The dhutangas are not an end in themselves. They can only be beneficial if they are accompanied by self-discipline, character development, and diligent cultivation.

(continued from last issue)  
Even in the Indian context of familiarity with many forms of extreme asceticism, the practice of the dhutangas was not always understood properly. Some of the dhutangas were seen as 'rigid and harsh', and this appears to have provoked public comments. Some people even thought that the practice of dhutangas by some Buddhist monks was the result of evil deeds done by them in their former lives.

Buddhists themselves are aware that the practice of the dhutangas does not make one a perfected person. A person could still have evil character traits in spite of practicing the dhutangas rigorously. As Buddhaghosa remarks, a forest-dweller can just as well be one of evil wishes or as one of few wishes. Some critics have suspected that vanity may have been the motive of many monks who adopted the dhutangas. Dhutangas, however, should never be practiced in order to show off or to flaunt a special style. There is a story that illustrates the humility with which an elder monk practiced the dhutangas. One night another monk saw him by the flash of lightning sitting up on his bed. He asked, "Are you a sitter, venerable sir?" Out of fewness of wishes, not wishing for his practice to be known, the elder monk lay down. Afterwards he undertook the practice anew.

The dhutangas are not an end in themselves. They can only be beneficial if they are accompanied by self-discipline, character development, and diligent cultivation. Bhikkhu Nyanatiloka summarizes the value of the dhutangas thus: "Since the moral quality of any action depends entirely on the accompanying intention and volition, this is also the case with these ascetic practices (...) Thus the mere external performance is not the real exercise (...) These exercises are however properly observed if they are taken up only for the sake of frugality, of contentedness, and of purity."  

A major benefit of the dhutangas is conforming to the principle of fewness of wishes. Fewness of wishes and contentedness with whatever one obtains are cardinal virtues that are praised in numerous Buddhist scriptures. For the left-home disciple, the Buddha recommended requisites that are "valueless, easy to get, and blameless". Observing the dhutangas keeps one's use of clothing, food, and dwelling easily within these limits. The cultivator who observes the dhutangas is untroubled and unattached. Verses in Visuddhimagga liken him to the moon, or call him free as the four winds. He is alert like the deer and independent like the bird that flies with its own wings.

Among the Buddha's disciples, Venerable Mahakashyapa was the foremost one in ascetic practices, observing all twelve of them in spite of his advanced age (it is said he left home life at the age of 120). When the Buddha became concerned for his welfare and asked him to relax his practices, Mahakashyapa just smiled, said nothing, and kept on going as before. The Buddha then praised him for adhering to the dhutangas so diligently and said that his practices will ensure that the Proper Dharma will long remain in the world. Apart from shaking off the defilements, severing his attachments and purifying his conduct, ensuring the continuation of Proper Dharma in this world is a strong motivation for the cultivator to take up the dhutanga practices. If observed in the proper frame of mind, the dhutangas are far from being 'rigid and harsh', and become conducive to great freedom, ease, and peace of mind.

The dhutangas are not practices that were observed only in India or only when the Buddha was in the world. They are not only applicable to sages of high achievement, or only to left-home people. Master Hua's personal example and the tradition that he established for the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas testify to the universality and continuing relevance of dhutangas right within the 20th century.  

End