68. The purpose of wandering
Some monks and novices, after the Rains Retreat, like to go off wandering in groups to various places. Each of them makes a big production out of preparing his requisites and a full set of dhutaṅga accessories. But many of them go in a manner that deviates from the purpose of wandering for seclusion. For instance, some of them wear their dhutaṅga accessories on air-conditioned coaches. Some go visiting their old friends in company offices.
So Luang Pu once said in the midst of a gathering of meditation monks,
“To make yourself a good-looking wandering monk isn’t proper at all. It goes against the purpose of going out to wander. Each of you should reflect a great deal on this. The purpose of wandering in meditation is only one thing: to train and polish the heart so that it’s free of defilements. To go wandering in meditation only in body, but without taking along the heart, is nothing excellent at all.”
