How Much
A keen
member of a sangha was always bringing extra furniture for the comfort
of the sangha members, and in many other ways trying to make the place
and its garden more beautiful and artistic.
A senior member finally dropped a hint that this was not
necessary, and was indeed undesirable.
'But I am
doing this so that our members should have as nearly perfect conditions
for their practice as possible,' protested the member.
'Surely that can't be wrong?'
'Perfect
external conditions are not attainable,' said the senior, 'and even if
they were, external conditions would do little to improve the internal
conditions, which is the main point of our training.'
'Then are
we simply to let the place get dirty and leaky and the garden
overgrown?'
'The
tradition does not say that,' rejoined the other.
'There is a minimum necessary, or at any rate, almost necessary.
We should be very careful how to pile on so‑called necessities
beyond that.
There is a saying which runs like this: "One bowl of rice and a vegetable each day is necessary; Two is better; Three is luxury; Four makes him ill; Five kills him."