they ask why, just say that you don’t feel comfortable saying why and try to change the focus. Try not to bring up vinaya. They won’t like you bringing up vinaya. It might be best to do yard work or dishes. Maybe they need a live-in helper to cook breakfast for them. Before moving in, try to set down the rules. These days, ai can do most computer tasks for them already. In fact, you are probably just ai prompting to get things done for them.
Most monks will use money. You will need to work around that. They still have a lot to offer. Recognize that, get the most you can.
Lastly, you might find out that the monks are the board members of the nonprofit org, and even collect salaries. That monk might indeed be the treasurer.
As a general rule, it’s very tricky for lay people to judge the Vinaya practice of monks. If you are having a problem (and it’s not something criminal or abusive) it’s probably best for you to limit your interactions to things where you aren’t in a position to judge them.
Statistically speaking, it’s likely that the monks are not keeping the money and food rules. But even a monk who knows Vinaya may not be able to tell when another monk is breaking a rule. The rules are complex and have many so called “loop holes.” And some things, especially around modern financial practices, are up for debate. So they may be doing the best they can for the situation they are in. (When it comes to finances, the monks may not fully trust the lay people to handle things on their own. Sad to say, lay people stealing from temples/monasteries is not unheard of. There are ways for monks to be in the loop and still keep to Vinaya.)
When you offer support, just be sure in your mind to be offering it to the Sangha of the four directions and three times. Then it’s all good. No material gift can be given to a better recipient.
The big debate is, “If you give alcohol to a monk is it merit?”
Or “If you give alcohol to sangha, is it merit?”
Another level is “If you give alcohol to a beggar instead of food or money, is it merit?”
In the end, it is best to be wise with giving, and to give in ways that do not disrupt morality that needs to be followed by that individual. While money is fine for lay people, it is not okay for monks to handle money. Can it be used appropriately by monks? In the worldly view, yes, but anything bought with money is not allowed. In fact, it can make an allowable building in to an unallowable building merely by hanging a picture on a wall with an unallowable nail. Money is against the rules and the Buddha was very strict on this.
Merit is very strange in the way it works. If one knows it is not allowable and gives anyways, then there are problems. If one does not know and gives an unallowable item, he makes merit. Then if you tell the person who made merit the rules, and such situations, he can get remorse which is unwholesome. Kamma is not fair. Even still, we should be wise in giving and wish to be wise in giving.
,