The Importance of Collective Care in Temples : หน้า 68/105

to the temple, they do so after making a wish and a resolution. Therefore, when a monk uses any of these items, he does so upon the good faith and respect of common people. If you show disregard for these items, then you are showing disregard for Lord Buddha and people's faith in Buddhism. Monks are not the sole people responsible for taking care of the temple. Laymen also play an important part in caring for and maintaining temple property. Long ago at the Dhammakaya Temple, the floor mats were not as neatly trimmed with cloth as they are now. In those days, people would come to listen to the abbot's sermons, but during the sermon, they would pick at the edges of mat. That is why nowadays, we put cloth trimming on them, to ensure that the mats have a longer life. Thus, you can begin to see how everyone must share in caring for temple property, if you help, then you are helping to make merit for yourself as well, if you do not, then you may lose that opportunity for merit. There is a story from the time of Lord Buddha, about a King named Payasi, who had a face discolored by a dark birthmark. In his previous life, he had been a generous temple goer who would often make merit. He especially loved his talent for cook- ing. However, in his work as a cook, he cared only for meal he was preparing, and not about the cleanliness and the mainte- nance of the temple kitchen. Thus the smoke from his cooking would dirty the kitchen. Due to his generous merit making, he was reborn in his next life as a King. However, because of his negligence in taking care of the temple kitchen, he was born with a dark discolored face. As laymen, there are not many principles to abide by, but as a monk, there are many more rules by which one must conduct