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las they are carrying in inappropriate places. Once, I saw the Kyauktan Sayadaw, who teaches the female yogis, personally supervise the rearrangement of the sandals on the women's side because Sayadaw had said they were not neatly placed. He observes the yogis when they come to the dining hall to see if they are neat or not. When he sees sloppiness, he corrects it.
When yogis go [around] on the paths, they should just look about four paces ahead of themselves. They should not be looking here and there. Some hang their head excessively low. When he sees that kind, Sayadaw tells them, "Please pick up your head." Some sit with their heads hanging down between their shoulders. When he sees that kind, Sayadaw tells them, "Straighten your back and pick up your head. You shouldn't stay with your neck bent down like a chicken in the market." If it's a man, he's apt to correct them saying, "A man must be manly." When Sayadaw comes to the dining hall, from time to time he comes on the meal donors at the entrance. He usually says a few words to them and then scans all the people in the dining hall. First, he looks over at the 'working monks' tables. On his way, if he sees sloppiness at the yogi monks' tables, he corrects it. When he sees the rice bowl top placed on the ground where people walk, he has told them to put it back on the bowl. If the desert plate is put not on the table but under the table, I've seen him tell them to put it back on the table.
When he gets to the 'working monks' table, If he sees someone missing, he asks, "Where has he gone? What happened?" If there are things missing from the table, too, he tells the responsible parties to bring them. After the 'working monks' table, he walks over and checks out the foreign monks' tables, the foreign male yogis' tables, and so on. He checks to see whether all the food and drink is out. He is mindful of whether everything is sufficient. If there are things missing, he arranges for them to be taken care of. If he sees sloppiness on the part of the people working in the dining hall, he has them neaten it up. Sometimes spoons or cloth napkins are missing from the table. He tells people to be mindful that those things not be missing. If things are messy or dirty in the kitchen, he tells them to make them neat and clean. If the gas stove is left on with no pot on it, he reminds them not to leave it on. If the tea cups are put in a dirty area, Sayadaw tells them not to put them there.
After saying what he has to say, he goes over to his table. Before Sayadaw comes, the Nâyaka Sayadaws (senior teachers) have been getting everything ready. At the place where Sayadaw sits, they put cushions under his sitting cloth to make it relatively high. They make it up so he can sit comfortably, since Sayadaw is rather plump. After he sits down, they spread a ready-folded napkin out on his lap. That's so that drops of curry won't get his robes dirty. The other monks have to do the same. Sayadaw eats with a spoon and fork. After he eats with his hands, he washes with soap. If soap is not used, one's hand can get itchy and sore, he says. That's probably why he dines with spoon and fork. The other monks and yogis eat with spoon and fork, too. At lunch, Sayadaw eats from his monk's bowl. The monks have to eat from their own monk's bowl, too. At breakfast, though, we don't have to bring it. We just have to bring our sitting cloth to spread out and sit on. The nuns have to bring their sitting cloths to both meals, too.
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